Campaigners' Edition - September 2009

It's September and most workplaces' employee giving campaigns are coming up fast!  Now is the perfect time to prepare and recruit coworkers for your campaign.  Resources are available online:

Helpful Tips for a Successful Campaign Speakers and Brown Bag Program  Fundraising Ideas and Handbook Your Earth Share contact (Trudy, Meghan, or Aurora) will be contacting you soon to get the ball rolling. You can also reach them at (503) 223-9015.

Bike Commute Challenge
From Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA)

Join the friendly competition - workplace against workplace - to see who can bike to work more during the month of September. The workplaces with the highest percentage of commutes by bicycle during the month win! Whether you're a rider or an employer,  the Challenge is for you.  Learn more>

We all know instilling good habits is easiest when we're young, so why not teach our children to be environmentally conscious? So, as the kids get ready to return to school this month, here are some simple conservation tips to teach them:

• Check out Oregon Environmental Council's Healthy Schools Program. OEC's It's Not Cool to Idle at School! toolkit is an exciting way to engage students in improving air quality and cutting fuel consumption. Designed for 5th-8th grade students, the project uses a multi-disciplinary approach to raise awareness of health and environmental issues.
• Lunch break. Pack kids' lunches in lunch pails or canvas bags instead of throwaway paper bags. Consider reusing plastic sandwich bags or only using durable plastic containers. Be sure that the container is safe however, as many plastic lunch boxes contain harmful toxins.
• Start with the basics. Remind kids to turn off the lights in the bathroom or cloak room when leaving, throw away trash found on the school playground, use both sides of the paper and save unused chalk, pens or art supplies.
• Check out schools' recycling programs. Ask whether recycling bins are accessible and if the kids are encouraged to use them. If they are, be sure your child knows to recycle plastic and glass bottles.
• Spread the word. Encourage your children to suggest that their friends pack lunches too so that they can trade items or have a cool reusable lunch bag as well.
  

September Events: