From denim pencils to scented book covers, school supplies available both online and in stores prove that "cool" and "green" are not mutually exclusive. Included: Seven simple, no-cost ways to go green this year.
"Everyone knows it’s important for sustainable, responsible products to become mainstream. But if 'green' products aren’t as affordable, fun, or fashionable as traditional products, they never will become the status quo," says Lauren Taylor of TerraCyle. "We believe it’s important to make our eco-products desirable and cool, so kids
want to use them, even if they don't know it’s the responsible thing to do. We’ve accomplished our goal when our products sell just because they’re 'cool' -- without us having to promote their 'greenness.'"
Blending eco-friendly and trendy,
TerraCycle creates totes, messenger bags, backpacks, homework folders, lunch boxes, pencil cases, and portfolios out of discarded juice pouches. The pouches are collected through a program called the
Drink Pouch Brigade. Collecting groups receive a monetary incentive for a charitable organization of their choice. The program gives kids an opportunity to make a difference in the world -- one juice pouch at a time.
"We get great feedback from kids who are collecting with their schools and classrooms," Taylor told Education World. "It’s so refreshing to hear stories of why kids think it's important to do what they're doing, or how they're using the money from their collections. Wed love every school and classroom in the country to get involved."
Juice pouches aren't the only products TerraCycle "upcycles" (use waste materials to make new products). The Brigade accepts materials regardless of product or brand, so no matter what kind of granola bar, chip, or juice students consume, the packaging can be saved and reused.
"With funding being cut for schools nationwide, our programs are an easy way to teach kids about the environment, while helping schools make a little extra cash at the same time," added Taylor.
Another "found" material that’s upcycled by the company is discarded vinyl billboards. The former roadside displays are used to make TerraCycle's Yak Pak backpack and tote. The strong carry-all’s are rugged, and each is a one-of-a-kind work of art.
"Every year in the United States, the vinyl from more than 3 million billboards is sent to landfills," Taylor reported. "That's almost 10,000 tons of vinyl -- roughly the weight of 2,500 full-grown elephants -- that does not biodegrade and will spend an eternity in our landfills. To address that environmental issue, TerraCycle and Yak Pak have partnered to construct durable, affordable bags and accessories by upcycling the difficult-to-recycle material."
Combining the strength and stability of billboard vinyl with expertise in design and manufacturing, the Yak Pak products not only are great-looking, they’re nearly indestructible. Each comes with a lifetime warranty. "That means the vinyl material once destined to sit in a landfill forever, now is being used to make a product that will last forever," Taylor observes.
TerraCycle products are sold nationwide by such major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, and Office Max. They also can be purchased online through
Shoponlygreen.com. Yak Pak bags are available in Urban Outfitter stores and online at
Zumiez.
EARTH-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS THAT MAKE THE GRADE
Set an example of caring for the planet with school supplies that recycle, reuse, and/or reduce waste.
What classroom would be complete without crayons? It might be hard to imagine a way to improve on that elementary school staple, but Prang's
Soybean Crayons boast an environmentally sound construction of soybean oil and colors that are brighter and smoother than their waxy predecessors. Have a stash of used and broken crayons? Leave the wrappers on the crayons and send them to the
National Crayon Recycle Program. LuAnn Foty, founder of the program, and her helpers will turn old crayons into handcrafted, multi-colored "Crazy Crayons."
Tread lightly on your paper and on the planet with the
Dixon Ticonderoga Recycled Tire Pencil. Each pencil has a #2 graphite core and a degradable, latex-free eraser.
Who knew that a pencil could be as attractive or comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans? Sold in packs of 12,
Recycled Jeans Pencils owe their beautiful shade of blue to the denim theyre made from. The pencils are constructed of a minimum of 20 percent reclaimed denim from the manufacture of jeans.
Earth-friendly also can be practical. Made from recycled post-industrial materials, Pilot's
BeGreen gel ink pens, rolling ball pens, ball point pen, mechanical pencils, and permanent markers are comparable to other writing instruments of their type, but they’re composed of at least 70 percent recycled material.
ForestChoice
Graphite #2 Pencils and
Colored Pencils are stylish as well as kind to Earth. The pencils are manufactured of California Incense-cedar wood that originates from environmentally well-managed forests. Even the packaging is made of recycled paper.
Created from rolled newspaper and soaked in gourmet liquid scents,
Smencils are a treat for the eye, the nose, and the hand. Original Smencils are classic pencils that smell of bubble gum, cotton candy, root beer, and more; while Colored Smencils contain colored cores that correspond to their flavor -- purple has a grape scent and green is watermelon. Taking a test? Stimulate your brain with the aroma of peppermint from Smart Smencils. Their graphite cores are similar to those used in regular pencils, so they’re test-ready and olfactory approved!
Make your mark with
AusPen whiteboard markers. Dry erase markers are a huge source of waste for classrooms that use them, but the markers from AusPen are made from 100 percent recycled material and are recyclable themselves. Best of all, the markers are refillable and built to last. An average teacher will spend less than five minutes a month refilling these markers, a task many turn into a "teachable moment" about the planet.
A single staple in a stack of paper seems innocent enough, but when its combined with countless other staples that have been used and discarded in landfills, the impact becomes clear. For small fastening jobs of five pages or less, the
EcoStapler fits the bill. This stapler requires no staples. It pierces a hole in the sheet like a hole-punch and then ties and binds the extra paper to all the other sheets.
Tree-free paper can be pretty as well as powerful.
