Kids Petition Crayola to Recycle Markers
Photo: Flickr/stevendepolo
Written by Jenn Savedge, Mother Nature Network
A group of elementary school students concerned about the environmental impact of Crayola products has launched Crayola: Make Your Mark!, a fast-growing campaign on Change.org that has already gained more than 59,000 signatures.
The students, kindergarten through fifth-graders at Sun Valley School in San Rafael, Calif., are part of a Green Team called Kids That Care led by volunteer Land Wilson, known as Mr. Land to students. Wilson created the Change.org petition after his students discussed the environmental impact of discarded plastic.
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In his petition, Wilson writes:
“Every year, Crayola makes about half a billion markers — enough markers to wrap around the earth more than three times! — and sells them all around the world. Millions of kids use and love Crayola products — including the students at Sun Valley School, where I volunteer. That’s why we’re asking Crayola to make sure these markers don’t end up in our landfills, incinerators and oceans.”
The petition asks Crayola executives to give consumers a convenient way to recycle the millions of Crayola markers manufactured every year. Wilson says the kids are hopeful Crayola will make its current recycling program — an internal program that includes only markers malformed during production — available to all consumers. They are petitioning Crayola to create a “take-back” program that would allow consumers to easily recycle plastic markers.
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In just one week, thousands of people have signed on to the campaign.
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