Frequently Asked Questions
Through our vast experience of working closely with schools and with parent organizations
we have formulated a comprehensive FAQ section. Our experienced educational personnel
understand that all organizations are unique and therefore welcome questions and
suggestions; these will be of great assistance to you and other schools to better
implement our program.
Funding | How Does it Work | Safety | Privacy |
Marketing Junior Energy at your School
FUNDING
1) Does it cost the school money to do the program?
No, Junior Energy is completely FREE to the schools. We provide you everything you need to educate and involve your students at no cost in order to help you raise the most money you possibly can.
2) How much of the money raised does Junior Energy keep?
Junior Energy keeps NONE of the money raised through your fundraiser. We pay the manufacturer for the bulbs and the shipping and the rest of the money earned goes directly to your school.
3) How much money goes back to the schools?
All of the money raised through the Junior Energy program goes back to the school, after the manufacturer is paid for the bulbs and shipping costs are covered. You will be selling the best bulbs available at a 35% discount.
4) How does Junior Energy make money?
Junior Energy is a non profit organization. We are privately funded and intend to
remain privately funded so as to generate the maximum profits to your school. We
are committed to educating your students and supporting your efforts to lower the
environmental impact of the families you work with.
HOW DOES IT WORK
1) Does this program involve a school visit by Junior Energy?
No, the program was created to be run entirely by each school as they see fit. We
provide you with digital copies of all the materials you need to educate and involve
your students. Junior Energy provides outreach letters, parent letters, brochures,
curriculum, a video and a website to your school as well as marketing tips. We are
here as a resource to you to ensure you raise the most money you can in your school
while keeping your students and parents informed about the issues.
2) Does our school have to complete every part of your program?
No. Junior Energy has created these materials for your school, but you are not obligated
to do all of the activities. While we believe the program will be more successful
if done in its entirety, we understand that individual schools know best how to
educate and involve their students and parents. We hope that schools will share
their experiences with us so that we may show other schools how they can increase
their success.
3) Does Junior Energy have materials that we can send home?
Yes, Junior Energy has created letters that can be sent home as well as a website
and video that parents and students can view online to learn more about the organization
and the issues we work on. In addition we have a brochure you may request that can
be sent home. Please let us know if there are additional materials that would make
your program a success.
4) What grades are your materials geared toward?
Our materials were created for grades 3 through 5, however our materials have been
used for schools that go from K through 8. We are working to expand our materials
to include early childhood through high school.
5) How much do the bulbs cost?
The bulbs come in three packs of 60 watt and 100 watt equivalents. The 60 watt three
pack is $5.00 and the 100 watt three pack is $7.00.
6) Why did you choose springlight bulbs?
SpringLight bulbs are high quality---eliminating the flickering or long start up
times that traditional CFL bulbs have been known for. In addition they are environmentally
friendly; SpringLight will save you energy and money, are made with lead free glass
and have an incredibly low mercury level when compared with other CFL bulbs on the
market. The packaging is also recycled and printed with soy ink. These bulbs have
also gotten top ratings by Popular Mechanics--- specifically for reading use, perceived
brightness and the natural way faces look in the light. The bulbs are smaller than
most CFLs and carry a warranty.
7) How do I place my order?
Junior Energy makes it easy to order and receive your energy saving bulbs. Simply
register at our website, www.juniorenergy.org. Click ‘Get Started’ or to go straight
to the order page by clicking ‘Order Now’. Junior Energy did not want to encourage
students to sell bulbs door to door or to bring money for their orders to school.
Our online process eliminates this need by making ordering seemless and easy.
8) What if all of our students don’t have internet at home?
While Junior Energy requires ordering online to be able to provide the bulbs to
you at the lowest cost possible, many schools have developed creative ways to ensure
100% student participation. If your school has a computer lab students can use the
website and order at school. Other schools have collected money from students and
submitted a bulk order to Junior Energy. There are many ways to modify the fundraiser
to fit your needs---we’re happy to help brainstorm.
9) How do the bulbs get distributed?
Like with most fundraisers, bulbs are sent in bulk directly to the school to be
distributed by the administration or PTA. As opposed to home delivery, this method
of shipping allows us to minimize our carbon footprint and keep costs low. Some
suggestions for distribution include involving the PTA , the student council or
your environmental student club.
10) Is there any way the bulbs can be sent to students' homes?
Individual shipping would have a great impact on our environment. A bulk shipment
to your school will reduce our carbon footprint and supports our goal of reducing
individual environmental impacts. We do not send bulbs directly to students' homes.
