AusPen’s Best of 2010

You might not think that a company that sells non-toxic, refillable dry-erase markers would be on the receiving end of life’s most inspiring stories. 2010 at EcoSmart Products was a year of conversations with people whose personal experiences have changed them, and driven them to create change around them.

 Imagine being shut out of a normal working environment due to your intense (embarrassing) reactions to the toxic products that are used all around. Imagine being a teacher returning to school after maternity leave with a new drive to really, really change how the kids see their role in the world. Imagine you’re a parent that has just discovered the reason that your child is experiencing [insert one: breathing difficulties/upset stomach/behaviour problems/poor academic performance] is due to the toxic dry-erase markers in the classroom.

 In 2010, AusPen sales increased, and numerous schools, companies, NGOs and government departments switched over to AusPen eco-friendly markers. But our favourite moments were the ones like these:

“We’ve really seen a change in the teacher’s attitudes.  Many of them started using reusable markers this year based on our proposal to put them in the classrooms last spring.  Most are exited to be a part of something; they’re very open to “going green.”

Amy Grant, high school student

 “Don’t give up. Don’t take ‘no’. Budgets can be overcome. When teens tell their schools about ideas for positive change, and if they have valid reasons, the administrators listen. They really do.”

Emily Packer, co-president of Teens Turning Green

 

Having children changes your life in many ways.  One of ours was that it shifted our focus from our own exposure to the products we use to the exposure of our three girls… The supplies our children and teachers use at school each day can be extremely hazardous.  Thank you for offering AusPen markers and products which help us minimize the risk to our health and environment.

Janette Deruki, PTA

 

My green lightbulb has always been on, but has burned brighter since I became a teacher. I now have the ability to influence hundreds of students to be greener and more aware each year… When I first started teaching, I realized that I’m not doing as much as I could be to make a difference, which made me a bit of a hypocrite. It’s easier to be green when you’re hoping that your students will. So, my green lightbulb is powered by my hope that the next generation will be smarter than mine.

Jenn Sanders, high school teacher

 My green lightbulb moment came after having my second child and realizing how difficult their future may become if we leave a legacy of indifference to our current climate change crisis and other examples of ecological unfriendliness.  My message of hope is just to convince people that as long as they start on the journey of ecological consciousness, it doesn’t matter where they’ve come from.  Progress is the key.  Continuing to move forward is what is important.

Jacqueline Butler, teacher

 The Gulf Oil Spill gave my students and I several opportunities to discuss our consumption habits and our relationship to people around the world who experience environmental trauma. The need for oil and the ability to create sustainable products made a great impact on my class…Everyday events like picking up garbage and printing out homework are complimented with the remarkable insight of students who have grown to recognize that we are responsible for doing their own part to be green from just discussing events like those. Just the other day one of the four-year-olds said her salad dressing looked like a small piece of the Gulf Oil Spill. 

Christine Villalobos, preschool teacher

The Tree of Christmas Past

Last December I blogged about companies that rent potted, living Christmas trees and pick them up after all the festivities are wrapped up (…or unwrapped). Always interested in business ideas that are conserving resources, thinking out of the box, and sending less waste to the landfill, I thought I’d check in on these companies. Is the idea working? Are they still in business? Are the trees still alive?

I see that the idea is booming and people have caught on. Some companies, like The Living Christmas Company in California have barcodes on their trees, so you can even get the exact same tree year after year. It’s like having a guest that comes just for the holidays and gets picked up when it’s all over.

For some it’s about not wasting trees. For others, it’s about getting to see Mr. Prickly again next year (that’s from a testimonial). For others, it’s the symbol of life and renewal. And it’s pretty safe to say that for none of them it’s about saving money.

Maybe I’ll check up on them again next year – if people keep re-using the same tree, I figure I can keep re-using the same blog.

Wishing you warm wishes from AusPen Eco-Friendly Markers.

Top 5 people who would love to receive AusPen markers

Are you trying to buy green and unique items for gifts this year? Here are our top 5 people who would love to receive a personal set of AusPen non-toxic, refillable markers:

1.   1.  Your children’s teachers – the added bonus here is that your children will get exposed to non-toxic markers.
2.   2.  An educator – “My profession is writing on the board,” a teacher once told me. A teacher’s tools of trade are very important.
3.  An office worker – Meeting rooms use whiteboards and those whiteboards often contain half-dead markers. Give your special office worker the gift of a personal set of refillable markers in their own carrying case.
4. A co-worker or boss – This just might start a trend in the office and what goes around might just come back around to you, as your office eventually switches to sustainable office supplies.
5. A small business owner – what small business owner wouldn’t appreciate a gift that will lead to… no more marker purchases! And next year a few ink and nib replacements will keep them going until the next year (this can keep going)!

Happy holiday shopping! And, oh yeah! Don’t forget to drop the hint that you’d love to receive your own set of AusPen eco-friendly markers!

