Blog

Earth Day Challenge

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:30:48 GMT

February 23, 2011
youchange Earth Day Challenge
Author: Gian Solema

We have just launched the youchange Earth Day Challenge! Through this challenge we aim to contest the problems of electronic waste in Arizona while providing a simple and free fundraising solution for its schools. Not only are we raising money for local schools but we are also providing a service to participants by helping them clear out their drawers, closets, and garages of electronics that have been collecting dust over the years.

Lets face it, every year American’s spend billions of dollars ditching their electronic gadgets for the newest, latest, and greatest replacements of them. In most cases their old electronics still function perfectly fine and get put away somewhere “just in case” they need it. What some people don’t realize is that these gadgets still hold some value. Youchange is the answer to this problem. We help provide new life to our electronics and keep them polluting global dumping grounds.

"We all have obsolete electronic items collecting dust but what we don't know is that many of those items still have some value. Youchange's business is built on empowering students to change the world and solve the problems of electronic waste through school fundraising programs and launching this challenge for our local area just makes sense," said Derrick Mains EVP of youchange. "With more than 100,000 schools across the nation suffering with serious budget cuts we plan to expand this opportunity to other regions in the coming months.".

The Earth Day Challenge is an electronics collection competition providing the opportunity for one school to win a cash prize of $2,500! It is open to all Maricopa County schools from now until Earth Day on April 22nd. Only the first 30 schools to sign up for our two-week collection program will quality for the $2,500 grand prize. The school that collects the most items per student will receive this grand prize. Because the contest looks at the number of items collected per student it allows schools of all size compete. Only the school with the highest student to items collected ratio will win the $2,500.

The winning school will be announced on May 15th, 2012 and presented with a $2,500 check in addition to the cash they raised through their collection event.

"We have seen schools make between $300 and $5,000 after completing our two week collection drives. Now adding in the chance to win an additional $2,500 prize for their efforts is a win for them and a win for the environment and the school!" said Dan Fogel VP of Operations for youchange.

Regardless, all schools will be paid for all functional computers, cell phones, tablets, e-readers, video game consoles, media players, digital cameras, and digital camcorders that are collected. All non-functional items will be responsibly recycled. Credit to the simplicity of our program, it can be driven by students, parent teacher organizations, or by teachers. In addition, we emphasize with schools the importance of educating their students about electronic waste and promoting their collection event.

For more details or to sign up for the challenge contact Dan Fogel via:

email at dfogel@youchange.com
or call 480 947 3588.

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

Community Driven Organizations Making a Difference!

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:39:11 GMT

September 8, 2011
Community Driven Organizations Making a Difference!
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

youchange takes pride in demonstrating our core values and we never neglect an opportunity to learn and improve upon what we are doing. We also make sure to adopt creativity and innovation and look to reward execution when we come across organizations making a positive impact on the environment (P.S. Check out our Core Values video here!). Through our partnership with Keep Arizona Beautiful we are able to spotlight two organizations in two different parts of the country making a positive impact. These are outstanding examples of locally driven organizations helping members of their community, something youchange strives to do as well.

SCARCE, located in Chicago, IL is devoted to inspiring people, through education, to preserve and care for the Earth’s natural resources, while working to build sustainable communities. Examples of their involvement include their book rescue or Tools for Schools program, as well as a cell phone rescue program that aims to keep used cell phones out of landfills. Their programs with schools allow for the reuse of textbooks and other school supplies that may normally end up in the trash. SCARCE also provides environmental education programs and workshops on a variety of topics that teach students and others alike how to become better environmental stewards. youchange will be teaching its first series of educational classes on electronic waste this October and our program draws on some of the same principles that SCARCE uses. SCARCE also offers certification programs for schools, businesses, and community members who actively play a role in increasing the education and awareness of environmental sustainability.

