Eco-Friendly Fundraising

Say goodbye to candy and plastic trinkets and hello to high-quality, useful products that people want a need. Here are five resources for innovative, green fundraising that can earn money and educate your community.

• Green School Project(www.greenschoolprogect.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 change.
• Mother Earth Fundraising(www.motherearthfundraising.com) is an ongoing way to rise money for your school. You simply encourage your community to purchase Earth-friendly products from the web-site and designate your school to receive a percentage of their purchase. The site has a wide variety of items, from soars and cleaners to recycled gif wrap and gardening supplies. Gets your community shopping online and your school will receive quarterly checks equal to 25 percent of all purchases.
• Terracycle(www.terracycle.net) pays your 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 profit.
• 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.