To encourage consumers to recycle more, Plastics Make it Possible(SM) provides the following tips for reusing and recycling everyday plastics.

1. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your community and where they can be taken.  Though recycling options vary, most community curbside programs collect plastic bottles and many grocery and retail chains now offer bins to collect used plastic bags and wraps for recycling.  An increasing number of communities are also collecting rigid containers like yogurt and butter tubs.
 
2. Know what to recycle with your bottles.  A "bottle" is any container with a neck or opening that's smaller than its base and includes milk jugs; beverage containers; bottles from salad dressing, oil and other; food jars for items like peanut butter and mayonnaise; and bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and household cleaners.
 
3. Know what to recycle with your bags at grocery stores.  When you recycle your bags, include all plastic bags from grocery, retail and dry cleaning stores, plastic bags that cover newspapers, and product wraps from paper towels, napkins, bathroom tissue and diapers.
 
4. Clean and empty.  Before tossing them in the recycle bin, make sure bottles are appropriately rinsed and that caps are removed.
 
5. Bring bottles back to the bin.  When bottles are emptied away from home, store them in a backpack or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until arriving home to place in a recycle bin.
 
6. Store bags in a bag. Storing plastic bags and wraps in a plastic bag offers neat, convenient storage. Simply knot the handles when you're ready to drop them off at your local grocer or retailer.
 
7. Reuse those bags! From trash can liners to pet pick-up, plastic bags can be used dozens of ways.
 
 8. Pitch in beyond the kitchen. While many recyclable bottles and bags come from the kitchen, don't forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles and reuse your plastic bags as trash can liners throughout the house.
 
9. When in doubt, leave it out. Be careful not to contaminate your recyclables with garbage or items that aren't recycled in your area.
 
10. Bridge the second generation gap.  It's important to remember that recycled plastics go on to become second generation products like carpet, fleece jackets and new bottles and bags.
 

Believing that domestic violence will end only when it is no longer acceptable, Casa de Esperanza, a national Latina domestic violence organization, today launched its Hope Campaign to challenge people across the country to take action in their daily lives to create a world free from domestic violence.

Sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the national Hope Campaign puts the work of ending domestic violence in the hands of individuals and communities. A new, interactive Web site - www.casadeesperanza.org/hope-campaign - offers tools, tips and ideas for people to get involved in the Hope Campaign, including taking the Pledge of Hope - a personal commitment to ground relationships in love, respect and understanding.

In addition to taking the Pledge of Hope, the Campaign provides:
  --  Access to resources and information about domestic violence and ways
      to promote healthy relationships.
  --  Ideas to support domestic violence prevention through fundraising
      events with the Hope Campaign or by donating no-longer-used cell
      phones to HopeLine®, Verizon Wireless's phone recycling program.

  --  Tools for shelter or agency workers to help explain domestic violence
      to children and other community members.

A key element of the Hope Campaign is new audio and video public service announcements, available in both English and Spanish, that remind us of the positive impact we all can make through our words and actions. To preview or order the PSAs, visit www.casadeesperanza.org/hope-campaign.

The Hope Campaign was created from the belief that no one is born violent - violence is a learned behavior. We all have the opportunity and responsibility to take small, but important, action in our daily lives and to promote hope, not fear and peace, not violence.

Oprah, Martha, Madonna have all mastered the art of personal branding and in doing so have set themselves apart. But we don’t have to be a megastar to develop and benefit from branding ourselves.

Mujeres Chat’s Professional Series welcomes author and speaker Vicky Oliver who guides us on the how and why of personal branding.

Vicky Oliver gives people the confidence they need to succeed – whether they’re looking for a job or are trying to hang onto one. Today her first book, 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions, is available in the U.S., England, France, Australia, Canada, Japan, Turkey, and Taiwan. Her second book is called Power Sales Words, How to Write It, Say It, And Sell It with Sizzle. Her third book, published in fall 2008, is called Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots.

The inaugural Women's Alternative Investment Summit will be held on December 1-2, 2009 in New York's financial district.

The conference, entitled "Alternative Investment in the Age of Transparency," will address the challenges and opportunities presented by doing business in front of "clear windows."

Keynote interviews will feature industry leaders Sandra Horbach, Managing Director, The Carlyle Group and Nicole Arnaboldi, Chairman, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners; Co-Head of Illiquid Alternatives, Credit Suisse. High profile panelists from such leading firms as The Blackstone Group, D.E. Shaw and Co., Goldman Sachs, and Carnegie Corporation of New York will address a select audience of the foremost women alternative investment professionals from North America, Europe, and Asia.

Topics for discussion include "The LP Perspective: The Search for Detail;" "The Narrowing of Private Equity and the Rise of Alternatives;" "Washington and Wall Street: Bridging the Communication Gap;" "Navigating The Debt Markets;" "Managing the Portfolio Company;" and "Hedge Funds' Second Act."