EcoPaper offers attractive, eco-friendly papers with character. Its papers, notebooks, journals, and so on, are made from recycled materials and agricultural waste. The products with character are created from banana, coffee, cigar, mango, lemon, hemp, and sugar paper.
Working in conjunction with conservation parks, one company turns elephant waste into unique, scent-free paper products.
Elephant Poo Poo Paper actually is created from the fibers of vegetation that remain in the dung, with an average piece of poo equaling about 25 large sheets of paper or ten standard-sized journals.
Save trees and protect your books with the colorful, elastic
Book Sox. These stretchable fabric book covers come in prints, solids, heat sensitive (colors change when touched), and scented -- green apple, orange, strawberry, and tropical breeze. When the cover gets dirty, remove it and machine wash in cool water with like colors. Tumble dry and your Book Sox is ready for round two!
For a full lunch makeover, try a bento system from
Laptop Lunches. Mimicking a laptop computer in design, these sets come with carrying cases and small plastic containers and utensils. Add a cloth napkin, and lunch becomes an eco-friendly feast!
Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © Education World
The Toledo Zoo will host its annual Party for the Planet recycling drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 27 in its main parking lot off the Anthony Wayne Trail.
Items to be collected include up to 10 car tires, clothing, small appliances, electronics, toner and ink printer cartridges, cell phones, and materials like aluminum cans, cardboard, and newspaper. TerraCycle items, like food pouches, cereal and chip bags, and beauty and oral care packaging will also be accepted.
An off-site location at Woodsdale Park adjacent to the zoo will collect paint, which will cost $1 per can to recycle. Secure document shredding and recycling will also be available.
Televisions, CRT monitors, large appliances, air conditioners, light bulbs, and batteries will not be accepted. A full list of recyclable items is available at toledozoo.org/planet.
No parking or admission fee will be charged to those dropping off items for the event.
REN Clean Skincare recently unveiled its first 100% recycled packaging in partnership with TerraCycle, which introduces sustainable new packaging for its Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Cream. The bottle is made with a combination of 20% reclaimed ocean plastic and 80% recycled plastic bottles.
The product itself is made with nourishing shea butter, algae extract, Atlantic kelp extract and magnesium PCA, which are beneficial for restoring moisture balance, enhancing the natural cycle of cell renewal and soothing tired muscles. With the essences of sage, cypress, geranium and rosemary oils, the body cream boasts a scent that's altogether uplifting and energizing.
Ultimately, REN is working towards the goal of becoming zero waste by the year 2021.
FALLBROOK – Not everyone in Fallbrook knows about the four blocks of scenic pathways that run between Elder and Fallbrook streets, just west of downtown Main Avenue. This unique stretch is named the Pico Promenade by locals as the pathway heads south from where South Pico Avenue ends at Elder Street.
Although not known to all, every foot of the Promenade is well-known to Jean Dooley, who has been picking up trash and helping to beautify the stretch for almost 20 years.
Dooley volunteered initially at the request of the Fallbrook Village Association, which was looking for volunteers to pick up trash around town. That was back in 2000.
"The first thing I asked for were trash cans," Dooley said when asked about her long time service, "as there were none in place at the time."
The trash cans were installed.
For years she, along with her previous baby sitter cleaned the paths, but after her sitter moved away in 2003, Dooley's husband Jim took her place, working with her to pick up trash and empty the trash cans.
During that time, care for the Pico Promenade was adopted by the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, which along with Save our Forest, various Eagle Scouts and other interested citizens and students added and painted benches, installed decorative fencing, replaced plants and signage and continued to fight to eliminate graffiti. In 2014, their dog Durango joined the team.
In early March, Dooley managed the installation of five new trash cans funded through a grant received by the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance. The heavy duty trash cans are constructed of heavy steel and were ordered with a protective cover to keep rainwater out and trash in.
Dooley and her "team of two" pick up trash along the pathway, including cigarette butts and empty all the trash cans. They place the collected trash in a trash bin provided at no cost by EDCO Waste and Recycling.
The collected cigarette butts are added to those that smokers disposed of in the cigarette recycling unit located next to one of the benches, also provided by the FBA.
Once a month, Dooley packages all the collected cigarette butts in a box which she mails to Terracycle Recycling Company to be recycled into a variety of industrial products such as plastic pallets, and where the remaining tobacco is composted.
Brad Urqhart, owner of Fallbrook Fertilizer Feed and Farm Supplies that is adjacent to the Promenade, helped Dooley get the new trash cans installed.
"Mr. Urqhart accepted the delivery of the trash cans and kept them safely on his property until the installation was scheduled," Dooley said.
Jean and Jim Dooley said they felt that three of the five old trash cans that were removed may have some life in them so the cans were donated to the Fallbrook Land Conservancy which was able to collect them from the Farm Supply store. Urqhart agreed to dispose of the remaining unusable cans as part of his company's trash collection.
Jean Dooley complimented Urquart, saying, "He has been a wonderful supporter. He donates water to Save Our Forest group for the plantings along the pathway, provides the loaner cart we use when picking up trash and took care of all our needs with the installation of the new trash cans."
Although the Dooleys said they welcome any volunteer help, they are committed to the ongoing project.
"Our family, (two sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, sister-in-law and nephew) all have special T-shirts and help us with the Pico pickup when they visit during the holidays," Jean Dooley said.
FBA's next project is to raise money to install additional cigarette butt recycling units and pet waste stations. If anyone is interested in helping the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance to maintain and beautify Fallbrook's public spaces, they can visit 
Submitted by Fallbrook Beautification Alliance.