Science Museum of Virginia Hosts Free E-cycling Event on Earth Day

The Science Museum of Virginia is celebrating Earth Day by letting you responsibly trash electronics that are gathering dust in your house.

Who:
The Science Museum is Virginia is celebrating Earth Day with special environmentally focused activities throughout the building.

What:
The Museum will collect old and/or broken electronics for proper recycling. Acceptable items include computers, phones, printers, fax machines, microwaves, blenders, radios, cameras, speakers and flat screen TVs. The Museum cannot accept large appliances, such as refrigerators, and television or computer monitors with a cathode ray tube. Guests should remove personal information from their devices before recycling. E-cycling items should be taken to the Museum’s loading dock on the east side of the building off DMV Drive.

Guests can also dig into sustainable practices that reduce our carbon footprint, explore climate change and examine resiliency best practices through hands-on activities, including:

• Create-your-own artwork opportunities using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data in the Art Lab
• A Challenge Lab activity where guests use green engineering and natural landscape techniques to design houses
• Science on a Sphere® climate change and resiliency programming in the Science Theater
• Make a take-home solitary bee hive in the EcoLab
• A 3 p.m. showing of Cosmic Climate Cookbook, the Museum’s original Dome feature that explains the three basic ingredients needed for life on a planet

In addition, the Virginia Section of the American Chemical Society (VA ACS) will be in the Museum’s Rotunda offering free activities to help guests learn about bioluminescence, water cycles, environmental science and much more as part of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week.

Why:
The Museum offers free e-cycling as a service to the community because some devices contain metals that could cause soil, water or air contamination if they go into a landfill. Last year the Museum collected more than one ton of electronics at its e-cycling event.

When:
The Museum is open from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 22. E-cycling will take place from 12 to 4:30 p.m.The VA ACS activities are available from 12 to 4 p.m.

Where:
Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Cost:
There is no charge to participate in the e-cycling and VA ACS activities. All other programs are included with Museum admission except the Dome feature, which can be added for $4.