Bethpage High School learns how to ‘Make a Difference’

The ‘Make a Difference’ class project that began two years ago on Earth Day at Bethpage High School in New York has evolved into a school-wide environmental movement. In an effort to conserve resources, reduce toxicity and take environmental action, the Generation Green Team at Bethpage, together with the student body, teachers and administrators, has set the high school in a more eco-sensitive direction. In its first initiative, the school introduced non-toxic, refillable markers to its school district, replacing the toxic, disposable markers in many of its classrooms. It was a move that has cut down on approximately 450 pounds of waste from reaching the local landfill this year.

[Bethpage NY, December 1, 2010] What began as a class project for the school-wide Earth Day celebrations in 2008 has set in motion a series of green initiatives which have raised eco-awareness and created sustainable practices at Bethpage High School in Bethpage, New York. Jim Miller, a 10^th grade math teacher, saw the ‘Make a Difference’ Earth Day theme as a chance to take action with this class and empower his students to actually make a change. The class obtained reports from the school district purchasing department and calculated how many dry-erase markers were being thrown out district-wide each year, and the cost to replace them. The students then wrote letters compelling the superintendent to switch to non-toxic, refillable markers  –  a move which has since saved the district approximately 450 pounds of waste.

 “It was shocking to find out how much waste markers create,” explained Miller. “I was going through hundreds [of dry-erase markers] every year. Our district was throwing out close to 10,000 disposable markers at an expense of around $7000 per year.” The superintendent was persuaded by the 25 student letters that he had received, and after meeting with the class, agreed to have the math department pilot AusPen eco-friendly markers, a refillable marker that is made of recycled materials and uses non-toxic ink.

 At first when Miller assigned the Make a Difference class project, several students were pessimistic about the possibility that the school would change. The initiative to buy refillable markers instead of disposable ones caught on and by the end of last spring, many teachers in the 5 different schools of the district started using AusPen markers. Miller himself has been using the same set of 12 markers for 3 years. “There is a level of satisfaction in that,” says Miller. “It’s important for the students to see us practicing what we preach. They are sensitive to that, and they learn a lesson by watching me refill my markers. It’s a valuable lesson.”

The high school students of Bethpage formed an environmental club and called themselves, Generation Green Team. In their initial meeting, 40 students showed up to talk about their ideas and how to actively green their school. The students encouraged one another to suggest and start their own projects. Taking a cue from the success of the refillable marker project, the team’s initiatives centered around further reducing the school’s waste of paper and plastics. They placed recycling bins in central areas to make recycling a habit. They also began to recycle used exam study guides, batteries from calculators, and sneakers as part of the Nike Reuse a Shoe Program, which repurposes shoes into ground surface for playgrounds.

While the teachers at Bethpage High School feel the students are learning valuable lessons, the students themselves are proud of the change they see in their teachers. “It’s really awesome to see the teachers participating in something that the students are so passionate about,” explains Matt Lipperhauser, one of the organizers of Generation Green. “Many actively recycle, use the reusable markers, and some teachers even contributed ideas for Generation Green.” And Amy Grant, another organizer of the club observed, “We’ve really seen a change in the teacher’s attitudes.  Many of them started using reusable markers this year based on our proposal to put them in the classrooms last spring.  Most are exited to be a part of something; they’re very open to “going green.”

 When asked about the recent environmental initiatives and the work of Generation Green, Mike Spence, the Principal of Bethpage, says that the students approach him asking if they can have a larger push in certain areas. “My doors are open to listening to these kids,” says Spence. “That’s where great ideas come from.” Concerning the school’s ever-expanding environmental component, Spence explains, “It’s about service and giving back. The goal is to be globally and environmentally aware. The kids get it.” As Bethpage High School continues to keep waste from its local landfill, Spence says the school “started little and is taking its energy from the groundswell”.

December AusPen Giveaway!

AusPen Giveaways

Where it pays to go green

 Welcome to EcoSmart’s giveaway program where your “Green” stories can get you great free eco-friendly products.  

 Each month we choose a theme, welcome your input, and have an AusPen draw, ranging each month from AusPen starter kits, to marker packs to accessories.

 Please note some portion of your submission may be used by EcoSmart Products in promotional material.

December Theme: My Green Gift Ideas 

Do you think people like receiving green gifts? When your family, friends, children’s teachers, co-workers, babysitters, etc open up your ‘green’ gifts, are they secretly wishing for the shinier, plastic version of the gift? What are your best ideas for green gifts that will leave people feeling like theirs is a great gift? Or, what do you give people (like my parents) who don’t need any more ‘things’? Give us your best advice for choosing eco-friendly gifts.

 Email us at info@ecosmartworld.com to share your green gift insights and ideas. You will be automatically entered into a draw for AusPen giveaways!

 You are welcome to share your AusPen experiences, but your story does not have to be limited to AusPen eco-friendly markers