Heather Cash has always had a passion for art. She references her dad’s passing in 2010 as her inspiration for leaving her career at Google to pursue art as a full time endeavor.  Heather has since illustrated a children’s book, written and illustrated her own coloring book, taught painting classes, and most recently, created and illustrated EcoBuddies ^TM for FundingFactory. Read on to learn more about why it was important for her to create this e-waste-fighting team, and what she hopes children learn from them.

FF: What was your main goal with creating and illustrating EcoBuddies?

HC: I aimed to give them fun personalities and to use a multitude of colors that would draw the children in and make them want to learn more about the characters. I knew that if they got to know the characters, they would care about them, and listen to what they have to say about e-waste.

FF: How did you even begin to create the e-waste fighting characters? Did you already have ideas for them?

HC: I knew that these characters should care about the Earth and want to help, so I thought about which animals would be the most affected by a bad environment. The first animals I thought of were those in the water because they have nowhere to go, they can’t run from pollution. I knew an octopus would be helpful because he has so many tentacles, so he could clean up faster than the other animals! I had to include a sea turtle because it make me sad when I’d hear about them being affected by soda rings.

FF: Which EcoBuddy was your favorite to create? 

HC: I loved creating the octopus! For some reason my most common drawing as a child was an underwater scene with an octopus, sand on the bottom, coral, seaweed, and other little critters like fish and jellyfish. Because the octopus has been in my head since I was a child, I knew he was destined to be an EcoBuddy!

FF: In your opinion, what makes EcoBuddies so appealing to children?

HC: I think children are drawn to the bright colors and bold lines of EcoBuddies. I also think their friendly faces contribute to their appeal. At their core, EcoBuddies are just friendly, helpful, and happy. Who wouldn’t want a friend like that?

FF: What makes FundingFactory EcoBuddies different from any other e-waste fundraiser out there?

HC: EcoBuddies is geared towards educating children. I was amazed when I saw the entire curriculum made to teach preK-5 students about e-waste! Just chatting with the team at FundingFactory, you can hear how passionate and confident they are about this program.

FF: Share your thoughts on e-waste.

HC: People don’t understand the consequences of throwing out an inkjet cartridge or cell phone. If people were educated on e-waste, they would realize just how much trash we’re creating every year. With the way electronics are advancing, people are constantly getting new phones and new computers, so this results in tons of e-waste.

FF: Why is it important for younger kids to understand the importance of e-waste recycling?

HC: Some of us may not be around long enough to see the effects of e-waste, but our children will be. If they get in the habit of being responsible about e-waste early on, then the whole world will benefit from their efforts. FundingFactory EcoBuddies is a great route to take to help your students do just that!

Learn more about Heather Cash by visiting her website, and see her EcoBuddies in your classroom today!

Want EcoBuddies in your classroom? The preK-5 curriculum, displays, and posters are available for FREE download when you register your school for FundingFactory‘s already FREE e-waste recycling fundraiser. 

Q. How has creating a green environment benefited your students?

A.  It has benefited our students by instilling in them an ethic of environmental stewardship, and a mentality through which we all acknowledge our roles as custodians of the environment as opposed to consumers. This approach also encourages fiscal responsibility as conservation of resources saves money.

Q. How are recyclable materials collected on your campus?

A. The University has two single stream recycling bins on campus for cardboard, paper, plastic containers, aluminum cans, steel containers, juice cartons, and glass. There are also around 30 bins that collect printer, copier, and other paper products for our shredding and recycling program.

Recently, the student group PEACE, (People Exploring Active Community Experiences), helped bring in an additional 16 can and bottle recycling centers for the campus. We also have a Pepsico Dream Machine that allows the students to earn points for every bottle or can they recycle at the kiosk and they can redeem the points for local discounts on entertainment and dinning.

Q. How is the collection of waste communicated to students?

A. We recently sponsored the first annual Forum-to-Action (F2A) Program at UT. F2A is coordinated by Focus the Nation, a national nonprofit organization committed to clean energy leadership development. The program prepares students to moderate high level multi-sector panel discussions on campus that develop and implement dynamic solutions in their local community.

 Student environmental groups have also held bottle exchanges. Students could trade three throwaway plastic bottles and receive a free reusable water bottle.

