School Environmental Fundraising Ideas

Fundraising is an excellent way for schools to generate extra income for various school events, programs, and causes. Involving students in the process helps build many skills, including leadership, management, and organizational skills.

However, traditional fundraising options can be wasteful, outdated, and environmentally harmful. We all know that taking care of the planet is an important goal, and this goal should be included in other various establishments, including schools.

Here are a few fundraising ideas that align with sustainable practices. These options are also a great way to teach students about the importance of caring about the environment while simultaneously raising money.

Sell Stainless Steel Straws

To combat plastic waste and raise money at the same time, schools may find it useful to sell products that are sustainable and promote waste reduction. Stainless steel, glass, or bamboo straws are all great options.

These straws can be purchased in bulk at discounted rates, and then resold at higher profits for fundraising purposes. Faculty, students, and those outside of the school setting can be brushed up on the importance of reducing or stopping their consumption of single-use plastics.

While reusable straws are just one option, other reusable products can be used for fundraising purposes as well. This includes reusable bags, water bottles, and more.

Sell Compost Soil

An innovative, creative, fun, and sustainable way to fundraise is a bit of a longer-term project but can yield great profits and benefits for students. Starting a compost site on school campuses is not a new idea, yet it has been gaining traction in recent years.

Schools produce a lot of food waste. This waste can be sent to landfills as the traditional method, or it can be utilized by the schools to create a circular system. Students on campus can help maintain the efforts, which can include turning the compost and preparing the soil for fundraising. As compost matures, rich, nutrient-dense soil is created. This soil can then be packaged and sold for profit.

Many people have an interest in purchasing local, organically made soil, and this is an excellent option for marketing and capitalizing to fund school programs.

Earn on Food Wrappers

Companies like TerraCycle have various programs where they pay businesses and institutions money for giving their recyclable items to them. Schools can choose to host a TerraCycle bin on their campus where they pay $.02 cents per food wrapper collected. That included chip bags, granola bar wrappers, gummy packets, and more. These funds can add up over time, and maybe a great option to utilize in conjunction with the previously listed fundraising opportunities.

Conclusion

Fundraising can be profitable and environmentally friendly. Schools can benefit from these methods as they teach valuable skills and ethics to students while simultaneously funding necessary school projects, events, and trips.