Terracycle, an organization that transforms trash into new products, has a new curriculum series on Waste. Each set of lessons is tailored to K-2 and grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 and meets McRel National Standards (listed in each lesson plan). The series is being developed by The Cloud Institute. Check out their first set of lessons: Natural Laws and Principles of the Materials Cycle http://www.terracycle.net/curriculums/overview. A downloadable storybook or handout is provided for most levels.

Great companies are built on good ideas. Entrepreneur magazine’s story, 100 Brilliant Ideas, highlights some of the best concepts that spawned startups. For the Green section, 10 companies were highlighted, including TerraCycle, Advanced Electron Beams, Bloom Energy, Environment Furniture, QD Vision Inc, RavenBrick, Recycle Match, Relay Rides, Terra Plana, and The Green Garmento.

As a parent, you’d like your home, community, and children’s schools to be greener. Unfortunately, daily life can get in the way of that. You have limited time and budget in which to make the world around you a more sustainable place. But fortunately, going green doesn’t have to be difficult, time-consuming or expensive. In fact, a smart and savvy parent can go green and save green at the same time. Here are a few easy ways you can change the world for the better, and even have fun while you’re at it: * Get trashy - As a parent you probably go through lots of food for your kids that comes in difficult- or impossible-to-recycle packaging, as far as you know. There’s a company called TerraCycle that makes products like umbrellas to backpacks, gardening products to recycling bins from recycled trash. TerraCycle works directly with the public, enlisting their help in the form of “brigades,” - self-organized groups of people, typically schools - that collect packaging. The newest collected product is Malt-O-Meal, the cereal company that long ago decided to “Bag the Box,” skipping the paper box that is typical of cereals; that alone already reducing the packaging by 75 percent.

Southwest-area schools are among many in the county earning cash by sending non-recyclable waste products to a New Jersey company that transforms the trash into new products like kites and backpacks. TerraCycle partnered with home city brand Malt-O-Meal Cereal Company to collect Malt-O-Meal packaging through “Cereal Bag Brigades” stationed in schools across the country. There are about 1,250 brigades, TerraCycle reported in June. Schools are paid 2 cents for every bag collected and sent to TerraCycle instead of the landfill.

Wind is partnering with TerraCycle, a manufacturer of some 50 eco-friendly products sold at major retailers like WalMart and Target. TerraCycle also runs national collection programs that pay non-profits to collect used packaging. In Dallas, Wind Foundation advisor Cheryl Jensen, a leadership consultant and executive coach, has recruited 25+ restaurants and wine bars to participate in the Cork Brigade.

  Wind is partnering with TerraCycle, a manufacturer of some 50 eco-friendly products sold at major retailers like Walmart and Target. TerraCycle also runs national collection programs that pay non-profits to collect used packaging. In Dallas, Wind Foundation advisor Cheryl Jensen, a leadership consultant and executive coach, has recruited 25+ restaurants and wine bars to participate in the Cork Brigade.

We are on a race to nowhere. Consumption drives our economy (watch www.storyofstuff.com to see why). We measure our success by consumption (how much we spend). Global consumption is equal to the cumulative GDP of all countries or the world economy. If we don't increase consumption and grow our economies every year, we deem ourselves in stagnation. We all seem to be tied to consumption. We work hard to earn money so that we can buy stuff to feel good. Yes, innovation is important and we need to replace things with better versions, but why do we need to have more things than the generation before? And by our own "buying in" to these patterns, what messages are we passing on to those who follow? Even more concerning is our trend away from durable products and toward more disposable products. On a personal level, even though I am deeply aware of the issue, I find it hard to consume only what I absolutely need. I'm single and have two cars, create garbage, buy more than I need etc. and sadly in relation to the "average" I'm consuming less per person than the average person in America.

Get trashy - As a parent you probably go through lots of food for your kids that comes in difficult- or impossible-to-recycle packaging, as far as you know. There's a company called TerraCycle that makes products like umbrellas to backpacks, gardening products to recycling bins from  recycled trash <http://www.terracycle.net/> . TerraCycle works directly with the public, enlisting their help in the form of "brigades," - self-organized groups of people, typically schools - that collect packaging <http://www.terracycle.net/> . The newest collected product is Malt-O-Meal <http://www.maltomeal.com> , the cereal company that long ago decided to "Bag the Box," skipping the paper box that is typical of cereals; that alone already reducing the packaging by 75 percent.

"Considering that St. Teresa is a small, private school, the students' efforts are impressive. They recycled more than 18,000 items that would have otherwise added to waste piling up in landfills," she said. A breakdown reveals the students recycled 17,873 drink pouches, 2,678 chip bags and 565 cookie wrappers. For their efforts, they earned the school $357 from TerraCycle, which awards "cash for trash" and gives the items new purpose as backpacks, lunch boxes, trash cans, toys and more.

Teenager Alex Copado and two young friends foster the reuse of drink pouches.