We are in the INDEPENDENT!

Middle school class earns cash for trash.

Colette Carrabba’s sixth-grade class is earning cash for their school by collecting items otherwise thought of as trash – used drink pouches, candy wrappers, and more. Many of the products are sent to TerraCycle, a company who ‘upcycles’ the items, making reusable items and sending money back to the school." rel="lightbox[parent7154000]">

Photo by Holly Roeder, Independent
Colette Carrabba’s sixth-grade class is earning cash for their school by collecting items otherwise thought of as trash – used drink pouches, candy wrappers, and more. Many of the products are sent to TerraCycle, a company who ‘upcycles’ the items, making reusable items and sending money back to the school.

With hundreds of students eating lunch every day, sixth-grade teacher Colette Carrabba of Chester County Middle School used to see a lot of used drink pouches, cookie wrappers and chips bags get thrown away. Now the school earns two cents for every one of those wrappers or pouches Carrabba and her students collect and return to a company, TerraCycle, who uses their non-recyclable waste to make affordable, eco-friendly products. The enthusiastic students at Chester County Middle have diverted over 12,000 pieces of waste from the landfill and earned nearly $250 for their school.

“I believe that it is important to teach the younger members of our society the importance of reducing our waste, reusing everything we can and recycling what is left over. With TerraCycle as my classroom partner, my students have fun collecting trash and are learning why it is important to keep these items out of our landfills,” said Colette about her experience with the program. “I love that TerraCycle has partnered up with public schools to teach about the importance of recycling and reducing our trash. Our children need to learn this lesson from every possible perspective.”

Carrabba’s class collects chip bags, cookie and candy wrappers, pens, markers, glue sticks, diaper packages, Lunchable boxes, tape dispensers, cereal bags, and energy bar wrappers, as well as many other recyclables in addition to the TerraCycle ‘upcycling’ items. The project has proved very successful largely due to her students’ involvement.

“The earth isn’t going to get crowded up with junk, so we’ll be able to live longer on it,” explained student Sarah Sells.

“I don’t like the idea of living in trash,” added Aspen Gray.

Malcolm Poe stressed that recycling helps the community, and was supported by Hannah Richardson, who pointed to financial gains for the community as a result of recycling.

The students further explained that trash leads to pollution, which kills trees, which are vital for our survival.

Chester County Middle School is part of a free nationwide program called the ‘Brigades’ that pays schools and non-profits to collect non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go to the landfill. Now the programs are coming full circle back to Henderson through an exciting partnership with local Walmart locations.

TerraCycle uses waste material to make a wide range of products like Seed Starter kits made from yogurt cups and pencil cases made from drink pouches, which will be sold for the first time in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day this month.

In fact, for a limited time Walmart is selling the widest range of TerraCycle’s ‘Upcycled’ products ever. For the month of April, TerraCycle’s products will be sold right next to original items, so tote bags made from Frito-Lay wrappers will be sold with bags of Frito-Lay chips and backpacks made from Capri Sun drink pouches will be sold next to boxes of the popular juice! This will help educate consumers about resource conservation and drive participation in TerraCycle’s program.

Nationwide, over 50,000 schools and community groups have signed up to help collect over 25 million used pieces of packaging. Through the TerraCycle Brigades school and non-profits will earn close to one million dollars this year!

Any interested organizations can learn more or sign up for free today at www.terracycle.net.

Terracycle in the Classroom

Our class received an exciting surprise visit from a reporter from the Chester County Independent Newspaper.

Terracycle had apparently sent a press release to the Independent and this press release had my name on it. Being the good reporters that they are, they contacted me to find out more about how Terracycle impacts our classroom.

The students were very excited to talk to a reporter and to talk about what they collect for Terracycle and how recycling impacts their classroom, their community and their world.

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, Terracycle has put their new products in Walmarts across the United States for the month of April.

So, go and check out the Terracycle products at your local Walmart.

