UW-Green Bay’s Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program one of seven recipients of Green Gifts from Cellcom
Cellcom has selected seven local nonprofits to receive a share of its annual Green Gifts, which invests money from recycled cell phones back into environmental projects. Awardees include Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program administered by UW-Green Bay, Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, New Leaf Foods, Baird Creek Preservation Foundation, Green Bay Sail & Paddle, and Green Bay Botanical Garden.
The Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program couples watershed education with the collection of top-quality scientific data. Currently ten high schools assist with monitoring tributaries of the Fox River. The program was awarded a $2,440 Green Gift to purchase testing materials for seasonal monitoring and wild rice restoration projects.
“The Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program has produced 19 years of high-quality baseline data to inform our community about the health of the Fox-Wolf River Basin. The successful collaboration of UW-Green Bay, area high schools, and community partners has helped make valuable contributions to regional environmental protection and public policy,” said Lynn Terrien, outreach and education coordinator for the program. “We’re grateful for Cellcom’s support through Green Gifts to continue to the program and inspire students to be the next generation of environmental leaders.”
Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve, home to more than 1000 acres of wetlands and forests along west Shore of Green Bay, has been providing education programs for more than 40 years. The organization will use its $1,202 Green Gift to purchase replacement nets for its pond study program.
“The pond study program is on one of the most popular programs at Barkhausen. Participants use aquatic sampling nets to collect aquatic life from wetlands. Students not only learn about the wide variety of species living in even the smallest wetland but also how those animals play important roles in that ecosystem,” said Jason Petrella, program and natural resources manager for Brown County Parks. “These nets allow students not only get a valuable hands-on educational experience, but also helps them become stewards for the environment.”
Baird Creek Preservation Foundation received a $1000 Green Gift from Cellcom for their Education in Nature programming, which will be used to purchase dip nets for use in the creek. The organization has welcomed more than 500 students in 2022 and sees interest continuing to grow.
New Leaf Foods aims to improve access to healthy, local foods while also educating the community about how gardening supports food security and preserves the soil, climate and biosphere for future generations. A $1000 Green Gift from Cellcom will support the organization’s urban food forest initiative, which will provide low-cost fruit and nut trees and bushes to create an urban edible forest in yards and community spaces.
Green Bay Sail and Paddle pairs a low environmental impact sport with protection of our natural resources. A $1000 Green Gift from Cellcom will support the training of additional trainers in the STEM-based curriculum focused on sustainability of our waterways. This will allow Green Bay Sail and Paddle to reach more students with their environmental education efforts.
Green Bay Botanical Garden’s new Bell Children’s Garden will open to the public in the spring of 2023. Each area of the Bell Children’s Garden has an overarching story rooted in it. From wetlands and caves to farming and tree stories, the learning areas within the expansion explore the intersections between the natural and cultivated world. The $750 Green Gift from Cellcom will support the purchase of tools for the educational programming in this space.
A total of 32 green organizations received a share of the $30,527 in Green Gifts from Cellcom this year. The Green Gifts program uses funds generated from Cellcom’s cell phone recycling program to fund green nonprofit initiatives. Customers and community members can bring in their old or unwanted phones to be reused and recycled. Cellcom sends the phones to recyclers who in return send money to Cellcom for the materials that were saved from the phones. Cellcom’s Green Gift program completes the green cycle that starts with consumers being environmentally conscious and donating their devices.
“Cellcom is focused on reducing our negative impact on the environment and investing in projects in our communities that do the same. From preserving and enhancing natural areas to providing educational programming to spearheading sustainability and research efforts, this year’s Green Gift recipients are leading the way for environmental causes locally,” said Mick O’Malley, director of sustainability at Cellcom. “We’re proud to support the many nonprofits throughout our service area that are not only performing critical work for our environment but also inspiring the community to become environmental stewards.”
Visit cellcom.com for the full list of award recipients. Cellcom is proud to support organizations of all sizes, whose work is impacting the community and building a greener tomorrow. The company’s recycling program has generated $581,206 for local charities over the past 19 years
