Go Green for Back-to-School With the Paper Mate Plant-A-Pen Challenge

/PRNewswire/ -- Each year, U.S. consumers purchase nearly 12 million writing instruments*. This back-to-school season, Paper Mate®, a global leader in stylish, innovative writing instruments, is encouraging families to choose a greener alternative while also involving them in a fun and easy science experiment they can do in their own backyard.

It's called the Paper Mate Plant-A-Pen Challenge. Here's how it works:
-- Find a spot in the backyard and bury the biodegradable** components of
Paper Mate's new Biodegradable pen or mechanical pencil. Place a
Popsicle stick or reusable garden marker next to the site so you can
easily locate it later.
-- Check on the pen components at various times throughout the year.
Watch the stages in real-time as the components biodegrade back into
the soil or view a time-lapsed video of the entire process on
www.papermate.com.
-- About a year later, revisit the site and dig to see what's left of the
pen components.



"This fun project gives parents a hands-on way to get their children excited about science and helping the environment," said Kanan Banerjee, director of marketing for Paper Mate. "It also empowers kids to make a difference, even when shopping for school supplies."

The new Paper Mate Biodegradable** products are the latest step in Paper Mate's ongoing commitment to the environment. The biodegradable components are made from plant-derived sugar, a renewable resource. Once the biodegradable components are disassembled and placed in soil or home compost, they naturally decompose in about a year, producing less waste and more compost. The products are also packaged in 100 % PVC-free recyclable material.

The Paper Mate Biodegradable** pen comes in black, blue, red or purple ink and retails for about $1.70. The mechanical pencil is available in 0.5mm or 0.7mm lead sizes and retails for about $2.70. Both are available wherever Paper Mate office products are sold. Both products are also featured in a TV ad airing on select NBC stations, including the Today Show, Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live and the Emmy Awards.

GO GREEN THE WRITE WAY

In addition to the new Biodegradable** products, Paper Mate offers a complete line of products made with recycled sources, and recently introduced an innovative new upcycling program to find new ways to repurpose writing instruments. Go green with the Paper Mate® FlexGrip Ultra® Recycled Ball Point Pen, made from 70 % recycled material; Paper Mate® Earth Write® Recycled Pencil, made from 100 % recycled wood; Paper Mate® Write Bros.® Recycled Ball Point Pen, made from 80 % recycled material; and Liquid Paper® DryLine® Grip Recycled Correction Film, made from 67 % recycled material. Paper Mate's upcycling program, created in partnership with TerraCycle(TM), is the world's first program to collect and reuse or recycle pens, markers and other writing instruments while also helping raise funds for non-profit organizations, including schools and charities nationwide. For more information on the program, visit www.papermate.com.

SHARE THE LOVE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Teachers spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets on school supplies each year. Paper Mate wants to show teachers some love this back-to-school season with its "I Pick Paper Mate/Share the Love and Make a Difference" campaign***. This exclusive Facebook promotion makes sharing the love easy. Simply visit www.facebook.com/PaperMate and select your level of support:

-- I Love Paper Mate: Collect qualifying Paper Mate UPCs now through
January 14, 2011. Encourage your school, family, coworkers and local
businesses to help. The first 400 eligible participants to register
and send in just 25 qualifying UPCs during the promotion period will
receive $50 in Paper Mate products. The three participants who submit
the most qualifying UPCs during the promotion period will win one of
three prizes - $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 in Paper Mate products for
their favorite school****!
-- I Like Paper Mate: If you "like" Paper Mate on Facebook, Paper Mate
will donate $1 of product to underprivileged kids, up to a maximum
donation of $20,000 in product.
-- I Pick Paper Mate: Upload a picture of you and your favorite Paper
Mate product with a description of why that product is your favorite
and receive a free pen or pencil ($2 retail value) from Paper
Mate*****.



Visit Paper Mate on Facebook and get started today. For complete details on all the Paper Mate earth-conscious products, visit www.papermate.com.

*As reported by WIMA, Writing Instruments Manufacturers Association, 2007.

**The majority of the Paper Mate Biodegradable pen and pencil components biodegrade in soil or home compost in about a year. See disassembly instructions on packaging.

***Official rules for all promotions that are part of this campaign can be found at www.facebook.com/PaperMate. Eligibility is limited to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited. All three promotions began 6/28/10. The "I Love" and "You Like" promotions end on 1/14/11 and the "I Pick" promotion ends on 9/30/10.

****Must be an accredited school (excludes home schools).
*****Until allocated supply of 60,000 pens/pencils is exhausted.

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Stories for Children Magazine Announces Wacky Dream Story Contest

/24-7/ -- Make your dreamscape come alive and write about a wacky dream you or one of your characters has had and can't stop talking about it. It's all about the wackiest dream, but make sure it is appropriate for children ages 12 and under.

Submissions accepted: March 1, 2009 thru May 30, 2009

Who can enter? Two categories: one for adults and one for children (17 and under)

Contest Fees: Adults $10 / children FREE

Contest Prizes:
The Top Three stories for both categories will be published in the following months:
1st place—July 2009
2nd place—August 2009
3rd place—September 2009

In addition to publication in Stories for Children Magazine, our Top Three Winners in both categories will receive:

For Adults:
1st Place: A year's subscription to Children's Writer, published by the Institute of Children's Literature.

2nd Place: Writer's Little Instruction Book: Craft & Technique, by Paul Raymond Martin, published by Writer's Digest.

3rd Place: Writer's Little Instruction Book: Getting Published, by Paul Raymond Martin, published by Writer's Digest.

For Youth (17 and under): a $10 gift certificate to a store of their choice.
Judges: The SFC Editors

CONTEST RULES

Specifications: Short stories for children ages 12 and under. Any original, unpublished piece not accepted by any publisher at the time of entry is eligible. Entries can take on any form of wackiness. Maximum word count is 1,200 words. (This is not including your title or byline.) NO sexual, violent, or drug related content. Winners will be selected based on quality and appeal to our readership at Stories for Children Magazine.

All entries must follow Stories for Children Magazine's submission guidelines at: http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org/WackyDreamStoryContest.aspx

All submissions must be emailed as an attachment to: SFCcontests@StoriesForChildrenMagazine.org by midnight May 30, 2009. In the subject line, write "Wacky Dream Story Contest" and indicate adult or youth category.

No mail-in entries will be accepted! No acknowledgement of the receipt of entries will be sent. Multiple entries are allowed, but must be sent separately.

FOR ADULT WRITERS: An invoice will be sent via PayPal for the contest fee of $10.

FOR YOUNG WRITERS (17 and under): Please follow the submission guidelines above. Plus attach the Minor Release form, which can be found at: http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org/Documents/SFC%20Minor%20Release%20Form.doc

SEND ONLY ONE SUBMISSION PER EMAIL.

Good luck!

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