Another group encouraging reuse is SCRAP. This San Francisco based organization aims to stimulate creativity and environmental awareness in children and adults through promoting the creative reuse of materials that traditionally have been discarded as waste. SCRAP has been helping students and Bay Area residents alike since the mid-seventies by bringing new life into reusable materials. They embody their concept of creative reuse and it is a crucial aspect we all could adopt and learn to value. SCRAP diverts over 200 tons of materials from the landfill each year and has become a prominent place in the community to find reusable materials for educational programs or creative projects. SCRAP also hosts creative reuse workshops, field trips, and outreach activities as well as free monthly teacher give-aways to San Francisco teachers. Although the current youchange focus centers on recycling of electronic waste, it was founded on the premise of reuse and recycling of other products and keeping them out of the waste stream. As youchange grows so will the breadth of other environmental issues we are involved with as well.

youchange is thrilled to feature two organizations that are making such positive differences in their communities. These are the models that we make every effort to follow. When you join the youchange community it is our hope that you will not only recycle your old electronics but also learn about the importance of doing so. You can also reward yourself with reusable items from our Shop Green store after earning some extra cash and reward points when you turn in your functioning electronics! We look forward to seeing you become a part of the youchange community!

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

Gililland Middle School Embraces Green Leaders Program!

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:07:49 GMT

August 30, 2011
Gililland Middle School Embraces Green Leaders Program!
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

If you’ve been keeping up with the blogs you have noticed the involvement youchange has been having with schools around the Valley as we implement our Green Leaders and Ambassadors Program. Gililland Middle School is implementing the program and we are very excited to help educate their students on the issue of electronic waste.

Gililland has done a great job with their proactive approach to sustainability education. Claudia Becho teaches the only sustainability-focused class amongst middle schools in the Tempe Schools District at Gililland Middle School. The elective class is very popular too, as she teaches six periods with classes full of 25-30 young students. With the help of youchange, Gililland students will learn about the issues regarding electronic waste and what they can do to help eliminate it. youchange will teach a fun and informative lecture about e-waste complete with videos and displays to help engage the students on the subject.

Gililland will also be hosting an electronics collection drive that will culminate on America Recycles Day, November 15, 2011. Students will have the chance to compete against other classes to see who can collect the most electronics. The youchange Green Leaders at Gilliland will help Ms. Becho total the points for the electronics each class collects, and help coordinate and encourage their peers to bring in electronics. Students who participate will receive a youchange bracelet, the teacher of the top three classes will receive a youchange t-shirt, and the winning class will win a pizza party. While this is a great way to educate students and help raise awareness about e-waste it is also important to remember that all of the electronics collected will be diverted from the landfill and some may even have second lives as refurbished products.

Youchange is very excited about the opportunity to work with young students and help them establish an eco-conscious way of thinking. Our involvement could not be possible without the help of Ms. Becho as well as Gililland Middle School and we look forward to helping them organize a great event and more in the future! If you would like to get your school involved in this great program please contact our Community Outreach Director at info@youchange.com

Illinois Revamps Law and Stays Ahead of the Curve

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:18:53 GMT

August 25, 2011
Illinois Revamps Law and Stays Ahead of the Curve
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

If you’ve been following the youchange blog you’re well aware of the lack of electronic waste legislation in Arizona as well as around the country. We are happy to share with you that Illinois has become the newest state to revamp their e-waste legislation to keep even more electronics out of the landfill! Our hope is that one day this announcement will pertain to Arizona, but it’s great to see that another state government has taken the necessary initiative to improve their electronic waste management. One step, or state, at a time the environmental impact of e-waste is being lessened and the social movement to eliminate electronic waste continues to grow!

SB 2106 was signed into law on August 10, 2011 by Governor Pat Quinn and nearly doubles Illinois’ annual recycling goal. The new law increases the amount of recyclable products that manufacturers must recycle from four to seventeen. Such products include keyboards and mice, fax machines, video game consoles and VCR’s just to name a few. What happens if the manufacturers choose to ignore the new state law? SB 2106 has created more stringent penalties for non-compliance, increasing fines from $1,000 to $7,000, and requires manufacturers to recycle a larger percentage of products by 2012.

