Over the years, Fallston High School has had a number of famous visitors such as President Ronald Reagan and Rudy Ruettiger, the Notre Dame Football player. This year we may be adding a new celebrity to the collection. Our new art teacher Ms. Sauer has involved the school in a program called TerraCycle in the hopes that we can raise enough money to bring artist Kevin Reese here to Fallston. D. C. resident Kevin Reese is famous for his sculptures and his work with students at various schools. After studying acting and play writing in college, Reese began sculpting in graduate school and has since obtained 106 art residencies in the country. “He’s a great guy. He’s really good at breaking down information so that students can understand it,” said Ms. Sauer. Reese would be scheduled to visit sometime in April or May. If Reese were to come to Fallston, he would be working with Advanced Painting, 3-D, and Drawing and Painting to collaboratively build six different mobiles that would hang as permanent fixtures in the main hallway upstairs. The mobiles would be based on Alexander Calder’s work. “It’s cool to have students’ work permanently installed in the school,” said Ms. Sauer. “It gives the students ownership of the building.” The students would not only be learning about the artistic aspects of the project, but also the math and science of mobiles as well. The physics of how air movement makes mobiles spin and the science of how to build and balance the structure are concepts that Reese would be teaching. It’s a concept of “integrating science and math into art.” Bringing Kevin Reese to Fallston would be an incredible experience and a benefit to the whole school, but first we must raise the money. TerraCycle is an excellent way to raise money. The program’s idea is to “eliminate the idea of waste.” It was started in 2001 by college freshman Tom Szaky, a student who wanted to prevent trash from going into landfills. The program quickly became one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world. TerraCycle takes what most consider trash and transforms it into various products. This “trash” can be anything from old cell phones and broken computers to shoes, juice boxes, milk cartons, etc. Our part as a school is to turn in as much “trash” as possible. Boxes are located in every classroom where trash can be donated. The art teachers then send away the trash and receive money in return. Bigger items such as lap tops and cell phones are worth more money. Each Capri Sun packet is only about 1 cent. Most art teachers are giving extra credit for students who donate, and the Environmental Sciences are collecting donated trash from classrooms. Ms. McGraw’s class earned a doughnut party for bringing in the most trash by Friday October 5th. More opportunities like this will be offered soon. Another personal benefit to our school is that TerraCycle is not going to end once we raise enough money for Kevin Reese’s visit. The program will be a continuous fundraiser throughout the year to benefit the art department. Everyone can play a part in raising money for the art department through TerraCycle. “I think that the TerraCycle program is a win-win because its keeping all of the trash out of dumps and landfills, so its teaching students about conservation, but it’s also beautiful because it gives the kids a once in a lifetime experience to work with a professional sculptor,” said Ms. Sauer.

Some of us are feeling a tad guilty about eating the kids' Halloween treats. Well, here's a way to atone -- we can recycle all those candy wrappers through an ongoing partnership between Mars candy and the eco-friendly company TerraCycle. "It's a free collection program for all kinds of candy wrappers, regardless of brands, regardless of type," said TerraCycle public relations manager Stacey Krauss. In a phone interview, Krauss told us how easy it is to help both the planet and the charity of your choice by joining the "candy wrapper brigade." Simply sign up on the TerraCycle website and designate which nonprofit you would like to receive the funds or points earned.

Students and teachers at a Syracuse school have found a way to turn trash into cash.   Roberts K-8 School, at 715 Glenwood Ave., is participating in a recycling effort through the New Jersey firm TerraCycle Brigade Program, which gives credits or money to organizations such as nonprofits and schools. In the case of the Roberts school, the money-maker is empty Capri Sun drink pouches.   Second-grade teacher Cara Kirkby heads the school’s recycling project.   “The Brigade Program is great because it teaches kids about recycling and reusing,” Kirkby said. “I have a bag made out of Capri Sun pouches that is used to collect the items so they can see that it has another use.”   Teams are responsible for each floor in the building — fifth-graders cover the first floor, second-graders the second floor and the middle school students the third floor.   The Capri Sun pouches are collected at school, with many students bringing them in from home, as well. Once there is enough to fill up a copy paper box — about 500 flattened pouches — Kirkby sends them to TerraCycle.   TerraCycle Brigade Programs collects non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle items and converts them into new products such as park benches, picnic tables, pots and even plant food.   TerraCycle turns the drink pouches into bags, backpacks and pencil cases, as well as plastic products such as plant caddies on wheels to move large plants around a home or office, said Stacey Krauss, public relations manager for the company.   There is no cost to join and no fees along the way. Any school, business or group can participate. Paid shipping is also provided to send in the collected waste to TerraCycle.   Points or cash are then credited to the school or non-profit organization of the participant’s choice.   There are a variety of options available for redeeming points. They can be used to obtain recycled products for a non-profit or donated to one of TerraCycle’s charity partners dedicated to environmental preservation, meals for the homeless in America, wells for people throughout the world who lack clean drinking water, to empower impoverished families or to provide school supplies for a homeless child. Points also can be converted into cash to support an organization that the donor selects. In the case of Roberts school, the funds are directed to the Parent Teacher Organization.   To date, the school has sent in 6,644 Capri Sun pouches, and at two cents per pouch, the school has netted nearly $133, Kirby said. Currently, there are more than 40 Brigade Programs.   While Kirkby has been coordinating the TerraCycle program for three years, she has been recycling at the school for 14 years.   She credits her strong environmental focus to the time she spent at State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she majored in resource management. She earned her master’s of education degree at State University College at Cortland.   “It’s kind of in your blood after going to ESF,” she said. “It stays with you throughout life.”   It is this philosophy that she shares with the students at Roberts. In addition to the Capri Sun pouches, Kirkby and students collect paper, bottles and cans. Nearly 200 students participate in the program.   Kirkby would like to take advantage of the other Brigade Program opportunities such as collecting pens and markers to benefit the school. To do so, though, she said she it would take someone to coordinate that aspect.   She also wants to spread the word to parents, businesses and community members to spark their interest in becoming a part of a Brigade Program in an effort to support the school.   “Our students take ownership and responsibility for the cleanup of our school and classrooms. This goes further to teach them about their citizenship and global responsibility to keep our Earth clean, healthy and a nice place for everyone to live,” said Janet Kimatian, Roberts’ principal. “The funds that are generated from recycling go to the PTO who then distributes money to the school for class trips and supplies that are not purchased by the district.   “We are very happy that the students are doing something for our school and community,” she said. To learn more: Visit terracycle.com, call 866-967-6766 or email customersupport@terracycle.net for more information about the TerraCycle Brigade Program.

