Bartlett High School Bartlett, IL

1. mothernaturesminions.wikispaces.com mothernaturesminions@gmail.com Mother Nature’s Minions Top Row: (Left to Right) Zane K, Amber L, Michael M, Violet K, Victoria C, and Mr. ChurchBottom Row: (Left to Right) Prachi S, Neil M, Alisha S, Jinal S, and Helen K Bartlett High School Bartlett, IL

2. The Environmental Issue • Our team is participating in the Air and Climate section of the Lexus Eco Challenge, more specifically fossil fuels • Our team selected this topic because it seemed to be the one that was affecting the planet most of all • We will be trying to address the fossil fuel problem by getting schools to begin recycling more through the TerraCycle program

3. TerraCycle • TerraCycle is a company that works to recycle waste that is normally not accepted by major garbage collectors such as juice pouches, chip bags, etc. In exchange for all the garbage sent in, schools receive points that can then be exchanged for a variety of prizes like cash, and acres of wildlife that will be protected • Our team noticed that many of young elementary school children drink juice out of Juice Pouches, these pouches are made out of plastic. Plastic comes from petroleum and natural gas, petroleum more specifically is a fossil fuel. If we could find a way to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being used to create these pouches we would slowly be making a dent in the large amounts used every day. If we could get schools to initiate TerraCycle, they would not only work to reduce the amount of waste but also to make some additional money in this economic recession

4. Our Action Plan • Contact all the elementary schools in our district (the principals) • Inform them about the TerraCycle program • Ask them to initiate the TerraCycle program in their schools • Once they are interested, help the schools to start a successful TerraCycle program • Help schools maintain their successful program and help them if they have any questions Additional work: Create an informational website, distribute flyers, work to provide schools with garbage bins for TerraCycle waste

5. Specific Roles • Team Leader: Victoria • Scribe: Prachi • Timekeeper: Michael • Photography: Helen • Letter-writing Campaign: Victoria • Shopping for Supplies: Helen • Web site creation: Victoria • Contacting the media: Neil and Violet Measuring Success • Our team will be measuring success by counting the number of schools that initiate the TerraCycle program in their schools

6. Implementation of Ideas • Our team worked to get the elementary schools of our district, Elgin U-46, to implement the TerraCycle program and therefore were able to work with the 40 plus schools in the district. • In order to make our ideas better known, we created a website that provides information to our principals and to the general public, it featured information on our team, our goals, information for the schools, information about TerraCycle, and the Lexus Eco Challenge so that people who we talked to could find out more about the Lexus Eco Challenge. (mothernaturesminions.wikispaces.com) • In order to spread the word around our school, we created posters that were hung around the school to advertise the fact that we were going to be featuring a TerraCycle program at our school.

7. Evaluation of Our Plan • Our plan was successful in the sense that we were able to get three schools successfully enrolled in the TerraCycle program, and two schools who said they would initiate the program in time for the next school year (2012-2013). • Our plan was also successful because now more group members are more comfortable speaking and emailing adults and also can now work well with deadlines that apply a lot of pressure. • Our group definitely faced a lot of challenges, the main one was getting a good idea. We used a lot of time at the beginning thinking of a good enough idea that would be able to not only be executed but would be worthy enough of the Lexus Eco Challenge.

8. Evaluation of Our Plan • Another one of our problems was getting in touch with all the principals of the elementary schools, most of the principals didn’t pick up there phone and would not respond to emails. If we were able to get more principals notified about our program it would definitely have been more successful. • The way we were able to measure success was in the number of schools who initiated the program. We were able to get one school completely enrolled in the program, two schools are in the process of setting the program up over winter break, two schools are working towards starting the program in time for the next school year. Our home high school is in the process of getting TerraCycle started in our cafeteria as well.

9. What Our Group Gained • Our group probably learned a lot more than what we thought we would in the beginning. We learned what it is like to work with adults, we learned to write professional sounding emails, and learned make phone calls in an appropriate way. Our group also learned about responsibility and organization, we had to find a way to make it to our meetings and not to loose any of our papers and materials. We also learned a lot about garbage itself and its effects on the air and climate and how schools throw away so much trash!

10. Ideas for Winnings • Prachi - Plans on becoming an orthodontist. Her prize money would go towards her college fund and her high school's field trip fund! • Victoria- Plans on going to Stanford for either biomedical engineering or med school. Her prize money would go towards her college fund! • Neil- Plans on becoming an engineer and studying at Princeton or University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His prize money would go towards his college fund. • Violet- Plans on attending either Northwestern University or University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her prize money would go towards her college fund. • Zane- Plans on becoming a biomedical engineer or a doctor. His prize money would go towards his college fund. • Michael- Plans on going to the University of Chicago to persue something in the medical field. His prize money would go towards his college fund. • Helen- Plans on using her prize money for college and other academical purposes. • Amber- Plans to use her prize money towards her college fund and also to help her mother who does so much for her. • Jinal- Plans to persue biomedical engineering or another field of engineering. Her prize money will go towards her college fund. • Alisha- Plans to use her prize money for her college fund. • Mr. Church - Plans to use his prize money to go towards fundraising for building a greenhouse for the high school where further plant studies could be conducted.

11. Project Gallery Dear Principal (last name), My name is (your name) and I am a freshman at Bartlett High School.  I am a member of a group participating in the Lexus Eco Challenge.  Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste in local schools.  We are trying to get all U-46 elementary schools to implement a program called TerraCycle.  The school collects juice pouches to be sent to TerraCycle, in return for each juice box the school would receive $0.02.  In order to make this possible, each school will require a few volunteers who would ensure that only juice pouches are sent.  TerraCycle will provide prepaid shipping labels to the school.  Sycamore Trails Elementary implemented this program last year and successfully rose over $1000.  Their program includes more than juice pouches, a possibility open to your school.  For our team  to measure success, we will need to track the number of schools that we get involved in the program.  We need to know by Friday, December 9 whether or not you are interested in participating.    If you have any questions, please email us at mothernaturesminions@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you soon, Your Name For more information on the TerraCycle program, visit http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/ • Our Principal Email

12. Project Gallery • Posters Hung Around Our School!

13. Selected Principal Responses Victoria, Thank you for the e-mail. Spring Trial is very interested in this program.  It would be a great project for our Honor's Society to take on.  Thank you for contacting us!  Please let em know what we need to do next. Sincerely, Principal Kendryna Jinal, Ridge Circle is interested in participating.  I have spoken with our Lead Lunch Supervisor and she will have a separate bin allocated to collect juice pouches. Neal SiegellakPrincipal, Ridge Circle School