The Summit's partners include The Carlyle Group, Kauffman Fellows Program Center for Venture Education, and The Wall Street Journal.

The Women's Alternative Investment Summit is designed to enhance networking, fundraising, and deal-making opportunities for senior-level women in alternative investments. The event will also include structured networking opportunities, which have proven to be extraordinarily valuable at previous Summits.

The Summit opens on the evening of Tuesday, December 1 with a welcome reception at The Setai (Broad Street), followed by a full-day program on Wednesday, December 2, held at Cipriani Wall Street.

Keynote panelists include Molly Ashby, Founder and CEO, Solera Capital; Anne Casscells, Managing Director, Co-President and CIO, Absolute Return Strategies, Aetos Capital; Dana B. Hall, CFA, SVP, D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P; Melina Higgins, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; Tracey Luke, Director of Portfolio Management, Liquid Realty Partners; Colleen Sellers, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management; D. Ellen Shuman, VP and CIO, Carnegie Corporation of New York; Joan Solotar, Senior Managing Director, Public Markets Group, The Blackstone Group; and Kelly M. Williams, Managing Director and Co-Head, Customized Fund Investment Group, Credit Suisse.

 http://www.falkmarquesgroup.com/

The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce just launched a new Spanish language web site designed to reach out to Hispanic business leaders across Latin America. This is the first Chamber site of its kind in the nation. The website, www.ConoceSanAntonio.com ("Get to know San Antonio") provides critical information to Hispanic business owners, investors and their families regarding starting a business, relocation and visiting San Antonio.

The site targets three primary audiences: The Spanish speaking business owner/entrepreneur, families who are relocating to San Antonio, and tourists. For example, the pages linked to the area for business owners/entrepreneurs, titled "empresarios" focuses on how to secure funding for business, cultural advice on US business practices, and depending on their business interest, what legal assistance they should seek.

The site also has many links to The Chamber's main web site www.sachamber.org especially to the business directory area which will feature categories of Chamber members who provide services of interest to this audience.

http://www.conocesanantonio.com/

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) will hold its Annual Conference and Career Expo October 8 - 10 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN. Over 8,000 MBA students, professionals, and executives will converge in Minneapolis to engage with top Hispanic leaders in America. The Career Expo boasts more than 250 corporations and academic institutions, and more than 4,000 on-site interviews. The conference theme, "Think Ahead, Move Forward," exemplifies the essence of the conference - presenting opportunities for the MBA student and professional to broaden their future and advance in the development of their relationships with peers and employers while gaining access to valuable resources.

This year, NSHMBA is pleased to have Target as corporate lead sponsor and Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota as the academic lead sponsor. "It is an honor to partner with lead sponsors who are actively engaged with the NSHMBA mission of fostering Hispanic leadership, dedicating effort and resources to guarantee the success of our endeavor," said Steve A. Ramos, NSHMBA Interim CEO.

The official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, October 9 at 8:20 a.m. with the attendance of Mr. Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota; Isaias Zamarripa, Director of Talent Acquisition, General Mills and Chair of NSHMBA Corporate Advisory Board; Cosette Gutierrez, Chair of NSHMBA Board of Directors; Anthony Heredia, Vice President of Corporate Risk and Responsibility, Target; and Steve Ramos, NSHMBA Interim CEO.

NSHMBA's three-day conference features a Professional Development Day, an exclusive Executive Forum, a Research Forum, a Career Management Center, and the nation's largest career expo for Hispanic MBAs. The Professional Development Day includes breakout sessions presented by leading corporate executives and business experts, and an Executive Forum created to provide a venue for high-level Hispanic executives to convene and address the challenges and demands Hispanic executives face in corporate America.

During the conference, NSHMBA will recognize Hispanic scholarship recipients from across the country who have been recently awarded financial assistance through the NSHMBA Scholarship Program and the NSHMBA University Partnership Program.

During the final evening gala on Saturday night sponsored by Target, NSHMBA will present the prestigious Brillante Awards for Excellence awards, with Maria Celeste Arraras as the events Emcee. Ms. Arraras is host and managing editor of "Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste," the most talked about newsmagazine in Hispanic television, airing nationwide in the U.S. and 15 Latin American countries, and produced by Telemundo/NBC.

The Brillante Awards evening gala brings the conference to a spectacular close with an extraordinary concert by Alejandro Fernandez, a popular Latin Grammy-winning Mexican singer who has sold over 15 million copies in over 20 countries. He is an authentic ambassador of Mexico.

For an overview of the conference schedule and activities, please go to http://www.nshmba.org/Conference.

