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February 2012 AusPen Giveaway Draw!

Maureen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:00:56 +0000

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.

February Theme: A Simple Act of Green

At EcoSmart Products we believe that every little act of green can make a difference. It’s an attitude, an intention, a simple action. What is your simple act of green? Do share! Your favorite product, habit or secret just might spark some inspiration in others!

Share your thoughts below, post them on our Facebook page, or email us at info@ecosmartworld.com. (You will be automatically entered into a draw for AusPen giveaways!)

Click to share on Twitter!

You are welcome to share your AusPen experiences, but your story does not have to be limited to AusPen eco-friendly markers. Please note some portion of your submission may be used by EcoSmart Products in promotional material.

Understanding Groundhog Day

Maureen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:15:07 +0000

I’ve finally embraced winter. I have ski passes, a pair of ice skates and even snow shoes. The 2010 Winter Olympics even piqued my interest in curling, but that was a passing fancy. This year, however, my winter gear has consisted mainly of mud boots and an umbrella. So I say: Climate change, bring back our winter!

It is in this context that I call into question the groundhog’s ability to predict the weather. In attempt to help me better understand Groundhog Day, my theater-teacher-friend sent me the following poster.

Tweet this Post!

Year of the Dragon – A Boost for our Economy?

Maureen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:15:42 +0000

Yesterday marked the start of the Chinese New Year and ushered in the year of the Dragon. It is believed that dragons bring about a change year, and usually from bad to good. In general, in the dragon years, the world economy does a little better, according to Chinese horoscope observers.

Bring it on!

This reminded me of another dragon story I read in this morning’s news. A Vancouver eatery is making headlines for introducing the world’s most expensive hot dog, The Dragon Dog. For $100 you can enjoy a deluxe hot dog infused with cognac, Kobe beef, fresh lobster and truffle oil. Is the economy that much better already?

If you ask me, a better way to spend $100 would be to equip 65 teachers or other whiteboard users with their own non-toxic, refillable marker so they’d never have to throw out another disposable marker again, or breathe in their nasty fumes.

Whether your preferences are more down-to-earth or more Dragon Dog style, here’s to a prosperous Year of the Dragon!

-The EcoSmart Team

Does Your Reality Look Like This?

Maureen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:32:36 +0000

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

Albert Einstein

I had a good laugh at this print ad, and wish I could go to Utopolis Cinemas. What other movie theatre tells you that your own life really isn’t as great as the movies?

It got me thinking about our fascination with ‘reality’ (‘virtual reality’, ’reality tv’…) and ‘truth’, as inconvenient as that may be.

It’s exciting to think that as consumers we are looking into the reality of our products and their impact on the environment, our health and our societies. Videos like “The Story of Stuff” have changed the way we see our stuff and urged us to change our consumer habits.

At EcoSmart Products, we are proud of our story. Our dry-erase markers are reducing waste, eliminating toxins, following a healthier life cycle, and saving consumers money. That’s the reality of a non-toxic and refillable marker that is made of 90% post-consumer recycled materials. That’s a reality that is making a difference in classrooms and boardrooms.

Credit for this print ad can be found here.

AusPen eco-friendly markers at www.ecosmartworld.com

January 2012 Giveaway Draw!

Maureen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:23:34 +0000

Giveaway Draw!

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 a draw, ranging each month from AusPen starter kits, to marker packs to accessories.

January Theme: What change do you want to see in 2012?

At EcoSmart Products, we think every little change adds up.

The burning discussion topic of this month’s AusPen giveaway draw is what change do you want to see in 2012? Think big, think small.

Leave a comment, pop us an email (info@ecosmartworld.com), or let us know what you are wishing for or working towards on our Facebook page, and you’ll automatically be entered in our draw to win AusPen eco-friendly markers.

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

POV: The Case of the Art Anti-Thief

Maureen — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:37:45 +0000

Dear EcoSmart blog readers,

The only premise I have for bringing the following news story into our blog is that it can conceivably fall under the category of visual arts, education and the younger generation… but mostly it’s because I find the story fascinating!

In Poland, an art student snuck his own painting into a museum, and when the guard was not looking, hung it on the wall in one of the galleries!