And those of you who are local to Henderson, check out my class in the Independent this week!

Spring Break Day Seven

Ah, slept in again until 6:30! What ever will I do when I have to return to work on Monday?

Spent the morning in my studio, cutting batting and basting quilts. I also finished stitching the baby bibs and turned them right side out.

Additionally, I stitched the 3 small ribbon blankets that will be in my Etsy Store!

I picked up lunch for mom and I and spent the afternoon with Mom, playing Scrabble and celebrating Lauren's departure. Lauren is a student who is receiving her degree and did a practicum at Southern Oaks. She is finished now and will be getting married next weekend. So the folks threw her a small party! We had cake and punch and sang songs. It was fun.

After leaving Southern Oaks, I traveled to Jackson to pick up markers for a project we are doing in school after TCAPs. I had some recycling credit at Office Depot, so I went there to buy my new markers.

Upon arrival home, I got to work on the garden. Yesterday it was tilled and composted and organized into nice rows. Today I put in markers to remember where plants are to reside in the future and I put some of the seedlings in. Each yellow marker is made from cut up foam trays.

You cannot see the seedlings well, but I have corn, cucumbers, beans, and zucchini planted. The potatoes are in as well (but they are completely underground!!)

That was enough gardening fun for me, so I watered them, and watered the seedlings still in the greenhouse and called it a day.

Tomorrow I will get the soaker hoses in place and plant marigold seeds.

Now for a nice cool shower!

Spring Break Day Six

Day Six---I know it was yesterday, but I was in such pain yesterday evening, that I just went to bed with the heating pad!

It started out well, sleeping in until 7:00!!!

Then I spent the day in the studio, working on the Green String quilt. I finished the top and the borders...it needed a little TLC to flatten out, working with those diamonds and bias edges is not an area that I excel in. So, I had to re-do some seams! But it looks good now! (Photos will show up in the Day Seven blog later today!)

I had some left over batting pieces, so I pinned several baby bibs that are destined for my Etsy Store. The store is empty right now, so I am working on some new additions.

I also COUNTED MY STASH! I am embarrassed to say that it is right back to where it was when I initially counted my stash! ACK! I did not count any of the backings or fabrics that are designated for the following quilts (as they are in the basting/quilting stage of completion):

Green String quilt
I Spy quilt
Pumpkin Floral string quilt
Patriotic Stack & Whack quilt
Prairie Schooler quilt
Bright Girl quilt

In the afternoon, Vince tilled the garden, and I went and worked with the soil...I worked in compost and pulled out roots and weeds. I straightened the rows and that is when I gave in. My lower back was tighter than it has ever been and I could not straighten up well. I figured it was a good time to revisit my garden plan.

I have been researching various ways to improve my garden for this year, and will be planting certain plants to protect others....keeping certain critters out of the corn! I also have a border of lovely marigolds to help with pests and critters. Since part of my garden does not get full sun I have to consider which plants will tolerate partial sun. Also, since my garden still slopes a bit, I have to consider which plants will tolerate more water!

I think I have a plan now!! But by the time I had finished that and we ate a late dinner, I was finished! I heated up the heating pad and went to bed with a good book.

Fortunately this morning, I awoke feeling good!

Spring Break Day Five

This morning was spent with my dear friends Caroline and Deb. We traveled to Millington, to the Naval Support facility there. As military folk, I can get on base to shop at the commissary, which usually has good prices on groceries.

More importantly, we look at it as a day out. We love each other's company and the ride gives us time to catch up with each other. The ride is filled with laughter!

The only slightly upsetting aspect was that I found out that my military ID card had expired! Now Vince and I need to find time to travel to Millington during a weekday so that I can obtain a new card. I guess that will be a June activity!

I was also able to stop in Oakland to drop my quilts off to Christine Ballard.
She will creatively and beautifully quilt my Pieces of the Past and Snow Crazy quilts. I do not have a delivery date, but I know I will get them back sometime this summer so that I can finish those two this year! I hope that by the time she has these two quilted, I will have at least 2 other tops to give her for quilting!

