Earning Money
Schools are used to fundraising. There are many ways to make some green while being green.
Eco-Friendly Fundraising
Say goodbye to candy and plastic trinkets and hello to high-quality, useful products that people want and need. Here are five resources for innovative, green fundraising that can earn money and educate your community.
Green School Project (www.greenschoolproject.com) pays schools to recycle inkjet and laser printer cartridges as well as cell phones and PDA devices. It provides prepaid shipping materials and all other marketing materials free of charge.
Mother Earth Fundraising (www.motherearthfundraising.com) is an ongoing way to raise money for your school. You simply encourage your community to purchase Earth-friendly products from the website and designate your school to receive a percentage of their purchase. The site has a wide variety of items, from soaps and cleaners to recycled gift wrap and gardening supplies. Get your community shopping online and your school will receive quarterly checks equal to 25 percent of all purchases.
Terracycle (www.terracycle.net) pays you money to collect waste it recycles into new products. Collect wrappers, drink pouches, plastic bottles, yogurt cups, corks, and other simple trash that's turned into treasures like reusable bags, pencil pouches, plant food bottles, and more.
One Planet Fundraising (www.oneplanetfundraising.com) has a variety of fundraising programs. Your class can choose to sell energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, or recycled metal magnets. Each one earns you 40 percent of the profits.
Kids for Saving Earth (www.kidsforsavingearth.org) has several suggestions for educational programs that combine earning and learning.
With a growing awareness of environmental issues, new green fundraising programs are sprouting up regularly.
Economical Education
Another way to earn money is by saving money. For example, if you have a certain budget allotted for buying paper, cut back on how much paper you use by using both sides and taking advantage of other reduction techniques. Use the money left over for ecofriendly products or for field trips. Likewise, you can ask the principal if you can have a portion of the money saved if you conduct a school energy conservation campaign. Find out your school's average monthly energy use. Conduct an energy conservation campaign and examine energy usage levels after several months. If it's gone down, it's money in your classroom pocket.
