Don't throw out your eclipse glasses!

🤓✋♻️

What’s up, solar eclipse nerds?!

If you managed to snag yourself a pair of eclipse glasses to watch today’s special celestial event, mazel tov!

While these flimsy glasses seem like the kind of thing you could:

• Throw out immediately

• Leave on your desk for 2 - 4 weeks and then throw out

• Store in a junk drawer for a couple of centuries

There’s a better way! A small but sweet way to keep those eclipse glasses in the circular economy is to redistribute them to folks who live in the path of a future eclipse.

There’s something really lovely to me about the fact that we know where people will witness the eclipse in the future, and that we can help them watch the same eclipse we saw in the past (unfortunately I was not able to communicate this sentiment in complete English, but hopefully you catch my drift).

Anywho, here are some places you can send those undamaged glasses to (and btw, feel free to collect a bunch of glasses from classrooms, family members, neighbors and friends to ship everything off in one package):

• Accepting donations until August 1: Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC, P.O. Box 50571, Provo, Utah, 84605. (The glasses will be recycled and donated to school-aged children in South America to witness the upcoming annual eclipse in October.)

• Some Warby Parker locations are taking in eclipse glasses for recycling (call them first so you don’t blame me for a wasted trip to the eyeglass store).

• The non-profit Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) is collecting glasses from folks across the U.S. to redistribute to people who may not otherwise have a safe way to view future eclipses in their countries. You can find more info on AWB’s website.

For damaged eclipse glasses:

If, for whatever reason, your glasses are damaged/punctured/gnawed on, throw them in the garbage. They are not recyclable in the typical sense, and sending compromised specs for reuse could be dangerous for future wearers.

Byeee!