In addition to the typical paper, aluminum, plastic, and electronics recycling, Evergreen collects hard-to-recycle items such as pens, markers, scotch tape dispensers, glue sticks, and granola bar wrappers and sells them to TerraCycle, a company specializing in upcycling. “They take these items and make new things out of them,” she explains. “It’s a great way to help a school with fundraising.” Students take all of these lessons to heart, Deal adds. “I’ve had students tell their parents not to buy a certain product because it has too much packaging. The more we model here at school, the more we’re teaching our whole community, and that’s good for everyone.”