Four facilities of the Chicago-area self-storage chain LifeStorage will celebrate Earth Day by hosting "green" events that provide community services including document shredding, e-waste recycling and bicycle donation.

Three LifeStorage facilitiesAurora, Mokena, and Wrigleyville, Ill.are hosting the operation's third annual document-shredding event, April 20 and 21, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The participating locations aim to help the planet by recycling all destroyed documents. The facilities are offering special deals, and the person who brings in the largest load of files to be shredded will receive a $100 Visa gift card.

LifeStorage Aurora and Mokena are offering a half-price deal, where each standard-sized file box filled with documents costs only $5 to shred. LifeStorage Wrigleyville is offering a 20 percent discount on shredding.

This is our third year promoting this event, and each year, the importance and benefits of Earth Day and document shredding seem to grow, said LifeStorage Director of Operations Michelle Wight. The discounted prices are great, but I think a lot of companies and individuals tend to overlook the risk involved with their confidential documents, and the benefits that shredding has, not only from a security standpoint, but also an environmental one.

In addition to security benefits, document shredding has numerous environmental benefits. Not only can the paper be recycled, it can be used as a substitute for less eco-friendly packing materials, such as Styrofoam and bubble wrap, and can even be used in composting.

On April 21, LifeStorage Libertyville will host a free electronics recycling event. Examples of acceptable items for recycling are computers, televisions, cell phones, dishwashers and more. Partners for this event include the St. Isidore Foundation, and 1-800-GOT-JUNK. The St. Isidore Foundation is dedicated to the environmentally and socially responsible recovery, renovation, and recycling of computers and related electronic equipment. 1-800-GOT-JUNK is a full-service junk removal company, and ensures that all collected items are recycled, donated, or disposed of in the proper fashion.

The Libertyville facility is also accepting bicycles for donation to Working Bikes Cooperative, a not-for-profit organization that services the greater Chicagoland area and surrounding states, giving new life to old bikes.

LifeStorage was founded in 2002 by owners Jean Jodoin and Christopher Barry. The operation currently has 17 locations in Chicago and its suburbs, with two more opening later this year.

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