EcoSmart Products Celebrates Milestone of 10 Million Markers Diverted from Landfills

March 27, 2012 - PRLog -- [March 27, 2012] EcoSmart Products is celebrating a remarkable milestone in the global sales of its flagship non-toxic, refillable dry-erase markers: the equivalent of 10 million markers has been diverted from local landfills. Created as a green product that can easily and significantly reduce waste and toxicity in classrooms and boardrooms, AusPen Eco-Friendly Markers are quickly becoming the hallmark of green schools and businesses that are reflecting their eco values in the products they use.

“Consumers in the U.S. and Canada are increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of their purchases, year over year,” says Kerry Tuttle of EcoSmart Products, distributor of AusPen markers in North America. “People who use dry-erase markers on a regular basis are looking for an alternative to markers that don’t last long for their intended use, then last for countless generations in a landfill.” It’s a ubiquitous product – found in every school, business and office with a whiteboard – that adds up to a staggering amount of markers thrown out per year – about 500 million markers in North America alone. “People know that switching to a refillable marker, which is also made out of post-consumer recycled materials, can really help reduce their ecological footprint,” explains Tuttle “especially if a whole school or office is on board.”

In New York’s Bethpage High School, Jim Miller, a grade 10 math teacher, was concerned by the waste he was creating with his disposable markers. As an Earth Day project, he assigned his students to calculate the number of disposable markers used in the school district each year, and the cost associated with the single-use markers. The students crunched the numbers and figured that 10,000 markers were being thrown out at a cost of $7,000 annually. The district superintendent was persuaded by the 25 student letters that he received, and agreed to pilot the refillable markers. Since then many of the teachers in the school district have switched to AusPen markers. Miller himself has been using the same set of 12 refillable AusPen markers for 3 years. “There’s a level of satisfaction in that,” says Miller. “It’s important for the students to see us practicing what we preach. They learn a lesson by watching me refill my markers. It’s a valuable lesson.”

Schools, businesses and offices across North America have taken similar steps and significantly reduced their environmental impact. Holy Trinity, a school near Toronto, Ontario, went through an ‘environmental revolution’ and as part of an overall greening campaign, their initial purchases of AusPen markers saved the school approximately 500 pounds of disposable markers. After piloting the markers in the school, the idea caught on. ““The teachers raved. We polled the teachers to see who else would want to use these markers, and the response was overwhelming. Now our entire middle school and our senior science, music, modern languages and drama departments have switched,” explains Jacqueline Butler, the school’s environmental sustainability coordinator.

The 10-million-marker milestone that EcoSmart Products is observing is a measure of how many AusPen markers and ink refills have been sold that would have otherwise resulted in purchases of disposable markers. Other savings directly related to the use of refillable markers include the raw materials, renewable and non-renewable energy, and air and water pollution that would have been generated during the manufacturing of new markers.

“’Penfill not landfill’ is the motto of AusPen eco-friendly markers,” explains Tuttle. “And going forward, the potential for ever-more customers filling their pens instead of their landfills looks great.”

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EcoSmart Products distributes AusPen Eco-Friendly Markers in North America. AusPen markers are non-toxic, refillable dry-erase markers made of post-consumer recycled materials. EcoSmart Products helps schools, offices and homes reduce their toxicity, waste and costs associated with dry-erase markers.

Endorsed by the National Geographic Back to School Green Guide, the City of San Francisco's Department of Environment and thousands of educators and whiteboard users across North America, AusPen markers are quickly becoming the must-have product for green schools and businesses.

Visit www.ecosmartworld.com to find out more about how non-toxic and refillable markers can benefit you!