I LOVE My Charging Station

I'm generally disappointed with most commercial charging stations I see. From ugly faux wood velvet-lined boxes with holes in the bottom, to sleek units that you wrap your cords around and hang from an outlet...they all fall way below my standards. I give kudos to some creative folks who are trying to make the charging process more fun, like this grass charging station. However, when I first saw it in person I felt it was would be difficult to remove your charging cord if you had to take it with you one day. And, you have to have a very specific "feel" to your space if you can easily weave in a sculptural, grassy piece like this. 
Lucky for me, I've found my own charging solution and I didn't need to buy anything new. As an organizer, I love to contain things. In the 50's and 60's, I think container design was at it's peak. I always go to the household goods section of a thrift store first to scan for fun containers, and that's exactly where I picked up the great vintage tea and coffee canister set that houses (yep, you guessed it) my charging station.
 

Why it works
1) It's so close to an accessible power source! This is on my kitchen counter, in the center of my apartment. It's exactly where I want my phone to be if it's charging. It's central location means that I'll hear it if it rings, and can pick it up (while charging) if I want to without having to sequester myself in some corner.

2) It's attractive! I enjoy opening it every day and extracting my little cord. When my phone is finished charging, I tuck it back inside and feel good about the way I'm using my decorative container.

 3) It makes me think! I like the juxtaposition of my modern internet-connected cell phone equipment living inside this cute, stainless steel container that was made to hold tea for a modern kitchen of the 50's.

Using vintage things to store modern conveniences is a fun way to reuse and recycle. People often ask me if my home looks like The Container Store...I love organization that much! But the truth is my soul would shrivel up if I lived somewhere that looked like the inside of a store. I go out of my way to find fun ways to achieve a calm, clutter-free atmosphere at home. Using vintage pieces is a big part of that process.

Electronics Recycling 101; Give me your slow, your unchargeable, your out of date...

In a bizarre but informative paragraph on the NYC.gov website they say that New Yorkers will be allowed to throw their electronics (minus rechargeable batteries) in the trash until 2015. At which time, should we try to toss our electronics in the garbage, they will magically ricochet back out and a holographic elf will appear reminding us that NOW, now that it's 2015 we must recycle our electronics. Ok, that second part I made up, but really, why wait until 2015?

Here are 3 resources for easy (free shipping! they send you the box! they pay you!) ways to recycle your old electronics:


1) YouRenew.com

• Offered me $19 for my old cell phone
• Free shipping
• Wipes out personal info from your device
• Donate to AmericanForests.org (or) CarbonFund.org (your choice) for every item of yours that they take
• Credit Card/Account not necessary to be paid
• Recycles items that cannot be reused
• Green certified site

2) Gazelle.com

• Offered me $7 for my old cell phone
• Free shipping if your item qualifies
• Wipes out personal info from your device
• Recycles items that cannot be reused
• Green certified site

3) BuyMyTronics.com

• Offered me $6 for my old cell phone
• Free shipping if your item is of value
• Wipes out personal info from your device
• Recycles items that cannot be reused
• Takes broken items
• Site runs on wind power and has a cute icon
• Green certified site

More great resources
Tekserve EWaste Recycling event - Bring it, they'll deal with it on October 9th 2010!! (thanks Ashley!)
NY Stuff Exchange - NYC's give, sell, buy, rent, and repair website.
NYC WasteLess Event Calendar - Find the next recycling event in your area