Illinois residents also stand to benefit in three different ways as a result of the new legislation. First, the local environment is being preserved because more and more electronics are being diverted from state landfills. Also, this program is completely free to consumers, unlike some manufacturer based electronics takeback programs. Finally, this program could boost job creation in the midst of a struggling economy, something we wrote about last month. Also, manufacturers are required to provide more educative material to consumers from proper e-waste disposal.

youchange will always seek to keep you informed about occurrences of new e-waste laws around the country or governments that aren’t taking the proper initiative to manage the fastest growing stream of waste in the United States. Regardless of government actions though, it is still up to you to round up those old electronics you have and turn them into youchange! Why not earn some extra cash and help preserve the environment at the same time? So join the youchange community today and become part of the social movement to eliminate electronic waste!

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

youchange Inspires Student Recycling!

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:24:56 GMT

August 18, 2011
youchange Inspires Student Recycling!
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

youchange is always looking for ways to educate people on the growing social movement to eliminate electronic waste. The recycling movement is gaining steam as Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, has announced the Recycle Bowl Competition. The mission of the competition is to invigorate student recycling that will lead to establishing new programs within schools, increase recycling rates in schools that already recycle, as well as provide teacher and student educational opportunities about recycling and waste reduction. K-12 schools are eligible to sign up and collect recyclables for the national recycling competition. There are also community, state, and national level prizes awarded to schools based on the recycled material.

The Recycle Bowl Competition is an excellent way to involve students in recycling and touches on what youchange is trying to do with our Green Leaders and Ambassadors program. Unfortunately, the Recycle Bowl Competition does not allow for any electronics to be collected. While it is very important to teach students the benefits of recycling, it is hard to ignore the fastest growing waste stream in the United States.

youchange is looking to change the fact that electronics are not being considered for this competition as we feel that e-waste recycling is a vital educational point for the younger generation.

The EPA offers a variety of Environmental Education Grants and at youchange we think these grants would be a great way to help establish an electronic waste recycling system for schools in Arizona. The grants support environmental education projects that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. The EPA awards approximately $2-$3 million in grants each year depending on funds appropriated by Congress. Grants like these would aid in the process of getting a program like the youchange Green Leaders and Ambassadors in schools throughout the Valley.

Through our partnership with Keep Arizona Beautiful youchange is looking to collaborate with Keep America Beautiful to include electronic waste in next year’s Reycle Bowl Competition. It is our hope that youchange can provide Keep America Beautiful with the capacity to accept electronic waste and help to contribute to minimizing the e-waste stream. This is simply too large an issue to ignore and it would be doing a disservice to such a great program to not teach young students about the benefits to recycling e-waste. The youchange Green Leaders and Ambassadors program can become a quality platform for this competition and we look forward to exploring involvement in programs like these in the future! youchange has already helped to educate students on recycling with the help of Keep Arizona Beautiful and it is our hope that electronic waste can be added to that curriculum.

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

No Electronic Waste Legislation in Arizona, Really?

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:40:47 GMT

July 20, 2011
No Electronic Waste Legislation in Arizona, Really?
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

Did you know that Arizona is one of 20 states in the country without one piece of electronic waste legislation? Living up to its reputation as the “wild west.” youchange strives to promote the education on issues like this as well as working with industry stakeholders to improve current situations and promote change so Arizona becomes a leader other states can model from and aspire to be like. With this purpose in mind, we’ve chosen to highlight the inefficiencies and hazardous risks that are a direct result of lack of electronic waste laws in our beautiful state of Arizona.

