5 Ways Father Joe’s Villages Celebrates Earth Day Every Day

1. Donate Your Vehicle

In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that come 2035, 100% of in-state new passenger vehicles will be zero-emission.

Gas-powered vehicles will still be permitted, but if you want to take action to combat climate change now, you can donate your vehicle to us, and we’ll put it to good use while you upgrade to zero emissions. Funds generated from donated vehicles will go towards funding critical, life-saving services for people experiencing homelessness.

our supporters donate to Father Joe’s Villages, they are not only giving new life to their gently-used items, but also helping the community with the things they don’t need. Donations to Father Joe’s Villages are sold at fair prices to people who can give them a second chance. Then, the proceeds from that sale go toward funding programs serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the local San Diego community.

2. Don’t Feel Down in the Dumps

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generate about 200-250 million tons of trash each year—about 4.6 pounds per person per day. Father Joe’s Villages aims to keep all donations out of the landfill. Even when we receive donations that cannot be sold in stores or given to people experiencing homelessness, we do our best to find other ways to recycle.

For example, we sell torn and tattered clothing to rag vendors to re-purpose into other useful items. By purchasing from and donating your goods to Father Joe’s Villages, you’re not only helping your neighbors in need, you’re also preventing unnecessary waste from entering our landfills.

3. We’ll Take Your E-Waste With Your Donation

Unfortunately, only 35% of electronic waste is recycled. But, what can you do with electronic products that you no longer have use for? At no cost to you, Father Joe’s Villages takes e-waste and ensures that it is recycled, refurbished or reused.

When you donate to Father Joe’s Villages, schedule a pick-up, and we can collect your electronic waste too. We’ll make sure it’s recycled. And what most people don’t know is that the glass and metals used to make electronics are much more efficiently recycled than plastic, so you’ll be making a big difference by letting us help you.

Examples of e-waste include: cell phones, computer monitors, computer printers, computer processing units, cordless phones, laptop computers, radios, telephone answering machines, DVD/VHS players, VCRs and more. Whether or not your electronic product still works for you, Father Joe’s Villages can find a way to help your e-waste donation work for the community.

By recycling E-waste, you’ll be helping the world in more ways than one.

4. Make a Corporate In-Kind Donation

Computers, office furniture, food, diapers, whatever; when you make a corporate in-kind donation to Father Joe’s Villages, we put it to good use.

Because they won’t be thrown out, you’ll reduce the amount of waste in landfills; cut down on emissions by giving products straight to us, and help people in need. And we don’t let anything go to waste. We even sell torn and tattered clothing to rag vendors to re-purpose into other useful items.

And if you decide to provide us services, you save us the cost of paying for that service, which means more money can go toward programs that build self-sufficiency, including housing, food, health care and more.

5. Shop At Our Thrift Stores

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans generate about 200-250 million tons of trash each year—about 4.6 pounds per person per day.

Recycling gets a lot of attention at the expense of reusing and reducing, which is too bad because they’re equally important. If you’re having a hard time coming up with ideas other than saving take-out containers, then you need to head to our thrift stores! Clothes, kitchenware, small appliances, and more; every item you buy in our thrift stores is an opportunity to reduce and reuse.

When you buy or purchase items from one of our stores, you’re not only keeping it out of the landfill but you’re also preventing unnecessary production of new goods—conserving resources and cutting production/distribution emissions. According to the EPA, in 2015 industrial production accounted for 21% of greenhouse gas emissions.

At a thrift store, you can find good quality products for less. You might not be able to afford that Italian hand-stitched real-leather handbag off the shelf, but, at Father Joe’s Villages, you can find it for a steal. When you can purchase well-made items for your closet and home, they will last longer—which means less items in the landfill and less money out of your pocket.