MN Zoo's Successful Fundraiser Allows MPC to Launch New Cell Phone Program for Others

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Minnesota Zoo is being honored with the Minnesota Waste Wise Leader award. Recipients of the Leader Award serve as environmental role models for their own communities, the Minnesota business community, and the Minnesota Waste Wise program. Waste Wise Program Director Kate Worley says, "The Minnesota Zoo is a recognized leader in environmental sustainability. The organization is an example for both businesses and the surrounding community of how decreasing your environmental footprint can make a significant impact while still being cost-effective."

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One of the many reasons the Minnesota Zoo is receiving the award is their Recycle for Rainforests program. The program began in 2010 and has since earned over $8,500 in funds to help protect threatened rainforests and endangered animals that live there. Dr. Tara Harris, Director of Conservation of the Minnesota Zoo, says, "The program has been a great success and has given people the opportunity to positively affect the environment, not only by raising money for African rainforests, but also by responsibly recycling their cell phones." Phones collected through the program are sent to MPC, who is also a member of Minnesota Waste Wise. At their processing facility, MPC either securely wipes and refurbishes the phones for reuse, or completely recycles them to reclaim precious metals. Revenue generated from this process is then given back to the Zoo for the program.  

Recycle for Rainforests has become the foundation for MPC's new program, Cellphones For My Cause. This web based program is available to all organizations looking to raise money for a cause. The program will help create awareness for the responsible recycling and reuse of cell phones while also raising money for the organizations that get involved.

"We'd like to congratulate the Minnesota Zoo on winning the Waste Wise Leader award this year," says MPC's Marketing Director, Marissa Gunderson. "Through the success of their Recycle for Rainforests program, we are happy to include the Zoo as one of our first participating causes and are excited to offer other organizations the opportunity to run their own sustainable fundraiser."

Organizations and supporters can visit the website at www.cellphonesformycause.com to start a cause or donate to an existing cause. Each cause receives a customizable page where supporters can leave comments, track the amount of phones collected, and donate their phones right from the page.

"By combining MPC's services with the fundraising aspect of Cellphones For My Cause, participants know they are maximizing their fundraising potential and putting themselves much closer to meeting their goals, while minimizing the possibility of cell phones ending up in a landfill where they can cause health and environmental issues," says MPC's Chief Business Development Officer Todd Schachtman. "Essentially, it is a win-win situation for everyone."

To learn more about starting a fundraiser or to see participating causes, including the Minnesota Zoo, visit the program website at www.cellphonesformycause.com.

About MPC

MPC is an innovative asset disposition and risk management business setting the standard for 100 percent zero-landfill electronics recycling and data security.  Founded in 1983, MPC is dedicated to ensuring that its clients maximize value, meet sustainability initiatives and mitigate risk in how they manage IT assets, electronics and other equipment at the end of their natural lifecycle. MPC provides chain of custody solutions, asset remarketing programs, and risk mitigation services for environmental and data security initiatives. MPC proudly holds R2, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, is a pledge signer on the e-Stewards initiative, and is a member of NAID. For more information, visit www.mpc-e.com.  

About the Minnesota Zoo

Discover wildlife and wild places at the Minnesota Zoo. Located on 485 beautiful acres just minutes from the Mall of America, the Zoo is home to more than 2,400 animals from around the world including grizzly bears, tigers, and monkeys.  More than one million guests each year experience the Russian Far East, a tropical rain forest, a marine center, northern tundra, woodland forest, and a family farm. Daily presentations like the World of Birds Show and Shark Reef Feedings connect people, animals, and the natural world. The Minnesota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and provides award-winning recreational, educational and conservation programs, locally, nationally and internationally. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org.

SOURCE MPC