Has anyone heard of unemployment these days? The number is staggering with Arizona among the nation’s highest rates nearing 10%! I am sure the actual rate is much higher since many unemployed simply accept a lesser position out of their field just to keep food on the table as opposed to filing for unemployment and joining the statistics. So by now you’re asking, “What does lack of e-waste legislation and Arizona’s high unemployment rate have in common?” I’ll give you the short answer: fixing one can fix the other! By not having e-waste legislation, Arizona is missing out on an opportunity to create jobs in the green sector that would help stimulate the local economy. Instead of allowing hazardous e-waste to sit at dumpsites leaching into our ecosystem, or illegally shipped out of or into the state, the right legislation could lead the way for a process to refurbish, recycle and re-use these obsolete items leading the way to a “cradle-to-cradle” solution resulting in the creation of many jobs statewide. Unfortunately, the ugly happened as the University of Arizona sponsored an e-waste drive that left the state! The drive started as a valiant effort, however absent of Arizona legislation and e-waste education all 47 tons of e-waste collected were sent to California rather than keeping it in Arizona and creating Arizona jobs. Similar actions occurred by individuals and companies that smuggled e-waste out of Arizona and sold it for higher profits by fraudulently leveraging California’s e-waste recycling program only available to residents of California. The lack of legislation opens the door for Arizona to become a dumping ground for hazardous electronic waste that would pollute not only our local environment but eventually leach into our eco system (food & water supply) promoting health issues including various forms of cancer and mental illness. It also opens the door for illegal activity to occur given the money to be made from the sale of precious and rare earth metals prevalent in electronic waste.

Arizona has made efforts on a statewide electronic waste law in the past, failing most recently in 2010. In January of this year H.B. 2425 was submitted to the Arizona House of Representatives but died in committee. That bill was based on a producer responsibility take-back program in which manufacturers would have to participate in the statewide recycling program. The bill would have also included an e-waste disposal ban beginning January 1, 2013. But Arizona still is not fully committing to a proper e-waste law. The failed e-waste bill from January of this year was listed as a “large electronics recycling” bill and had limitations on what could and could not be recycled. This is contrary to the proposed federal bill, H.R. 2284, which places a nationwide export ban on all electronic waste.

Various cities across the Valley have made efforts to provide their residents an environmentally responsible option for the disposal of e-waste by hosting their own collection drives or providing drop off sites. The challenge is getting the word out given the limited resources many cities are facing in the current economic climate, and by the way, what exactly happens after the city collects the e-waste? They don’t have the resources to promote collection, let alone deal with the proper disposal of the e-waste. So they do a deal with local recyclers that may or may not do the right thing absent of legislation…remember we are in the “wild west.”

While most of the city efforts are commendable and the efforts to ratify a statewide bill seem to be gaining traction, the larger issue is being ignored. The lack of electronic waste laws in Arizona leave a gaping hole in the green job sector that could easily be filled. In a downtrodden economy that is desperate for more job creation, this is the perfect opportunity to help stimulate the Arizona economy.

Texas Congressman Raymond Green shared this same sentiment as he introduced a federal e-waste bill motivated by job creation and positive environmental ramifications. Rep. Green, with the help of Rep. Michael Thompson (CA), recently submitted H.R. 2284, or The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act of 2011, to the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would promote the domestic recycling industry and bring recycling jobs back into the United States. The Houston-based e-Steward certified company Technocyle said they would have to double or triple their workforce upon ratification of such a bill. H.R. 2284 is still being worked upon in committee stages. Although there are currently some domestic e-waste recyclers many of them cannot compete with the foreign recycling facilities that have few, if any, standards as well as cheaper labor. By prohibiting the export of e-waste to developing nations the bill has the proper environmental foresight and promotes jobs within the green sector for small businesses like youchange to be established across the country!

In the midst of a difficult economy it is hard to argue that Arizona’s lack of a statewide e-waste law is both environmentally and fiscally irresponsible. That is why youchange is urging you to let Governor Jan Brewer know about it! Campaign for Recycling, a national non-profit environmental advocacy organization, has given Arizonans an opportunity for their voices to be heard. Please click here to sign their online petition for a statewide e-waste recycling bill. Your voices are needed to finally push one of these bills through to ratification. Remember: “It starts with you and ends in change.” Share this on facebook and Twitter so we can all come together and make this happen!

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

youchange's Local Partnerships

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:57:02 GMT

July 11, 2011
youchange's Local Partnerships
Author: Jefferey Rassas

youchange was recently asked by Green Living AZ how we take the initiative to utilize local businesses for our products or services. We feel our strong partnerships with local businesses and charities demonstrate our support for the local economy. Studies show that for every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $73 remains in the local economy. Conversely, for every $100 spent at a non-locally owned business, only $43 remains in the local economy (Local First AZ). It is with those statistics in mind that youchange is committed to establishing relationships with Arizona businesses and charities first.

