287 Projects, and Counting

Building greenhouses, creating playgrounds, and saving a high-school band—the votes are in and the September class of 32 Pepsi Refresh Project finalists is poised to bring their diverse, change-making ideas to life. Here at GOOD we have a front-row seat for the Refresh Project—we've partnered with Pepsi to help turn every Refresh grant winner into a success (we're now helping 287 projects across the country). Four ideas from the planet category made the cut this month including La Jolla, CA-based social entrepreneurs Phone Zone. Their $50,000 e-waste elimination project finds new uses for old products and “delays their entry into waste streams.” Reflecting the priorities of the voting public, the education category continues to dominate. Eleven of the finalists this month are education projects--ranging from Rockwood Leadership Institute’s $50,000 project, providing leadership training for non-profits, to a 14-year-old Eagle Scout from Pawleys Island, South Carolina who’s a finalist to receive $5,000 to build a greenhouse, raised gardens and rain barrels for his local school. Congratulations to this month’s finalists. We can’t wait to see their impact!