This Non-Profit Melts Down Coloring Tools and Donates Them to Charity
David Ingram — September 4, 2015 — Social Good
References: facebook & designtaxi
The Crayon Initiative is a non-profit organization that uses something as seemingly simple as a recycled crayon to help brighten a sick child's day.
The charity started out from the question "Where do crayons from restaurants go once they are finished with them?" Once founder Bryan Ware learned that the coloring tools are often thrown out -- even if they have barely been used -- he decided to do something about it.
Ware and his team collect unused crayons, peel off their labels and separate them by color. Once the crayons have been sorted, they're melted down into a liquid wax and poured into large triangular molds. The customized molds are able to make a brand new recycled crayon, uniquely designed for those with special needs. These re-purposed creations and are donated by the boxful to sick children in hospitals to help brighten their day.
The charity started out from the question "Where do crayons from restaurants go once they are finished with them?" Once founder Bryan Ware learned that the coloring tools are often thrown out -- even if they have barely been used -- he decided to do something about it.
Ware and his team collect unused crayons, peel off their labels and separate them by color. Once the crayons have been sorted, they're melted down into a liquid wax and poured into large triangular molds. The customized molds are able to make a brand new recycled crayon, uniquely designed for those with special needs. These re-purposed creations and are donated by the boxful to sick children in hospitals to help brighten their day.
Trend Themes
1. Recycled Crayons - Disruptive innovation opportunities exist in creating new products and applications using recycled crayons.
2. Sustainable Donation - There are opportunities for disruptive innovation in developing sustainable donation systems for unused or discarded items.
3. Customized Recycled Products - Creating customized recycled products for specific needs presents disruptive innovation opportunities.
Industry Implications
1. Non-profit - Non-profit organizations can explore disruptive innovation in repurposing and donating unused or discarded items.
2. Education - In the education industry, disruptive innovation can be achieved by incorporating recycled crayons in teaching methods and materials.
3. Healthcare - Healthcare industry can explore disruptive innovation by integrating customized recycled crayons as therapeutic tools for patients.
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