Patricia de Stacy Harrison (izquierda), presidenta de la Corporacion Para la Difusion Publica, que patrocinio el proyecto Historias; Dave Isay (medio), fundador y presidente de Story Corps; y congresionista Lucille Roybal-Allard.The nonprofit oral history project StoryCorps launched Historias, a new initiative to record and preserve the experiences of Latinos throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Historias will capture and celebrate the diversity of Latinos and their culture. The interviews are informal conversations between family members or close friends who share their life experiences and stories with one another.

Community partners involved in this national initiative include the Latino Public Radio Consortium, Latino USA and the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. StoryCorps also wishes to thank Bill Lynch Associates, LLC, for their assistance with StoryCorps Historias.

During the first year of Historias, StoryCorps will visit cities across the nation, partnering with local radio stations, cultural institutions and community-based organizations to collect nearly 1,000 stories throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico (see tour schedule below).

Reservations for sharing your stories during StoryCorps' Historias national tour can be made by calling 1-800-850-4406. Web Site: http://www.storycorps.org/

Historias Tour Schedule: 2009-2010

  City                   Opening

  ----                   -------

  New York, NY           September 1, 2009

  ------------           -----------------

  San Francisco, CA      September 22, 2009

  -----------------      ------------------

  Eastern Puerto Rico    September 23, 2009

  -------------------    ------------------

  Taos, NM               October 29, 2009

  --------               ----------------

  Alamosa, NM            November 2, 2009

  -----------            ----------------

  Austin, TX             November, 2009

  ----------             --------------

  Houston, TX            November 16, 2009

  -----------            -----------------

  Boston, MA             December 14, 2009

  ----------             -----------------

  Miami, FL              January 4, 2010

  ---------              ---------------

  Yuma, AZ               January 4, 2010

  --------               ---------------

  Phoenix, AZ            January, 2010

  -----------            -------------

  San Juan, PR           January 20, 2010

  ------------           ----------------

  Los Angeles, CA        February 8, 2010

  ---------------        ----------------

  Fresno, CA             March 22, 2010

  ----------             --------------

  Washington, DC         April 2010

  --------------         ----------

  Albuquerque, NM        May 17, 2010

  ---------------        ------------

  Chicago, IL            May 17, 2010

  -----------            ------------

  Brownsville, TX        May 2010

  ---------------        ---------

  San Antonio, TX        June 2010

  ---------------        ---------

  San Diego, CA          July 2010

  -------------          ----------

  Granger, WA            2010

  -----------            ----

A must read!Crowded airports, cramped delayed flights and the hassles that come with tigher security clearance make traveling something of a boot camp experience. To help guide  this journey MCAE asked author Kathleen Ameche to share her tip 10 tips on making travel just a little bit less hectic. Kathleen's book The Woman Road Warrior is a must read for all those Mujeres who hit the road every day.

1- Put your luggage in the inside of a cab with you and not in the trunk. And when you leave your location, text someone (spouse, assistant or friend) the taxi number, time you left where you left from and where you’re going.

2- If you have a late meeting or a tight connection arrange for a limo/town car to pick you up and take you to your next destination.  Frequently it's no more expensive than a cab to JFK and you don't have to worry about finding a cab and getting the crazy cab driver who just moved to town.  The limo/town car show’s up and wait’s for you.

3- Minimize the number of shoes you bring by building your outfits from your shoes up.

4- Pick with a color scheme when packing such as Black, Red etc.  Also pack several reversible items including camisole tops that you can wear backwards if you spill something on it.

5- Bring a piece of clothing that you can wrap yourself up in.  My wrap is a two-toned pink cashmere shawl.  It not only provides comfort, confidence and makes you feel like you’re at home but I love putting on something bright and cheerful each day.

6- Pack a black metal binder clip in your briefcase for those pesky hotel curtains that won’t close.   

7- If you are always scrambling to find your hotel room key before you exit your room, get into the habit of placing it on the floor next to the door when you walk into your room.

8- Do something for you while you’re on the road.  All work and no play can add to frustration – save your favorite magazine, read a book or take a bath during some quiet time.

9- Bring your own favorite coffee or tea to make in the hotel room.  I like milk with my coffee and hate the white powder stuff so I try to buy a small carton of milk to keep in the room, even if it's only in an ice bucket.  The more I can wake up to my usual routine, the better I feel.

10- Brighten up your hotel room by keeping the flowers from your room service tray with you during your stay.

A “road warrior” for the last two decades, Kathleen (Kathy) Ameche is the CEO and President of the Ameche Group LLC a company she founded to help businesswomen maneuver through the business travel maze, master the corporate environment and create a satisfactory work-life balance, based on her more than 25 year of professional experience. From this base she has also developed the MicciMicci line of women’s travel accessories.