Collection Corner

Competing cartons

As a winner in the spring 2015 Carton 2 Garden Program, students from Wallenpaupack South Elementary School, Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, collected 652 milk cartons for their school’s garden. The kindergartners implemented “all the elements of today’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) projects,” say school officials.

The school donated its garden’s produce to a food pantry.

The second annual Carton 2 Garden contest, a nationwide competition inviting K-12 students to use milk and juice cartons to build creative gardens or enhance their schools’ existing gardens, is backed by Evergreen Packaging, Memphis, Tennessee, with support from KidsGardening.org. The Carton 2 Garden Program promotes hands-on teaching, with opportunities for building problem-solving and life skills, and awards more than $25,000 in prizes to schools across the country.

The 2016 submissions deadline is April 13. For more information, including details on prize packages, visit http://carton2garden.com.

On display

Passengers who walked through Chicago O’Hare airport were once encouraged to “Fly the Friendly Skies.” While on display, the United Airlines banner advertisements prompted passengers to fly with the airline, showcasing skylines from its various hub cities.

Today, those 20 banners have been sewn into 100 different ecofriendly carry-on travel bags. The airline partnered with the Columbia College Chicago Department of Fashion Studies and the Re:new project, a nonprofit that provides employment opportunities for refugee women, to transform the large fabric signs into 9-inch-by-10-inch-by-17-inch duffel bags and backpacks, small enough to fit under an airplane seat.

All proceeds benefit the Eco-Skies CarbonChoice Alto Mayo Forest Carbon project, says United, which provides jobs for families and incentivizes new approaches to farming that support native forests.

The limited-edition, handmade carry-on bags are available for purchase at http://unitedshop.com.

Business matters

Millennials have a huge appetite for sustainability and will fulfill their hunger through adoption of these practices. That’s according to a Cox Enterprises, Atlanta, study showcasing that millennials will lead the way for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in future conversations and efforts around conservation, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

The second annual Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey shows millennials have the most knowledge of sustainability than other generations. Fifty-nine percent of millennials are committed to increasing sustainable activities in their businesses versus 49 percent of boomers, according to the national survey, which examines sustainability opportunities and challenges for SMBs.

To view survey results and for more information, visit www.coxconserves.com/survey.

Do you have a unique recycling-focused story? Please send a press release to Megan Workman at mworkman@gie.net.