 Student groups also got other students to sign a sustainability pledge during the Green Apple Day of Service. They were committing to change every day behaviors in accord with our philosophy of environmental stewardship.

Q. Do you believe there is a financial benefit to going green?

A. Absolutely. However, it often requires a significant initial investment to reap savings over the lifetime of a sustainability innovation. Over the past several years the university has consistently installed energy savings devices around campus that will reduce energy consumption and utility expenses.

The centralized design of some of these devices has the added benefit of reduced labor and maintenance costs over smaller individualized systems.  A few examples would be the central chiller plan. It makes the campus  air conditioning function more efficiently, and also a condensation collection system, which  provides water for campus irrigation. Furthermore, new construction on campus is being done in accord with LEED standards.

Q. How has the community responded to your green efforts? 

A. In the spring of 2012, we had a Clean Energy Forum that was well received by  local groups. Through the College of Business, we have had a long-standing association with Earth Charter, a sustainability nonprofit. This association led to the formation of the Sustainable Business Awards, which have been given to businesses in the Tampa Bay community over the past several years.

Q. Are there any lessons you believe the education community can learn from your experiences?

A. Changing the culture of a university is not easy, but with a grass-roots approach and an unyielding belief that people will do the right thing because it is the right thing to do,  you can slowly move a mountain.

This guest post was provided by Paul Warren. Paul is an education professional and a writer for U.S. News University Directory and covers news on master’s in education programs.

For every 100 “point-worthy” items received during the month of April, FundingFactory will plant one tree with CarbonFund.org. By collecting these items, your school will not only be on its way to earning funding and educational technology, but also planting trees for generations to enjoy. FundingFactory makes this even better by providing free shipping materials to make the sending and receiving process as simple as can be.

Keep in mind that 300,000 items = 3,000 trees! Together we can reach our goal!

Register for free to get started with FundingFactory’s fundraising-thru-recycling program. Join the more than 50,000 participants, across the county, that are already collecting e-waste for their schools and organizations.

“Point-worthy” items consists of any item that will pay out 10₵ or more. This does not include toner tanks.

Pine Jog Elementary has been featured in several national publications, including Parents, Time for Kids and Newsweek. the school also has won numerous awards for design and operations. We spoke recently with Pine Jog Principal, Fred Barch, about his school’s national recognition and its eco-friendly efforts.

Q. What does the Green Ribbon School recognition mean to you and your school?

A.  I think it is a confirmation of what we are doing here. We have a unique idea of education and stance on being green, and this just reaffirms our efforts.

Q. Tell us about the learning environment at Pine Jog?

A. We have a 150-acre campus and a portion is shared with Florida Atlantic University. Our natural woodlands feature multiple outdoor learning labs and three miles of trails. Our learning labs include a meandering waterfall, a hydroponic garden with more than 4,000 plants and an aquaponics system that is currently raising 21 tilapia.

Q. How has creating a green environment benefited your students?

A. It creates a unique environment for students to learn in and allows them to practice their lesson plans in the real world. The environmental projects our students have allow them to become an active part of the community they live in.        

Q. How has the school environment influenced your curriculum?

A. It allows us to integrate our green efforts into our curriculum. We are a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) school, so we try to use our unique environment to promote that area of study. We use our waterfall to help teach math and basic physics. The produce we grow and sell also teaches students basic math and business skills.

Q. Do you believe there is a financial benefit to going green?

A. Absolutely. On top of the energy savings a LEED school can create, we raise a profit on the sale of our produce. We use the money earned to help the program become more self-sustaining.

Q. How has the community responded to your green efforts?

A. We are having a great impact on the community, their health, and the way they see education. We also provide free vegetables to our students and their parents. It is slowly changing the attitude they have about fast food. We want our community to embrace the “slow food” diet – to eat from the local ecosystem.

Q. Have you seen other schools in the area introduce some of the same initiatives?

A. Schools in the area are slowly taking our example. There are 12 schools that have started small hydroponics systems. Starting these programs requires a lot of staff development, so we have had some collaboration with them. I think a lot of schools are starting to see how well students respond to learning outdoors and how the community benefits from this environment.  

