Take It Back Foundation

The Take It Back Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization, was founded in 1990 by activist Jolie Jones to generate public awareness, education and response to the ever-growing environmental crisis. Through innovative communication-driven activities and community and corporate involvement, the Take It Back Foundation seeks to encourage recycling efforts at the local, national and international levels.

In 1990 the Take It Back Foundation created “Yakety Yak - Take It Back!,” a music video designed to promote recycling awareness with the participation of the worlds leading musical artists in live-action and animated up-beat recycling messages. The “Yakety Yak - Take It Back” video received the following awards:

  • Environmental Media Association (EMA) Best Video

  • Parents Choice Video Award

  • American Lung Association Award

  • Environmental Protection Agency Special Recognition Award

The video features renowned recording artists including Pat Benatar, Natalie Cole, Charlie Daniels, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Ozzy Osbourne, Brenda Russell, Barry White, and Stevie Wonder. The stars interact with colorful animated props and characters such as Bugs Bunny. The celebrities also recorded a series of service announcements which aired on MW, VH-1, and other cable networks in 1990.

As part of the “Yakety Yak - Take It Back” campaign the Take It Back Foundation worked with the Close Up Foundation to develop supplementary educational materials for classroom and adult use. In the fall of 1991 these classroom guides were incorporated into California’s classroom curricula as well as in other states around the country. The Take lt Back Foundation was instrumental in developing the Resolution that was introduced in 1991 to both the House and Senate to declare April 15th National Recycling Day.

The Foundations Advisory Council includes experts from: Council On Economic Priorities, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Institute for Local Self Reliance, Worldwatch Institute, National Toxics Campaign, USA for Africa, Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste, Californians Against Waste, Cities in School, Inc., Seventh Generation and the United Nations Environment Programme.

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We create too much garbage, and were running out of places to put it. Our water. air and land are polluted with dangerous chemicals. Trees are being cut down faster than they are being planted, and wild animals are losing their homes. All of these problems are man-made, and the solutions have to be man-made too. We have to take back our planet from the trash and pollution and make it a clean and healthy place for all of us to live. The Take It Back Foundation was created in 1990 to help people take better care of the Earth. The more people know about environmental problems, the easier it will be to fix them.

There are many simple things we can do to stop hurting our planet. We need to reduce, reuse. recycle and buy recycled. Let’s start the recycling evolution. Let’s all work together to…
TAKE IT BACK!


Jolie Jones
President, Take lt Back Foundation