FARMINGTON -- Gloved hands sifted swiftly through bags of trash Wednesday, finding paper, disposable cups, foil-lined granola-bar wrappers and uneaten food that could have been recycled.   For the fifth year, members of the Sustainable Campus Coalition at the University of Maine at Farmington rummaged through bags of garbage collected over a 24-hour period in campus residence halls.   They separated recyclables from trash and for the first time, garnered items such as business folders that the on-campus Everyone's Resource Depot could take for resale.   They also looked for Solo cups, pouch drink containers and granola wrappers that can be "upcycled" -- converted to new materials of better quality or better environmental value -- and sent to TerraCycle where they are used to create usable items. TerraCycle provides free waste collection programs for hard-to- recycle materials and turns the waste into "affordable green products," according to its website.   Students are looking for things such as backpacks, bags, newspapers, pencils and plastic picnic tables, said Joe Digman, an intern with Sarah Martin, an adjunct professor at UMF.   Martin is also volunteer coordinator of TerraCycle for the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area. UMF is working with the United Way to start upcycling on campus, with all donations used to benefit the local region.   Cups, wrappers, beauty products and packaging, oral care products and pouch drinks are collected and shipped to TerraCycle, which pays a stipend to benefit the agencies supported by the United Way. A purple collection bin for such items sits outside the United Way door on Broadway.   "It's a win-win," Martin said.   Items that would normally add to landfills are reused, producing less trash and less impact on the environment. The effort also produces a modest, steady income for the United Way, which helps local people, she said.   Digman has helped set up three bins on campus. Adding more bins is being considered, he said, manning a table that displayed items that can be upcycled.   Sustainable Campus Coalition members were finding a lot of foil- lined granola wrappers, No. 6 plastics and Solo cups, senior Sarah Lavorgna said as she helped separate trash.   Students Samantha Ritson, Jasmin Heckler and Emily Vitone staffed a table for Everyone's Resource Depot where they displayed artistic items created from materials found at the depot.   The trash day, sponsored by the SCC, has shown a decrease each year in items that can be recycled, said Kaisha Muchemore, a UMF senior and co-coordinator of the campus group.   The decrease indicates the exercise is effective, Muchemore said. Last year, about 30 percent of the trash could have been recycled, she said. The group was hoping to lower the percentage to 20 percent or less this year, SCC coordinator Luke Kellett said. Members have met with Sandy River Recycling Manager Ron Slater to better understand which items the facility can recycle. They also are working on a food event set for Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Farmington Grange Hall involving local farmers and local food sources, Kellett said. The group also intends to hold another Fiddlehead Festival in May.

KELLER - Willis Lane Elementary recently earned designation as a Green Ribbon School because its students are practicing earth-friendly behavior, getting regular exercise and enjoying the great outdoors.   As the school community worked at recycling, reducing waste and fitness, students took some of those habits home with them. For Eco-Campus, a focus on conserving resources and recycling, Willis Lane officials promoted a "Waste Free Lunch and Snack Week" that encouraged kids to bring food in reusable containers. They also had an emphasis on recycling, starting up a new program with Terracycle to recycle lunch kits, drink pouches and other items, adding more bins around the school and allowing parents to recycle old computers, batteries, small appliances and other electronics.   Willis Lane Principal Cheryl Hudson said, "It took them from everyone recycling paper to we can recycle a water bottle, Capri Sun pouch, a Lunchables container and a lot more."

Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice. The materials are then made into a variety of eco-friendly products like trash cans, playground surfaces and watering cans. TerraCycle also provides free sustainability curricula, DIY and craft projects, and art and product design contests that teachers can use to engage their students.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. It reduces the consumption of new raw materials when creating new products, and is contrary to downcycling, which is the other half of the recycling process which involves converting materials and products into new materials of lesser quality.

Ishani rewattkemeet is the march community green award winner in Columbus, GA. Ishani is a seven year member of the girl scouts and started a project with TerraCycle by recycling products and packaging in her community.

I was searching for a green, reusable bag that will allow me to carry it like a purse. I love to take walks in the fresh air, and sometimes I find myself walking to a Department store a little less than a mile away, so I needed a bag that was durable, spacey, and had shoulder straps. I found the perfect bag, The Drink Pouch Messenger Bag by TerraCycle ! This bag had it all, shoulder straps, durability, awesome space, and the best of all, its made from everyday recycled products!

Emmorton Elementary is taking the old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" to a whole new level. Since the beginning of the 2010 school year, the school on Tollgate Road has raised $8,000 by recycling everyday trash, such as chip bags, candy wrappers and juice pouches, through national program TerraCycle. "Our kids are really excited about it," Emmorton's principal, Dr. Peter Carpenter, said. "It's an amazing program." Carpenter originally heard about TerraCycle from his cousin and became intrigued.