11) How do we sign up our school?
Please email us at info@juniorenergy.org to register your school. Typically, all
we need is a list of teachers in your school.
12) Is there a deadline for ordering?
Your school can set a minimum of one or maximum of three deadlines for ordering.
This helps us to keep our process well organized and to cut down on the number of
shipments to your school.
13) What can we do with the money?
What your school does with the money that is raised is up to your school. However,
Junior Energy suggests that your school start and/or complete an environmental project
or program. Some ideas include an organic garden project, starting an environmental
after school program, a class trip to a nature center, creating an environmental
student club and changing school light bulbs. We encourage schools to be creative
and to send us stories and photos about their projects. We like sharing these with
new schools that sign up to help them generate ideas.
SAFETY
1) What are the bulbs made of?
Our compact fluorescent bulbs are lead free. However, they do contain a minute amount
of mercury. The amount in a single bulb is generally insignificant and may be legally
disposed of in your household garbage. However, we highly recommend that you recycle
your bulbs. Visit a 911earth.org and lamprecycle.org for CFL recycling information.
2) Does the mercury pose a health hazard?
CFLs are safe to use in your home. No mercury is released when the bulbs are in
use and they pose no danger to you or your family when used properly.
3) How do I clean up should a bulb break?
If a CFL breaks carefully sweep up all the fragments – wipe the area with a wet
towel and dispose of all fragments, including the used towel, in a sealed plastic
bag. Follow all disposal instructions. If possible open windows to allow the room
to ventilate. Do NOT use a vacuum. Place all fragments in a sealed plastic bag and
follow disposal instructions. You can learn more at http://juniorenergy.org/mercuryinfo.aspx.
4) What are the bulbs packaged in?
Our bulbs come in 100% recycled cardboard packing that is printed with soy inks.
The packaging minimizes the risk of breakage in transit.
PRIVACY
1) Does Junior Energy share my email or mailing address with third parties?
Junior Energy will not share your information with any third parties. We protect
the privacy of our users and members.
MARKETING JUNIOR ENERGY AT YOUR SCHOOL
While Junior Energy is NOT a for-profit organization, we want to be sure that your
school raises as much money as it can during your CFL fundraiser. We’ve collected
ideas, experiences, tips and suggestions from other schools in order to give you
ideas of how best to implement Junior Energy in your school. After all, your success
is our success!
1) Network Effects: some schools have said to us that they don’t have enough
students to make an impact. Rest assured, EVERYONE can make an impact. Think about
how many staff and teachers there are in your school and also think about how many
people each student knows and can teach about energy savings. This doesn’t mean
going door to door, but entails students educating friends and family about the
issues and encouraging them to change bulbs to help save energy and the planet.
You could multiply your orders by a magnitude of 5 or 10 times what they might have
been.
2) Information vs. Misinformation: Make sure parents are REALLY informed
about these bulbs. Use our information and information you find online to educate
students and parents about the myths of CFL bulbs and incandescents. Encourage students
to show their families online how much money they can save by making the switch.
3) Communication: Use every way possible to communicate the information to
your students and parents; the curriculum, video and other information are all available
online for kids to share with their parents. Use school websites, newsletters, memos
and other media to send the message out. Get students to make posters promoting
CFLs and put them up around the school so that staff, teachers and parents can see
what a difference they can make. Call the local paper and have them write a story
about your fundraiser or try to get on the local cable channel.
4) In School Sales: Kick off your fundraiser by ordering 100 or 200 packs
of bulbs to have for sale in school so parents and students can see and touch the
bulbs before they go online to buy. Do this at parent teacher night or at a school
fair. Have students man a booth to teach the adults about CFLs and their benefits.
5) Goals: Set a goal for your school. If your students have something to
strive for it will foster team work and a sense of real accomplishment. Plus, you’ll
raise more funds this way. This goal could be a dollar amount, a bulb number or
could be the cost of the environmental project you hope to implement.
6) Set End Dates: The deadline helps keep up the excitement of the fundraiser---with
an open end parents can forget or kids can lose motivation.
7) Get Creative: Have students do skits for parents about CFLs and energy
savings; have students write stories about CFLs, construct dioramas or create posters.
Have older students teach younger students about energy savings or have students
send letters home to their parents about the bulbs.
8) Talk to Other Schools: Ask other schools what has worked for them in the
past or read about their programs on our website. You can also talk to other PTA
organizations in your area to brainstorm about effective marketing.