San Fernando, Calif. (March 25, 2013) – Califone International, Inc., a leader in design and development of audiovisual and supplemental curriculum products for education, has partnered with FundingFactory, the largest recycling fundraiser for schools and nonprofits, to help schools recycle end-of-life audio equipment and enhance their sustainability initiatives. Through the partnership, participants earn points redeemable for cash or new technology, including Califone products, by collecting used headsets and headphones for recycling.

FundingFactory is a 100-percent free program that enables educational and nonprofit organizations to recycle electronic waste (e-waste) in exchange for cash or points redeemable for products in its online Rewards Catalog. Audio equipment has been added to the program’s Qualifying Items list, which also includes used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, laptops, and other small electronics.

“Our partnership supports a broader definition of what it means to be green, providing schools with the unique opportunity to recycle end-of-life headphones and headsets and minimize waste,” said Tim Ridgway, vice president of marketing for Califone. “Not only can educators take action to keep e-waste out of landfills, they can raise funds at the same time to meet their evolving technology needs.”

In addition to recycling used headphones and headsets, participants can also redeem their points for Califone products, including the award-winning, washable Titanium™ headsets and the iPhone/iPod Wireless Portable PA System. Califone provides affordable, durable and high-quality multimedia solutions for classrooms, libraries, computer labs, auditoriums, and outdoor learning environments. As schools expand their technology infrastructures, Califone products are essential tools to support computer and mobile-based learning.

“As schools face ever tighter budgets, our partnership with Califone enables education leaders to enhance their fundraising efforts and have greater access to cost-effective audiovisual technology,” said Erika Dauber, program manager of FundingFactory. “We commend Califone for its green leadership in the education community and helping schools find more ways to reduce e-waste and model eco-friendly behaviors for students.”

For more information or to register for FundingFactory’s fundraising by recycling program, visit FundingFactory.com. To see the full line of Califone products, visit www.califone.com.

About Califone

Califone was founded in 1947 and continues to be a leader in the design, development and manufacturing of audiovisual and supplemental curriculum products for use in education, presentation and professional markets. The company offers a complete line of audio solutions, wireless systems and multimedia products for small, medium and large presentation needs.  Califone serves millions of educators and students in the PreK through higher education school environments, and has expanded to serve business and industry, houses of worship, parks and recreation, and other presentation markets as well.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1997, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States and saved 30 million pounds of e-waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics collected from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2-certified, ISO 14001-2004-certified, No Landfill company, with more than 99 percent of its incoming material reused or recycled in 2011.

# # #

Media Contacts

• Tim Ridgway, Califone, Inc., 800-722-0500 x. 428, tim.ridgway@califone.com
• Erika Dauber, FundingFactory, 814-464-1826, edauber@fundingfactory.com
• Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, 608-216-7300 x. 18, kristen@cblohm.com

ERIE, Pa. (March 19, 2013)— With the launch of EcoBuddies™ from FundingFactory, the nation’s largest recycling fundraiser for schools, teachers can bring service-learning into their classrooms through “green” lessons and activities. EcoBuddies is a free preK-5 recycling curriculum and fundraising program that helps students understand the environmental impact of e-waste while gaining subject-area knowledge and applying it to real-world projects.

The cross-curricular environmental education program includes lesson plans, classroom activities, worksheets and quizzes, and a soon-to-be-released online interactive habitat. Colorful wildlife characters enliven the program and engage students throughout the standards-aligned curriculum.

The EcoBuddies curriculum is available online at no charge to FundingFactory participants. Schools can sign up for free with FundingFactory to recycle used printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics in exchange for cash or points redeemable for new products in the e-Rewards catalog.

“EcoBuddies will be an integral asset to schools and educators participating in our recycling program,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “Teachers will be able to connect the real-world activities to classroom lessons, and help students understand the importance of e-waste recycling as the number of outmoded electronic devices proliferates.”

With EcoBuddies, students apply the knowledge they’ve gained in class and learn eco-friendly behaviors by participating in their school’s recycling efforts and working with their local communities to save e-waste from landfills. New collection bins and promotional materials showcasing the EcoBuddies characters help schools highlight their participation and encourage parents, businesses and community members to send in more recyclables.

FundingFactory will release the EcoBuddies online interactive habitat at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year. Featuring various outdoor scenes and wildlife, the digital environment reveals the participating school’s progress toward its fundraising goal and provides students with a virtual world that reflects their recycling efforts in the real world. As schools collect more e-waste through the FundingFactory program, new animal characters emerge and students have an opportunity to earn rewards through quizzes and hidden tasks.

To learn more, visit FundingFactory.com/EcoBuddies.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1997, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations across the U.S., and saved 30 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics collected from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2-certified, ISO 14001-2004-certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material having been reused or recycled in 2011.

