Harmony Public School Students Collaborate with Blue Jeans Go Green™

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students at six Harmony Public Schools in Austin, Texas will be making the grade when they collaborate with the Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program. The program, which was started by Cotton Incorporated in 2006, has collected over one million pieces of denim to date.

Hundreds of students in grades kindergarten through eleven will be working to recycle old denim and give it new life by turning it into natural cotton fiber insulation.  The schools will implement the program beginning on Tuesday, February 10 and the denim drive will be held until Friday, April 17.  While all six Austin area Harmony Public Schools are participating in the program, three will be spearheading the efforts and will serve as drop off sites for the denim – the School of Political Science & Communication, the School of Excellence, and the School of Innovation.   

Participation in the denim recycling program will be beneficial to the students at Harmony Public Schools for a number of reasons – it will help support the recycling programs they have implemented on all of the campuses, it ties in with the sustainability initiative that is part of the curriculum on several grade levels, and it will give students an opportunity to give back to communities in need.  Another benefit for the students? Each school will encourage the students to recycle denim in unique ways. Some of the schools will give students who bring in a piece of denim during the drive a voucher to wear jeans for a day rather than their traditional school uniform.

"We are thrilled Harmony Public Schools of Austin have selected to participate in the Blue Jeans Go Green™ program to educate students about cotton and sustainability," said Andrea Samber, Co-Director, Strategic Alliances at Cotton Incorporated.  "A Harmony Public School in Houston contributed over 1,000 pieces of denim to the program on their own last year, so we are very excited to officially be collaborating with the schools in Austin on a grander scale."

To manufacture the insulation, Cotton Incorporated has worked with Bonded Logic since the program's inception.  The recycled denim is converted into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation and then given to building organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to help communities in need.  The program not only helps local communities, but the environment as well.  To date, Blue Jeans Go Green™ has helped to divert over 600 tons of denim from landfills.

"This is such a wonderful way for our students to get more involved in their local communities and for them to become more conscious about the environment and sustainability," said Cuneyt Akdemir, Austin Area Superintendent, Harmony Public Schools. "It is important to get involved at a young age, and the Blue Jeans Go Green™ program is a fun and unique way for our students to do so."

To learn more about the Blue Jeans Go Green™ denim recycling program and to see other ways to participate, please visit bluejeansgogreen.org.

About Harmony Public Schools

Harmony Public Schools is a charter network with 43 high performing K-12 college preparatory charter schools across Texas. Harmony blends high standards and expectations with a rigorous math and science-centered curriculum, and dedicated and engaged teachers and families, to cultivate excellence and prepare students to succeed in college, careers and life. For nearly 15 years, Harmony has been preparing Texas children for the careers that are driving the economy of the future. To learn more about Harmony Public Schools and our 43 campuses across Texas, please visit: www.harmonytx.org, and follow us on Twitter at @HarmonyEdu and 'Like' us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/harmonytexas.

About Bonded Logic

With more than 35 years of insulation experience, Bonded Logic Inc. markets and manufactures a wide range of thermal and acoustical insulation products for multiple industries.  Based in Chandler, Arizona, Bonded Logic offers a superior performing natural fiber product to meet every insulation need, while keeping consumers and the environment safe and healthy.  The company is best known for its UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation – sourced entirely of post-consumer blue jeans and is free of harsh chemicals. 

About Cotton Incorporated

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. cotton producers and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, conducts worldwide research and promotion activities to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141031/155943

SOURCE Cotton Incorporated

Related Links

http://www.cottoninc.com