Four
Simple Steps
1. Borrow. Contact a local grocery store that uses
large paper grocery bags. See if the manager will let you
"borrow" enough bags so that each student in your school can
decorate one. Let the manager know about the project and its
environmental education message, of course! grocers usually get these
bags in "bundles" of 500.
2. Decorate. Have students at school decorate the bags with pictures of the earth,
environmental messages, the name of your school, etc. Be creative! DO
NOT allow students to write their last names on any bags.
3. Deliver. A couple of days before Earth Day you and/or your students return the
decorated bags to the grocery store - with many thanks to the manager!
The store then distributes these bags (full of groceries) to happy and
amazed shoppers on Earth Day.
4. Report. Fill out the guestbook on the project web site with a count of how many
bags your school made. Be sure to include the name of your school and
where you are. Please, only one report per school. All of the reports
will be posted on the Earth Day Groceries www site at: http://www.earthdaybags.org
You do not need to sign up or register, just have a great time with the
project! For more information, check the FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions) at http://www.earthdaybags.org/faqs.htm
Note: If you are unable to locate a
grocery store in your area that uses paper grocery bags, but have found
a store manager willing to distribute your students' decorated paper
bags on Earth Day, you can request a supply of bags (free) from the
Paper Bag Council of the American Forest & Paper Association. To
place a request, E-mail Colleen Shine at: ccshine@attglobal.net.
Be sure to provide the following information
- Number of bags you need
- Your complete mailing address (no P.O. boxes)
- Your phone number (for UPS delivery)
As community relations is an important part of the Earth Day
Groceries Project, teachers are encouraged to secure bags from local
grocers wherever possible, and to use this request as a last resort.
You've Made a Difference
Thanks to thousands of
environmentally-minded teachers and youth, the project is growing bigger
every year. In 1999, students at more than 1,200 schools nationwide
decorated nearly 400,000 bags, and in 2000, participation was even
stronger. Each decorated bag is a reminder that kids care about and are
doing their part to protect our planet.
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