ERIE, Pa. (Dec. 18, 2012)— FundingFactory participants collected nearly 300,000 recyclables though the ‘Care2Collect Just 1’ campaign in November. The nation’s largest fundraising by recycling program pledged to donate $1 for every 100 qualifying recyclables it received, raising $3,000 to support the Second Harvest Food Bank.

FundingFactory conducted the ‘Care2Collect Just 1’ campaign through November to help schools, nonprofits and businesses protect the environment while supporting their local communities. Participants were encouraged to simply recycle one e-waste item, such as a printer cartridge or cell phone, through FundingFactory, and to donate one non-perishable food item to their local food bank. With the $3,000 donation, Second Harvest Food Bank will be able to provide approximately 66 families of four with one month’s worth of groceries.

“We are so grateful for the contributions of thousands of participants nationwide,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “Because of their participation, we were able to make a significant donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank and local food banks across the country, and prevent thousands of pounds of e-waste from being discarded into landfills. It was great to see so many FundingFactory participants come together to support this charitable and eco-friendly cause.”

FundingFactory enables participants to recycle used printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics to earn cash or points redeemable for new technology and equipment. In addition, the FundingFactory program supports schools in implementing green practices and teaching students how to be environmentally responsible citizens. Businesses can also participate for free to collect and donate recyclables on behalf of participants.

To learn more about ‘Care2Collect Just 1’ campaign results and to view an image gallery of participant donations for the campaign, visit www.facebook.com/fundingfactory.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1997, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations across the U.S., and saved 30 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics collected from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2-certified, ISO 14001-2004-certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material having been reused or recycled in 2011.

FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations since its founding

ERIE, Pa. (Oct. 22, 2012) — For 15 years, FundingFactory, a 100-percent free fundraising by recycling program, has helped thousands of schools raise funds, while protecting the environment from electronic waste and building awareness of environmental stewardship.

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 15 year milestone of helping schools and nonprofit organizations raise money through recycling electronic waste,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “We’re proud to say that over the years we’ve not only helped make a positive impact on the environment, but we’ve also helped build community partnerships in the process, bringing schools and businesses together toward the common goals of advancing education and improving sustainability. We’re looking forward to many more years of assisting participants in exceeding their fundraising and eco-friendly objectives.”

Since 1997, more than 50,000 schools and nonprofits have participated in the FundingFactory program, raising more than $31 million total. One long-standing participant, Ontonagon Area Schools in Ontonagon, Mich., joined FundingFactory the year it was founded. More than 15 years later, the school district remains an active participant and is consistently ranked in the top 5 percent of the 13,000 plus participating schools (based on total recycling units shipped).

“We’ve experienced tremendous success through FundingFactory over the years, raising money to replace classroom technology and even help fund WOAS-FM, a local radio station owned by the Ontonagon Area School District,” said Ken Raisenen, a science teacher who has been with the district since 1975. “This funding may not have ever existed if it wasn’t for FundingFactory, and the large amount of support from our rural community. We’re looking forward to continuing our participation for many years to come.”

FundingFactory enables participants to recycle used printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics to earn cash or points redeemable for new technology and equipment. Additionally, the FundingFactory program supports schools in implementing green practices and teaching students how to be environmentally responsible citizens.

To celebrate its 15-year anniversary, FundingFactory created a timeline of events, highlighting key program successes over the years. To view the timeline, visit http://wp.me/p1K0sA-gy.

 About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1998, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States, and saved 30 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling empty printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2 “Responsible Recycling”, ISO Certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material reused or recycled in 2011.

# # #

Media Contacts

• Erika Dauber, FundingFactory, 814-464-1826, edauber@fundingfactory.com
• Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, 608-216-7300 x. 18, kristen@cblohm.com

Editor’s Note: iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Apple is not affiliated with FundingFactory, nor endorses the FundingFactory program. Learning Magazine and The Mailbox are trademarks of The Education Center, LLC, registered in the U.S.

ERIE, Pa. (Sept. 6, 2012)— To kick off the 2012-2013 school year, FundingFactory is launching new goal-tracking and sustainability reporting features on FundingFactory.com. Participants in the free fundraising-by-recycling program can sign into their accounts to set a yearly fundraising goal, measure their progress, and share that information with students, parents, community members, and business supporters. In a time of budget shortfalls and escalating costs, the new program features help schools and nonprofits expand their efforts and raise the necessary funds to purchase new technology and equipment.

FundingFactory’s goal-tracking feature makes it easier for participants to achieve fundraising objectives, while having a positive impact on the environment. Through the goal-tracking feature, participants are able to share their goal through a unique public URL, helping them garner more public support to reach their target objective. The website contains a drop-off location and label printing for individuals and businesses that wish to contribute recyclables to support the participating organization. FundingFactory also added sustainability reporting to its rich suite of community outreach tools for participants and business supporters.