When we arrived back home after our adventure, I was amazed that I had the entire afternoon ahead of me! I spent part of it digging the compost out of the bin to spread on the new garden area. Vince will (hopefully) till the garden tomorrow so that I can get the seedlings in the ground soon!

I spent a little time working on the Green String quilt--I have the rows pinned together into a top and will stitch them together in the morning. Then I can get the borders on it and declare the top finished.

After dinner, I barely beat Vince at Scrabble (689 to 680). Our games are not always that close..so it was nice to have a challenging game tonight! We play Super Scrabble, which has a larger game board and twice the tiles. It is a lot more fun and a lot more challenging to play!

Spring Break Day Four

The Gleaners” by Jean-François Millet

To glean is to gather grain left behind by reapers or to gather bit by bit.

This morning I awoke with the dawn to begin yet another day of my spring break! I started with my studio, working on the Green String quilt. I laid the pieces out and stitched them into rows, then became distracted.

I pulled out the white fabric that I plan to use in the Mustang quilt and then paged through all of my DMC flosses to find a red that I liked. Then I washed both the fabric and the thread, to determine if the red would bleed onto the white. (Many hours later I checked the fabric and the thread, and there was no red on the white!) Then I sat and used my marker to outline the line drawings of the Mustang. I also determined the size of the white blocks that I will need to use.
The quilt design is similar to the Snow Crazy quilt. I am embroidering pictures of my Mustang onto white squares. The crazy quilt blocks will be different red fabrics.

After an hour and a half of quilt fun, it was time to leave for the Gleaner's House. I loaded up my vehicle with two boxes of paper and an 8' x 10' area rug that I was giving to a freecycler.

I headed downtown to Gleaners, first stopping at the bank to cash a check I have had since February! I also stopped at the City Drug store to make a copy of a photo of my father (the one where he is standing by the Chickaloon Bridge in Alaska) and pick up a package of razor blades (to remove the expired military stickers from my windshield).

At Gleaner's we sorted, cleaned and priced the goodies that local folks donate to the thrift store. It is always a real experience! I love that we get to shop there as well! I brought home a 24" tall Elmo doll for the puppies!

Lunch with friends was at Jack's, a local fast food eatery that is actually better than McDonald's or Burger King!

The rest of my afternoon was spent giving a rug to a freecycler (Yay! One more item out of my house!), getting my hair color touched up and visiting my Mom. I also made some time to piece together the rows on the Green String quilt, that was a bit of a challenge. Matching seams on diamond shaped pieces takes some time. They are finally all pinned and some are sewn together. The rest is a task for another Spring Break day!

Spring Break Day Three

AH! I slept in this morning! I woke up to the sounds of Narnia barking outside my window. It was about 5:45.

I spent the day visiting my friend Lisa in Clarksville, TN. I had a chance to see the Wickham Statues! There had been an exhibit at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Museum a number of years ago ( I am not sure if it was while I lived in Clarksville, or afterwards!) and since then I have wanted to go. We were a bit confused when we arrived there...all those twisty turny Tennessee back roads! We did find several statues, and the Wickham cemetery.

When I returned home, I studied the website a bit further and concluded that we came upon the middle of the displays of statues. If we had turned around and headed the opposite direction, then we would have seen the ones we missed! Ah well, that will be an excursion for the next visit!

While in Clarksville, I also attempted to find fabrics to coordinate with my focus fabric for the June Quiltaway in Pennsylvania. No luck. The Hancocks in Clarksville was really low on cotton fabrics. In fact it was downright depressing! Since the quilt store in Clarksville was closed today, I had no other options!!

Lisa and I headed over to Books-a-million for some light reading and coffee.

Then we headed back to Lisa's house so that I could pack up the trash she had been saving for me---all that Terracycle stuff! and I headed home.

All in all, a fun day with a dear friend!