Eco-friendly school fundraisers

Last week my daughter brought home the dreaded Sally Foster fund raising packet with the catalog of all the different styles of wrapping paper -- none made from recycled paper -- they want you to buy and sell. There were a few gift items, such as the requisite candies and candles, but wrapping paper was definitely the biggie. I made a promise to myself that I would no longer buy wrapping paper, and instead rely on reusable gift bags or alternative ways to present a gift that didn't add to the waste stream. So I can't in good conscious buy or sell any of the stuff in the catalog (that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it).

It got me to wondering whether there are any fund raising programs out there that offer eco-friendly products. We have the Chinook Book, jammed with coupons for healthy living products and services, which my son's preschool sells. I love these books and usually buy two of them, but it seems like the Portland market is absolutely saturated with Chinook Book fund raisers. I found the site GreenRaising, where schools can have online (for a 25% return) or catalog (for a 40% return) sales of eco-friendly products like Sigg water bottles, lead-free lunch boxes, reusable bags and biodegradable cleaning products. Reusable Planet offers a program that recycles ink and toner cartridges and cell phones. Canada has a program called Green Students, where schools raise money by selling compact fluorescent light bulbs and Kleen Kanteen water bottles.

I understand that public schools have to have fund raisers to supplement their paltry budgets, but enough of the wrapping paper and candy already! Has your school held a green fund raiser? Have you heard about any others than those mentioned above?