The sustainability report allows participants and supporting businesses to view the environmental impact of their recycling efforts through charts and data points. The chart breaks down the qualifying recyclables by type that were prevented from being landfilled. The report also details monthly and yearly carbon emissions reductions, among other data, based on e-waste items recycled. This information reinforces the positive result of the participant’s recycling efforts and helps motivate students, parents, community members and businesses to continue supporting the recycling program. Additionally, businesses can use the reports to inform their corporate responsibility initiatives.

“When thinking about new initiatives for the 2012-2013 school year, we wanted to re-emphasize our commitment to helping participants reach their goals,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “We’ve created new materials, like the goal-tracking and sustainability features to make it easier for participants to set and reach goals. Throughout the year, we plan to launch more innovative tools to help participants communicate and connect with local businesses and other supporters.”

The FundingFactory program is free, and enables schools and nonprofit organizations to exchange electronic waste for cash or points redeemable for new technology and other products. Schools, nonprofit organizations, churches, and other groups can register at www.fundingfactory.com/register.

To learn more about the new goal-tracking and sustainability features, and the positive impact of fundraising-by-recycling, visit Facebook.com/FundingFactory and YouTube.com/FundingFactory.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1998, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States, and saved 30 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling empty printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2 “Responsible Recycling”, ISO Certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material reused or recycled in 2011.

# # #

Media Contacts

• Erika Dauber, FundingFactory, 814-464-1826, edauber@fundingfactory.com
• Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, 608-216-7300 x. 18, kristen@cblohm.com

ERIE, Pa. (Sept. 4, 2012)— Educators and parents are eligible to win an Apple^® iPad^® when they enter FundingFactory’s iLove My School contest at TheMailbox.com/FundingFactory by Oct. 31. One educator and one parent will be selected as winners, with the winning educator receiving an iPad for personal use and another one the school. Hosted by The Education Center, LLC, publishers of The Mailbox^® and Learning^® Magazine, the contest is designed to create awareness about electronic waste (e-waste) among teachers, students and their families. E-waste is the fastest-growing segment of the municipal waste stream, and accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills, according to the Global Futures Foundation.

The iLove My School website contains free downloadable activities and lesson plans developed by The Education Center and FundingFactory for preschool through 8th grade teachers to help students learn the importance of recycling e-waste and protecting the environment. The resources are aligned to core curriculum and national standards. The site also includes activities for parents to share with their children at home to foster eco-friendly living.

FundingFactory, a 100-percent free fundraising-by-recycling program for schools and nonprofits, enables participants to exchange e-waste for cash or points redeemable for new technology and other products. The FundingFactory program supports schools in implementing green practices and teaching students how to be environmentally responsible citizens.

Educators and parents who are interested in participating can complete their contest entry form on the iLove My School website. Contestants also can receive a bonus entry for each colleague or fellow parent with whom they share the contest information.

Once contestants complete their entry, they will receive a unique activation code from FundingFactory, which they can enter at FundingFactory.com/Mailbox to receive a free Jump-start Guide.

“In collaborating with The Education Center for the iLove My School contest, we are spreading the word out about the dangers of e-waste, and what really happens to end-of-life electronics when they enter the municipal waste stream,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “Our goal is for contestants to incorporate the iLove My School activities into their lesson plans or conversations at home. Todays’ students are the next generation of eco-conscious citizens.”

“Since joining FundingFactory, we have raised money to purchase items like a new digital camera, a die cut machine and picnic tables,” said Gloria Greb, counselor at Edison Elementary School in Mangum, Okla. “FundingFactory benefits our students in so many ways. They are able to enjoy the new improvements at school, while learning about the importance of protecting the environment through recycling.”

The winning educator and parent will be announced in November. To learn more about the iLove My School contest or the FundingFactory program, visit Facebook.com/FundingFactory and YouTube.com/FundingFactory.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1998, FundingFactory has provided more than $31 million in funding to more than 50,000 schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States, and saved 30 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling empty printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2 “Responsible Recycling”, ISO Certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material reused or recycled in 2011.

About The Education Center, LLC

The Education Center is one of the nation’s leading media and marketing companies serving the educational marketplace through its universally known brands Learning^® Magazine and The Mailbox^®. The Education Center specializes in the creation and distribution of supplemental curriculum resources for preschool and elementary teachers and students. Teachers trust that the print and digital resources from The Education Center engage students while meeting core curriculum requirements. For more information please visit www.TheEducationCenter.com.

# # #

Media Contacts

• Erika Dauber, FundingFactory, 814-464-1826, edauber@fundingfactory.com
• Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, 608-216-7300 x. 18, kristen@cblohm.com

Editor’s Note: iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Apple is not affiliated with FundingFactory, nor endorses the FundingFactory program. Learning Magazine and The Mailbox are trademarks of The Education Center, LLC, registered in the U.S..

