Capri Sun, partnering with TerraCycle, recycles old juice pouches into fun school items such as back packs, totes and pencil cases. The group also offers a Be Green, Earn Green program for schools and organizations. Schools, non-profit organizations and even individuals can sign up at www.terracycle.net to be part of the “Drink Pouch Brigade” and collect used drink pouches. The minimum number of pouches to collect and send in is 500, but the group pays $0.02 per pouch to the charity, school or non-profit organization of your choice. TerraCycle even provides shipping labels. The colorful recycled items are sold in local stores such as WalMart or online at www.theultimategreenstore.com.

Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This
easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush
holder. Upcycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a
mint.

TerraCycle’s brand new curriculum series, which will be released three times a year,
was developed by the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education and the first
release focuses on teaching kids of all ages groups, from K-12, about Natural Laws
& Principals of the Materials Cycle.

This past week I purchased a package of Keebler's Sandies Pecan Shortbread cookies.  On the wrapper, I discovered that Keebler has now paired with TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  to encourage people to upcycle their cookie wrappers.  As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of upcycling everything I can as I figure the fewer items that end up in landfills the better off we all are. TerraCycle encourages consumers to save more than just cookie wrappers, though.  They have established trash brigades to allow consumers to earn cash for their trash for a school or other non profit group.  Through this program you can save items such as drink pouch containers, candy wrappers, home storage items (such as ziploc bags), yogurt containers, chip bag, and other items, then redeem them for $.02 each to raise money for programs such as schools.  They then turn these items into products like fencing, eco friendly fire starters, windowbox planters and other garden pots, and much more.  Visit their website for more information on this wonderful program.

While Hawkeye fans were watching the football game Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, Diane Roethler was keeping an eye on what people were throwing away. Items such as chips and candy bar wrappers and zip-lock bags all got rescued from the garbage to be brought to Francis Marion Intermediate School in Marion, where she teaches fifth grade. The items will be sent to a company called TerraCycle, which pays the school 2 cents plus all shipping costs for every bit of garbage it can save from being put into a landfill.

Toothpaste Tube Toothbrush Holder Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush holder. Upcycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a mint. Directions at the end of this post! TerraCycle and Colgate are offering FREE curriculums to teach kids to keep their teeth and our planet healthy & clean. Both curriculums can be used at school or in the home and both meet national education standards. For the past 15 years, the Colgate curriculum, which is a part of the award-winning Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® global oral health education program, has reached over 50 million children annually and their families in 30 languages and 80 countries throughout the world.

You may have read my TerraCyle review  <http://jamielz.blogspot.com/2010/09/terracycle-review.html> earlier this week. If you did, I am sure you are intrigued by this company who takes "going green" to a whole new level. I just found out that Terracycle offers a free curriculum series to help educate kids on recycling. TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/curriculums/overview>  has teamed up with Colgate <http://www.colgate.com/app/BrightSmilesBrightFutures/US/EN/HomePage.cvsp>  to offer curriculums that teach children how to keep their teeth and planet healthy and clean.  Both curriculums can be used at school or in the home and both meet national  education standards. Additionally. TerraCycle is trying to teach children how they can convert common household products into new and useful items.  Here is a fun craft project you can do at home!

The Yak Pak Messenger Bag is made of upcycled billboards by a collaboration between Yak Pak and Terracycle. The perfect shape for back to school.  No two are alike. Vinyl billboards aren’t recyclable but they can be repurposed into nearly indestructible products — which is why this Yak Pak bag comes with a lifetime warranty. The company is USA based, but the bags are made in a green, hydroelectric-powered facility in El Salvador where workers are paid fair wages.  Yak Pak bags cost less than $35 each, making fashion affordable and supporting businesses that are doing right by their employees.

Teachers and administrators love parent volunteers. Every year when my kids go back to school, there seems to be an even longer list of volunteer opportunities. Most schools are time- and cash-crunched, so if I can help out, that’s great. Everyone benefits. But what if you could help out and do something good for the Earth at the same time? You can. And by helping out your environment, you also improve your child’s health, safety and happiness. It’s a win-win. Plus, if everyone learns more about habitats and how to better take care of them, including within your own community, then you’ve also paid the planet and your family forward. In the book “The Mom’s Guide To Growing Your Family Green: Saving the Earth Begins at Home” (St. Martin’s Press, $16.95), there is a wonderful blueprint for how to work with your child’s school to make a difference, along with pages of specific how-tos and resources. Here are some additional ideas: -In charge of finding more money? For fundraising, steer clear of junk food, candy and wrapping paper. Instead, go for the green with positive-planet and health-loving impact. www.terracycle.net helps you create a recycling brigade to get money for your school, plus they have up-to-date companion curriculum series for teachers. Or try a community event; if you have musical-artist parents who would donate time and talent, then put together an at-school concert and sell tickets. If you want to sell products, www.go-green-fundraising.com has several ideas, such as flower bulbs, savings cards, live tree kits and healthy food products.

Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush holder. Upcycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a mint.

Tom Szaky, co-founder and chief executive officer of TerraCycle Inc., a company that has become the most eco-friendly brand in North America, will be the guest speaker for the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center. The event is free to the public. TerraCycle is well known for TerraCycle plant food, a fertilizer made from worm feces available through retailers such as Walmart, Whole Foods and Home Depot. The company manufactures more than 50 consumer products. Other products include garbage cans made from crushed computers, handbags made from energy bar wrappers and juice pouches and eco-friendly binders and pencils. The company won more than 100 environmental and social awards. It has three manufacturing facilities in North America with headquarters located in Trenton, N.J.