October 24, 2011 (Stevens Point, WI) – Central River Farmshed received a green gift from Cellcom in the amount of $1500 at a presentation in Stevens Point today.

Central River Farmshed is an organization representing all aspects of the food system, including: farms, restaurants, retailers and consumers. They strive to provide opportunities for participation, education, cooperation and action to support a sustainable local food economy in Central Wisconsin. The Farmshed is working on The Greenhouse Project, an effort to transform an abandoned downtown garden center into a model education and demonstration site.

“Cellcom’s green gift will allow us to add a solar thermal energy system to the project,” said Layne Cozzolino, Interim Executive Director for the Farmshed. “The development of this system will serve as an education opportunity for students while laying a foundation for long-term financial stability for The Greenhouse Project.”

A total of $30,950 was given out to 17 green organizations in Cellcom’s service area.

Since 2004 Cellcom has offered a cell phone recycling program where customers can bring in their old or unwanted phones to be reused and recycled. Cellcom sends the phones to recyclers who in return send money to Cellcom for the materials that were saved from the phones. Cellcom has always donated this money back to local non-profits.

This is the second year that Cellcom is donating their recycling funds to green non-profit initiatives in an effort to complete the green cycle that starts with consumers being environmentally-conscious and donating their devices.

“We are constantly taking steps to become more eco-friendly as a company,” said Brighid Riordan, director of public affairs. “By dedicating our recycling money to green initiatives, Cellcom continues our longstanding commitment to the community and together we can work toward a greener tomorrow.”

Other green gifts went to non-profits throughout Cellcom’s service area and included Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (Green Bay), Preble Agriscience Natural Resources Program (Green Bay), Greater Green Bay YMCA Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya (Suring), Trees for Tomorrow (Eagle River), Friends of Mosquito Hill (New London),  Heckrodt Wetland Reserve (Menasha), Northwoods Elementary School (Rhinelander), CAP Services (Stevens Point), Central Rivers Farmshed (Stevens Point), Woodland Dunes Nature Center (Two Rivers), Whitefish Dunes State Park (Sturgeon Bay), The Ridges Sanctuary (Bailey’s Harbor), Oconto River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Camp Tekawitha (Shawano), Crivitz High School Science Club, DC Everest School Forest (Schofield), and Marathon High School Ecology Club.

Cellcom’s recycling program has generated over $105,000 for local charities over the past seven years.