The Greenfoot Car Magnet
For For more information, Contact:
Immediate Release David Emmons Vermont Nature Creations
(March 12, 2009) Phone:
E-mail: thinkgreen@gogreenfoot.com
Earth Day Lesson Leaves Green Footprint
Vermont Home School Family builds surprise successful business with their Greenfoot™ car magnets
Wells, VT – March 12, 2009 - What initially started as a school project about Earth Day and raising environmental awareness has evolved into a rapidly growing business for the Emmons family, who created the "Greenfoot™" car magnet.
The green magnet is in the shape of a footprint, and has the phrase "Keep it Green" across the top- meant- to remind people of their carbon footprint and encourage them to live a "green" life.
David Emmons, his wife Janet, and their three children, Maxson, 19, Katie, 14, and Abbie, 11, are using this project to spread the message of the importance of living a “Green lifestyle”.
"It started out as a science lesson for the two home-schooled girls last earth day and over time turned into a lesson on responsibility, community and working together to make a change," David Emmons said.
"We were studying how our actions impact our environment,"
As a school project that applied hands-on practical application, the girls were asked to think of a way to raise awareness on the impact an individual's lifestyle can have on the environment and to let people know how easy it can be to reduce a person's carbon footprint. After considering billboards and other ideas, the family decided to work together to create car magnets. "We all figured it would be a message that is visible nearly all the time," Janet Emmons said.
The family went right to work. “Our daily life became all about artwork, trademarks, copyrights, packaging, displays, and more artwork, we each had a part to play in this creative process,” David said.
“We determined from the start that we would have everything made locally so that the children would see first hand the positive impact they could have on their own community,” Janet said. With the help of a local print shop to print the package the magnet is sold with and a Hubbardton, VT blacksmith to make displays out of recycled products, the children were able to watch every step of the process.
"They've seen this from the idea and sketch on a piece of paper right down to the finished product," their father said.
Through the process the family incorporated school and life lessons in art, marketing, advertising and much more. But what the family learned most was the importance of living green and the impact individuals can have on the world.
"I learned that by taking small steps in your daily life, little things such as recycling and turning off lights when you leave a room, it can really help," Katie said. “I’ve always tried to recycle … but now I really think about things like ‘I should probably turn this off,’” she said. “I’m definitely more aware of it now.”
Maxson said one thing he learned was the effect anyone, including families in small-town Vermont, can have on their world. “It’s been exciting to watch this take off,” he added.
The lessons learned were exactly what their father said he had hoped for at the beginning of the project.
”The main thing I wanted them to learn is that they can make a difference. So many times people feel powerless in the world and I hope what they have learned is that everyone doing a little can affect the world, isn’t that what Earth Day is all about” he said, adding “a percentage of the proceeds from the purchase of the magnets goes to renewable energy projects”.
Since hitting store shelves in July, the “Greenfoot”
To help make this dream come true, the family has constructed a Web site at www.gogreenfoot.com. The site allows people to share what they are doing to live a “greener” life, get tips on what they can do to help and learn more about the project. Customers may purchase Greenfoot magnets directly from the site while retailers interested in carrying the Greenfoot can find ordering information on the site.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