In recent months we have partnered with RedSeven to add more drop off locations for your electronics throughout the Valley. RedSeven offers locations in Mesa, Tempe and Scottsdale making our drop off locations even more accessible to our valued youchange customers. RedSeven is an outstanding example of a local company that youchange is happy to be partnered with.

youchange is also gaining new charity partners! Our new partnership with Touchstone Behavioral Health has been mutually beneficial and will help contribute to their cause of supporting the youth and their families. We have also just established a partnership with the 100 Club of Arizona. The 100 Club has helped to donate millions of dollars to families of public safety officers over the last four decades. Finally, youchange and Childhelp® have partnered as we support their cause to help victims of child abuse and neglect. All three of these great Arizona based organizations are advancing their causes through their partnerships with youchange.

At youchange we also believe it is our responsibility to educate and lead by example. We hope that by partnering with local groups we are inspiring you to think locally next time you make a purchase or recycle your old product. Please check out our featured partners section below for a more in depth look at the quality organizations youchange is partnered with.

Featured Partners

RedSeven has been repairing computers in the Valley since 1997. Have you ever had your personal or work computer stop working after you put hundreds of dollars into anti-virus software or extended warranties? RedSeven offers an outstanding solution with their computer leasing program. For about $1 a day you can lease a computer with Red Seven and you are 100% backed up with the help of their team. Check out their "Seven Reasons to Never Buy Another Computer" section on their website and get the computer help you need today!

Touchstone Behavioral Health partners with youth and their families to provide evidence-based services and support to help them acquire the skills to live productive and responsible lives. Using the three programmatic approaches of prevention, outpatient therapy, and out of home treatment Touchstone Behavioral Health has earned the reputation and respect in juvenile behavior therapy for which they are recognized. Their proven quality work has been recognized by receiving the JCHAO Gold Seal of Approval.

The 100 Club of Arizona has donated over $5 million over the last four decades to families of public safety officers in Arizona. Whatever the need – financial, advisory or moral support, the 100 Club of Arizona is there to ease the pain of the family of those in fire, public safety or law enforcement who are injured or killed in the line-of-duty. The 100 Club of Arizona has more than 2,000 members and are constantly helping families with outstanding charity events throughout the Valley.

Childhelp® is the leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Childhelp® focuses their efforts on advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach. Childhelp programs and services are designed to help children from any situation and let them experience the life they deserve- one filled with love. The principal theme is to provide these children with an environment of love and kindness and with the best possible treatment services so they will see how special they truly are.

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

Are the Electronics Stored in Your Home Presenting a Health Risk?

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:16:25 GMT

February 23, 2011
Are the Electronics Stored in Your Home Presenting a Health Risk?
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

At youchange our core values revolve around continuously learning about and improving upon our relationship with the environment. We also feel that it is our responsibility to educate people and lead by example. It is with these values in mind that we present to you some of the dangerous effects that those extra electronics piling up in your spare room, garage, or nearby landfill may have on your health.

As another hot summer begins in Arizona it is common for temperatures in your garage to surpass 130 degrees. Keeping old consumer electronics in your garage in extreme summer temperatures can lead to explosion of batteries and even fires. Consumer electronics contain many components that, if overheated, could result in fire. These components include capacitors, transistors and lithium ion batteries, amongst others. Lithium ion batteries are subject to a “thermal runaway” which can occur in extreme temperatures and lead to explosions of the batteries. A thermal runaway leads to a product overheating and can progress into explosion or fire. Internal materials in lithium ion batteries can produce heat and can lead to thermal runaway when short circuits occur.