This guest post was provided by Paul Warren. Paul is an education professional and a writer for U.S. News University Directory and covers news on master’s in education programs.

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.

Designed by The Education Center, makers of The Mailbox® and Learning® Magazine, EcoBuddies™ curriculum practices standards-aligned skills like motor, math, literacy, grammar, research, writing, listening, and speaking, and helps students by:

• Identifying e-waste
• Teaching the benefits of reusing and repurposing
• Discussing remanufacturing
• Pledging to keep e-waste out of landfills
• Practicing recycling
• Realizing the environmental and financial rewards of greening

Characters were lovingly created by Erie, Pa. artist Heather Cash, and will inspire students to support greening and fundraising efforts in their classroom.

This fall, a dynamic online habitat will be available for students to enjoy as they meet their fundraising and recycling goals. As students collect and recycle items on FundingFactory’s Qualifying List, they will watch the online habit sprout to life!

Who is ready to get EcoBuddies™ curriculum, special edition collection displays and posters in their elementary school?

EcoBuddies™ curriculum is exclusive to FundingFactory and only available by registering with FundingFactory’s 100% free e-waste recycling fundraiser.

Consider that schools nationwide spend about $8 billion yearly on energy, according to the Center for Green Schools, part of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council. Energy efficiency can be a way to stretch thin budgets, as well as an opportunity to involve students and enhance environmental awareness.

The potential savings haven’t escaped the notice of the U.S. Department of Education, which in 2011 launched the Green Ribbon Schools awards for schools making the greatest strides in reducing their environmental impact. That year, 30 states received 350 applications from schools, with 78 receiving an award. One winning school in Ohio cut energy costs by $350,000 and energy audits at an Oregon school saved $250 a month, a U.S. News & World Report article said.

For 2012-13, the Department of Education expects 40 states to send nominations, according to the agency’s website.

“The ‘greening” of our schools (is) a growing national movement that now includes thousands of K-12 private, public, and charter schools across the country,” Jim McGrath, director of the Green Schools National Network, wrote in a December 2012 article on the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ website.

Today, schools can’t afford not to go green. In 26 states, school funding was expected to drop again for 2012-13 and in 35 states funding sits below 2008 levels, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The 2012 fiscal year was the worst for school funding, with 34 states cutting per-pupil funding by a median reduction of 5%, according to the center. With 44% of school district funding coming from the state, those reductions led to the elimination of thousands of teaching and other school jobs.

There were various other impacts for school districts, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported, including:

• Less ability to expand teaching staffs and supplement wages
• Hiring freezes or furloughs
• Larger classes and fewer afterschool and summer programs
• Reduced or eliminated preschool and prekindergarten programs

To help offset these funding losses, green schools can cut their energy use and water consumption by up to one-third, the Center for Green Schools noted. That can mean savings of $100,000 in annual operating costs, potentially enough to hire two teachers or purchase 200 computers.

Survey Links Student Achievement to Green Practices

Savings don’t have to come just from building new schools to meet green standards; retrofitting also is an option. For example, two schools in upstate New York installed solar panels and solar water heaters that were expected to bring annual savings of $25,000, Syracuse.com reported.

In addition to cost reductions, the solar power project provides an educational benefit – software allows students to track the amount of electricity the panels produce.

Indeed, a 2012 survey by the University of Colorado Denver found student achievement in science improves when schools introduce eco-friendly practices such as sustainable facilities design and management. The survey included about 100 schools in 28 states.

Green efforts don’t have to be huge projects. Students at a school in Gladstone, New Jersey, play in surrounding woods during recess rather than in a playground as a way to connect with nature.

Recycling efforts are another way to bring environmental lessons into the classroom. An elementary school in Seattle recycles or composts 75% of its waste, while a New Jersey school uses rain collected on site to flush toilets, according to an article on Scholastic.com.

A solid green strategy can grow simultaneously from top and bottom, with policymakers deciding larger issues such as pursuing eco-friendly construction projects while individual administrators and teachers find ways to weave green concepts into the classroom and campus.

This guest post was provided by Paul Warren. Paul is an education professional and a writer for U.S. News University Directory and The University of Scranton’s online Masters of Education programs.