See the full length video at ZDNet Education: http://www.zdnet.com/video-9-interviews-from-iste-2012_p3-7000001262/

By: Cara Erenben
Reposted from EdTech Focus on K-12  on July 3, 2012

Although FundingFactory isn’t the kind of program that can raise $15,000 for a school in a month or two, it does provide an additional revenue stream through which a school can meet its goals, says Sean Michaels, co-president of Environmental Reclamation Services, which administers the program. Some of FundingFactory’s biggest beneficiaries — those that have been adopted by local businesses, for instance — have earned close to $40,000 in new technology.

Springfield (Ga.) Elementary School hasn’t achieved that level of success through FundingFactory just yet. But the staff members who spearhead the school’s recycling and fundraising initiatives say that they are ramping up their efforts to get the word out to stakeholders.

Instructional Technology Teacher Rebecca Allen already promotes the school’s participation in the FundingFactory program in school newsletters and on the school’s website. As more people have become aware of its involvement in FundingFactory, donations to the school have increased considerably, she says, adding that doing more outreach with area businesses is high on her priority list.

Getting local businesses to adopt a school can be especially lucrative, Michaels says, because they are higher volume users of printer cartridges and cell phones. Often, businesses save their cartridges and ship them directly to FundingFactory on behalf of a school or schools in their area.

“Schools don’t even have to touch the stuff,” Michaels says of the old equipment that makes its way to FundingFactory on their behalf. “It’s like an annuity for them. The funds just keep rolling in, and they don’t even have to do anything.”

FundingFactory matched the competing organizations according to their comparable recycling rate. Throughout the competition, participants collected and shipped used inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras and GPS devices to FundingFactory, earning one point for each qualifying item redeemable for cash or new technology.

The more than 566 winning schools and nonprofits that overcame their opponents in each rumble match-up earn a 25 percent fundraising bonus.  Six organizations ended up in a tie with their opponent. The top recycler overall, Panhandle Humane Society of Scottsbluff, Neb., earned 621 points and will receive a new Apple^® iPad^® for its organization.

Other top recyclers in the contest include Quincy Notre Dame High School of Quincy, Ill. (537 points), Garth School of Georgetown, Ky. (462 points), Marshalltown Area Catholic School of Marshalltown, IA (453 points), and Wabeno Elementary School of Wabeno, Wis. (382 points). Collectively, these top five recyclers raised more than $5,683 for their organizations in just two months and saved 2,455 recyclable items from landfills. Out of all rumble participants, $106,340 was raised and 55,136 items kept out of landfills.

“We are extremely grateful to have had the support and backing from our local community throughout this entire eco-friendly competition,” said Amy Stefanovic, at teacher at Wabeno Elementary School, Wabeno, Wis. “Our students, parents and local community members worked together to recycle as much as possible, and earn classroom technology like digital cameras and a color printer. This technology will undoubtedly enhance the learning environments for our students, and it’s great that our small community has recognized the benefits of this recycling program for our school.”

“The ‘Recycling Rumble’ enabled participants to earn funding for their schools while helping the environment at the same time,” said Sean Michaels, president of FundingFactory. “Oftentimes, we see that people want to recycle and understand the benefits, but don’t know how to recycle or where to send their recyclables. This contest helps build awareness of local recycling programs that support schools and nonprofits, while demonstrating that it can be easy to be green.”

The FundingFactory program is free, and enables schools and nonprofit organizations to exchange electronic waste for cash or points redeemable for new technology or classroom products. Schools, nonprofit organizations, churches, and other groups can register for free at www.fundingfactory.com/register.

To learn more about the 2012 Recycling Rumble winners, and the positive impact of fundraising-by-recycling, visit Facebook.com/FundingFactory and YouTube.com/FundingFactory.

About FundingFactory

Since its inception in 1998, FundingFactory has provided more than $26 million in funding to schools and nonprofit organizations across the United States, and saved 21 million pounds of waste from landfills. FundingFactory is a free recycling fundraiser for schools, nonprofits, and charities. Participating organizations can earn points redeemable for cash or products by recycling empty printer cartridges, cell phones and other small electronics from their communities and supporters. FundingFactory is a program of Environmental Reclamation Services, LLC, a Clover Technologies Group company. Headquartered in Erie, Pa., ERS is an R2 “Responsible Recycling”, ISO Certified, Zero Landfill Initiative company with more than 99 percent of its incoming material reused or recycled in 2011.

# # #

Media Contacts

• Erika Dauber, FundingFactory, 814-464-1826, edauber@fundingfactory.com
• Kristen Plemon, C. Blohm & Associates, 608-216-7300 x. 18, kristen@cblohm.com