Unfortunately, an Arizona summer is the perfect environment for a thermal runaway occurrence in your old cell phone or laptop battery because of the extreme heat exposure in a garage. It is also recommended that lithium ion batteries be replaced every two or three years, meaning your old electronics may pose even greater risk. Old electronics also may contain batteries that have since been recalled by companies such as Dell or HP due to fire safety issues. The Consumer Products Safety Commission acknowledged that between 2003 and 2005 more than 300 incidents of lithium ion batteries overheating were reported resulting in many problems including property damage. Lithium battery fires are also more difficult to contain than a normal combustion fire. Instances of overheated lithium battery based fires have been reported in homes and have been traced back to overheating. Even the FAA has taken precautions against planes shipping lithium ion batteries and has attributed responsibility for a September 2010 plane crash to lithium ion batteries that possibly short circuited or overheated due to extreme temperatures.

The e-waste that you are keeping in your home also poses a health risk just by being stored at room temperature. The plastics in many consumer electronics contain decabromodiphenyl ether, or a flame retardant found in hard plastics. That flame retardant belongs to a larger group known as Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. How does all of this apply to you? PBDEs have been found in high levels in indoor dust, which is exactly what is collecting on your old electronics as you read this. The dust that you are inhaling leads to PBDEs bioaccumulating in blood, breast milk and fat tissues. Inhalation can lead to issues with the liver, thyroid, reproductive system, and neuro system. The Environmental Protection Agency has even conducted an action plan summary on how to deal with PBDEs going forward citing particular concern over the effects of PBDEs on the neurosystem. So send those old electronics into youchange today!

These in-home health risks are serious enough but the long-term effects of electronics ending up in the landfill don’t help either. As obsolete electronics make the way from garbage bins to the landfill they leach out dangerous chemicals like lead, cadmium, beryllium and mercury into the environment. Even worse, many of these electronics are simply sent overseas to countries like China, Ghana or Nigeria where the precious metals are extracted from the electronics in a very dangerous manner. In these countries electronics are burnt or melted down releasing pollutants into the atmosphere with no e-waste regulation. The resulting fires pose incredibly dangerous health risks to people working to extract precious metals from the old electronic products. Below is a diagram indicating the potential health risks of e-waste.

So what’s stopping you? Send youchange your old electronics now and help the environment and your health. Don’t forget that you can get paid by sending in your old cell phones, laptops, desktops, monitors and media players. Help become part of the social movement to eliminate electronic waste, the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream.

“It starts with you...and ends in change”

It starts with you and ends in change

gian.solema@gmail.com (gian solema) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:38:53 GMT

February 22, 2011
It starts with you and ends in change
Author: Jeffrey Rassas

Accept responsibility. This is a concept I live and breathe.

While some may take these words to heart for the first three months of each New Year, I try to live by this concept year-round. It is on this foundation that youchange was built. It is your responsibility, my responsibility, our responsibility to keep our planet healthy and thriving for the generations to come.

Recycling is not a new concept, obviously, but as technology advances, so do our piles of waste. What was once our latest obsession and source for high-speed browsing now collects dust in the garage with our cell phones the size of bricks and our TVs that have been replaced with newer, sleeker models. When the pile grows too large, some may have a garage sale to make room for more gadgets, others may give the electronics to charities.

Then there are those who [gasp] toss these items in the dumpster. Did you know that, according to the EPA, electronic waste (or “e-waste”) is responsible for at least 40 percent of the toxic, heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium in U.S. landfills that can leach into our air and water?! Didn’t your mother teach you to clean up your messes? With youchange, cleaning up your messes just got a whole lot easier.

We understand there are myriad other things you’d rather be doing than figuring out how to detoxify your electronics, so now all you have to do is send us your electronics or drop them off at one of our drop-box locations. Not only will you be doing your part in protecting God’s green earth (which I really do appreciate, so I can continue cycling through the beautiful, toxin-free Arizona desert) but your wallet will appreciate it, too. Really. At youchange, we not only take your old electronics off your hands, but we pay you for them! Then we make sure any sensitive information is removed from the gadget, and we refurbish it in our very own warehouse and put it up in our “re-commerce” store for youchange users to purchase with member reward points. It’s really a win-win-win situation.

We are happy you have used our services; you are happy you have a fatter wallet; and the environment is happy that she can breathe a little easier. And all because you accepted responsibility. See? Now, doesn’t that make you feel like you, too, can breathe a little easier? It starts with you … and ends in change.