In the fall of 2007, after seeing countless plastic water bottles overflowing from garbage cans at parks and fields across town, Mary Lonergan, Ellen Blazoski, Lydia Chambers & Ann Whitman felt they had to do something. Initially, they wanted to work with the town to improve recycling efforts. After learning that only 23% of all disposable plastic water bottles are recycled and after learning about the tremendous waste involved in the production and distribution of water in disposable plastic bottles, they knew that recycling was not enough. This was the start of Back2Tap.
It began as a movement within the Recreation Department in Chatham, NJ, that encouraged people playing sports and using the parks and fields to switch from disposable plastic bottles to reusable ones. Shortly thereafter, the ladies decided to expand the Back2Tap movement by coordinating a stainless steel bottle fundraiser at all the schools across town. The bottles were imprinted with the school’s logo and the sales of the bottles helped the schools raise money while offering a solution to the mountain of plastic bottles found in the trash.
“We focused a lot of time and effort on educating students and parents about the negative environmental impact of disposable plastic water bottles. Three of the seven schools in town are using their profits from the sale of stainless steel bottles to install filtered water coolers to provide great tasting chilled tap water to students and teachers. Fifteen hundred bottles were sold in Chatham, representing an annual savings to our planet of 70,000 gallons of water, 200 barrels of oil and 33 tons of CO2 – all of which are involved in the production and distribution of disposable plastic water bottles.
We were inspired by our community’s response, and now have a full-time, online, women-owned business. We are motivated to get other communities and organizations to continue the grassroots movement to go Back2Tap”.
Is your school or group ready for something new and green?
If so, then take a look at the Back2Tap campaign. They offer eco-friendly, high quality, custom stainless steel bottles (12, 18, and 27-ounce sizes), reusable sandwich wraps and snack pouches to make litter-less lunches a snap! You can run the campaign as a green fundraiser or as an environmental awareness initiative. For your convenience, it can be run on-line through our website or you can order bottles and bags off-line in bulk. When you’re ready to begin a fundraiser, click here to register your school or group.
The Back2Tap campaign is unique because:
•It’s New: Reduce fundraising fatigue by offering new products that people will love using at a competitive price
•It’s Easy: Use our on-line ordering program and dramatically reduce your administrative duties. All you need to do is select your products, schedule your sale, and email your logo to us – you’re ready to go.
•It’s Green: Every year, 38 BILLION plastic bottles and 380 BILLION plastic bags end up in landfills in the US. One school or group can make a difference! For each person making the switch to reusables, 167 bottles and 300 bags are saved per year.
•It’s Healthy: Stainless steel bottles are BPA-free and don’t leach harmful chemicals into your drinks.
•It’s Profitable: Your organization earns 20-30% on the sale of reusable bottles and bags. Plus, an average family of four can save over $125 a year by switching to reusable bottles.
•It’s Educational: On-line educational tools are available for everyone in order to foster responsible stewardship of the planet and introduce the concept of sustainability. Check our educational resources for teachers…
For more information on how to launch a Back2Tap campaign, click for your Back2Tap Campaign Kick-off Guide.
To view the details on the administration of the Back2Tap fundraiser, including pricing and payback, click to view the Back2Tap Fundraising Coordinator Kit.
If you prefer to purchase customized bottles or bags in bulk to re-sell or give away, please contact Back2Tap at customerservice@Back2Tap.com for wholesale pricing or visit: Back2Tap.com
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