The world is becoming more aware of the need to reduce the amount of trash taken to landfills. Most major cities are suffering from waste overload as landfills are filling up at a record pace. Rural areas are likewise experiencing difficulty in handling the enormous amount of garbage generated every day.

The United States is responsible for about 220 million tons of trash per year. As of 2009, about 66 million tons of that is recycled (32%) rather than taken to landfills. Canada produces about 14 million tons per year, of which about 5 million tons are recycled (39%). Mexico is responsible for about 36 million tons per year with 1.2 million tons being recycled (3.3%). The United Kingdom produces about 35 million tons per year, with 9.5 million tons being recycled (27%).

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The Mighty Minty Boost power pack is one of the innovative ways Altoid tins are being reused rather than thrown away. The Altoid tin power pack is basically a kit-driven battery booster using rechargeable batteries to recharge or power pocket devices.

Now, with the advent of affordable solar cells, Altoid tins can be converted to solar cell battery boosters and chargers. The basic Mighty Minty Booster kit costs around $25 USD and can be easily built at home by anyone with modest creative ability. The tin is carefully cut to accept the USB connector, the enclosed electronics and the rechargeable batteries. The batteries are charged from a standard outlet and the booster is used when the internal batteries of your electronic devices run out of power.

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What is an ice age? The term ice age refers to a period when the earth’s temperatures remain below freezing long enough to form ice sheets like those at the north and south poles. As long as those ice sheets remain in any form, we are still technically in an ice age. When those ice sheets disappear, the ice age is over.

What many people really fear is something that geologists say has happened only once in all of earth’s history. That is the snowball earth theory. In the snowball earth scenario, the entire planet is covered by ice and no land is visible. If the theory is correct, this event would have been the most devastating to life on earth, in whatever form that may have been. When people today think of an ice age, what they really fear is a snowball earth.

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