Teacher, Students Make Impact on Environment
Efforts of Tim Zavacki and other high school staff–and students–highlighted by company.
Tim Zavacki had a lofty goal for Hillsborough High School. TerraCycle, an "upcycle" company that makes consumer products from pre- and post-consumer materials, was looking for computer keyboards and mice in its Erase Your E-Waste Keyboard and Mouse Brigade.
Zavacki, an applied technology teacher in the district who has been collecting electronic waste for the company for a number of years, believed that his group could collect more than the company's minimum goal for the entire country. They got very close.
They also won the brigade, receiving brand-new Logitech keyboards and mice that Zavacki was able to distribute throughout the school for teachers and students to use.
TerraCycle featured Zavacki and Hillsborough students in a video about the brigade, which is attached to this post. Take a look to learn more about the program and what Zavacki and Hillsborough students and staff were able to accomplish.
TerraCycle's Keyboard and Mouse Brigade pays schools for things like old keyboards, mice, and Web cams.
NKS
8:00 am on Friday, May 18, 2012
It's wonderful that Mr. Zavacki's environmental stewardship has been acknowledged! Recycling is SO important. I received an e-newsletter from www.wecarewasteandrecycling.com (long URL!) with some recycling facts that really hit home. Such as...
For every bottle we recycle, we save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours or the equivalent in energy of 10 gallons of oil.
AND
For every ton of plastic recycled, we save 76 million BTUs of energy.
—NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation (2011 website)
Keep up the great work, Mr. Zavacki! It DOES make a difference!
Toby Kansagor
12:44 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Bravo to Tim and his students. This project is a win-win situation for everyone. Waste is recycled, some profit is made, new technology is acquired for HHS and most importantly the next generation is becoming more involved in creating a sustainable environment. Tim you are a model for all to follow. Keep up the great work. Thank you.
Thuy Anh Le
11:22 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Terracycle was one of the speakers at the regional conference at Duke Farms on sharing sustainable practices and Mr. Zavacki was on the panel for recycling. There were many good connections that were made and BoroGreen is so proud and supportive of Mr. Zavacki's impact on his students. He has empowered them to think differently about things that other people don't see value in. This will help our next generation solve critical problems about waste, reuse/repurposing of materials, and how to evaluate the true cost of products. Thanks for being an inspiring teacher!
Designs for Dental Health
9:45 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Keep up the great work, Tim! Thanks for covering this story, Patch. We are proud to participate in this program, collecting dental and other products from our patients and donating them to help raise funds for Mr. Zavacki's Technology Club. There are so many things people don't realize can be recycled, like toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and dental floss containers, lip balm and lipstick containers and more. Better to keep these products from the landfills, promote environmental awareness and contribute to our local youth through this program!
Lindsey Conlan
7:03 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012
What a great program you have built! The Holmdel High School Eco-Club is attempting to start Terracycle in our school this year. We are signed up for the Cookie and Beauty Brigade right now and are wait listed for various others. Do you have any tips for bin type and placement? I saw some of the bins that you use in the video, do you place them in the cafeteria? Also does the custodial staff help out at all? We were hoping to have the custodial staff help us out with collecting.
Thank you!