Not wanting to wait decades for his art to be displayed in a museum, the ambitious art student (whose last name means ‘his own master’) wanted to make a statement about opening up museums to the younger generation of artists.

And the reaction to the mystery art appearance? Not as dramatic as one might imagine: the piece was displayed for 3 days without the museum officials noticing. When it was finally taken down, it was then displayed in the museum cafe. The museum director says, aside from several security breaches, it was a “witty artistic happening”. (Huh?)

Painting by Andrzej Sobiepan

Dear EcoSmart blog readers: you are educators, students, brainstormers, artists, opinionists and more. What do you think?

Is this just another indication of the younger generation’s need for immediate recognition/fame/gratification?
Was this a suitable way to express a voice? A necessary breath of fresh air in a stuffy institution?
Will the attention that this story received open the door for other stunts in similarly rarified spaces? Will it open the door to new opportunities for up-and-coming artists?

Drop us a line with your point of view!

As for the piece of art, it will soon be sold in Poland’s largest charity auction. You can read the full story here.

Auld Lang Syne Resolutions

Maureen — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:34:15 +0000

Happy New Year

from all of us at EcoSmart Products!

Now how about those New Year’s resolutions? Is it true that they never stick? Just for Auld Lang Syne (old time’s sake), I looked back at my green new year’s resolutions from 2 years ago… and found out that they are all no-brainers in the 2012 context. Good news! You be the judge of whether my olde resolutions are just baby steps:

1. Use a power strip to save energy from devices that are plugged in but not in use. (done)

2. Use re-useable shopping bags, and stop using plastic bags. (now you get the evil-eye if you require plastic bags!)

3. Switch to AusPen refillable, recyclable dry erase markers at work and school. (the biggest no brainer of all!)

4. Drink for free what bottled water companies are trying to sell me. (haven’t bought bottled water except in dire emergencies. I just bought a $6.90 bottle of water at Starbucks, which quenched that thirst for a loooong time)

5. Switch out my lightbulbs for efficient with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). (now I see the light, and cringe at regular bulbs)

So now, what next? Drop us a line if you’d like to share your 2012 green New Year’s resolutions and help me update my list to the 2012 version.

The Amazing 9 Million Mark(er)

Maureen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:32:40 +0000

*By refilling their markers, AusPen users are NOT throwing disposable dry-erase markers into the garbage. These markers are sent to the landfills, where they do not break down.

**Information on species reported in the Wall Street Journal, August 2011. We’ve only discovered 1/4 of these species.

Still time to go green these holidays

Maureen — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:59:21 +0000

Some are hoping for a white Christmas this year. You, on the other hand, are getting your green on.

This year, try surprising your child’s teacher with a thoughtful, practical, and long-lasting gift – an AusPen dry-erase marker kit.

Giving the gift of non-toxic, refillable markers to your teacher will send the message that you truly respect and appreciate what they do. Not only will the teacher thank you for replacing their old disposable smelly dry-erase markers and clearing the air of toxic chemicals, but your child will now be in a less toxic classroom. And since each kit comes with 6 different colored markers and their refill inks, the teacher will be using your markers long after your child has left the grade!

There’s still time to order AusPen products in time for the holidays, but you really should…

Order now!

Math educator publishes book with her son

Maureen — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:41:04 +0000

by Becky and Jack Schantz

Congratulations to our loyal AusPen customer, Becky Schantz and her son, Jack, for publishing their book, Mommy, How Many Numbers Are There?

It’s now available as a Kindle ebook, on special for $1.99 through Amazon.com!

Becky has shared with us at EcoSmart Products her Pencasts through LiveScribe in which she teaches math with her AusPen markers (who knew what a pencast was, let alone factoring trinomials?!), and she has assigned her students the math problems of comparing the cost of disposable versus refillable markers. (hint: penfill, not landfill!)

Becky’s journey as a math educator, a green advocate, a parent, and now an author! can be followed at her blogs: Math is Tough Bar-B and http://jacksbackbooks.blogspot.com/

P.S. No seriously, Becky, how many numbers are there?