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Our Impact

We are committed to promoting equality both inside and outside the classroom, but our priority is ensuring every child has the opportunity to take that first step in. We strive to remain grounded in all that we do.

The Problems

Over 400 million tons of plastic is polluted each year. Developing countries are often used as "processing centers" and dumping zones for plastic waste. Since resources are scarce to mitigate this problem it is often buried, burned, or illegally dumped. This imposes significant environmental concerns that contributes to bad air quality, blockage of drains, water contamination, and even fish catches. 

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250 million children are not enrolled in primary school around the globe. A large barrier to education is simply the access to an educational facility. Some students will even walk 3 to 10 kilometers each day to get to class. If a village does have access to an educational facility, they are often overcrowded and lack proper resources for a successful learning environment.

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Planet Made of Plastic
Planet Made of Plastic

Our Solution

We combat both of these problems by recycling plastic into innovative sustainable bricks to build classrooms in rural underserved communities. 

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Each classroom takes approximately 2,000 bricks to make. One brick will divert 1.67 kg of plastic from the environment. 

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By creating larger classrooms we can welcome any and all students. Teachers will no longer have to teach multiple groups of students under tin/grass roofs. 

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Each classroom requires multiple steps including collecting, sorting, melting, molding, constructing, and maintaining the facility. This is great news for us as it creates more opportunities for employment!

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Plastic is the problem. We are the solution. 

Sourcing the Plastic Waste

Each year, an estimated 400 million tons of plastic waste is produced worldwide, with Togo and other West African countries often receiving a portion of this pollution. A major contributor to the plastic waste crisis is the widespread use of Pure Water bags. We are committed to addressing this issue and have started educating communities in Togo about plastic’s impact on the environment, water quality, and agriculture. Many locals are already showing enthusiastic support by bringing us single-use plastics they find. However, without a shredding machine, we can’t yet process this plastic ourselves. We are actively fundraising to purchase this equipment, which would enable us to remove plastic waste directly from the environment. In the meantime, we buy recycled plastic shreds and granulates from Green Industry Plast-Togo in Lomé for about $1 per brick. This setup is cost-effective for now, but we are excited to work toward full self-sufficiency.

Shredder Pro Machine

The plastic shredding machine we are raising funds to invest in. Cost = $10,995 + Shipping

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Melting & Molding the Recycled Plastic

Using our Extruder Pro machine from Citizen Scientific Workshop in Boise, Idaho, we melt plastics using mainly three types of plastic including HDPE (#2), LDPE (#4), and PP (#5). We are careful to set temperatures according to their melting point to not burn the plastic and release toxic fumes into the atmosphere. The extruder fills the brick mold with recycled plastic and after it cools we remove the brick and start the process over again. Check out our video on Youtube to watch how it is done!

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Building the Classroom

We are working with the partner village in Togo to identify needs, getting approval from the mayor to begin building when ready, and starting the plans with a local contracting company. Stay tuned for more updates by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media.

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Coming soon!

Let's Connect!

All mail can be sent to:

PO Box 7246

Missoula, MT 59807

(406)370-2388

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Sustainable Classrooms is a recognized 501 c(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.

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EIN# 99-3061791

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