Waste

Reed Elsevier and Green Standards: supporting schools in Sierra Leone

Green Standards has been working with Reed Elsevier since 2004 to manage the disposal of redundant IT equipment from sites across the UK. When Andy Healy at Elsevier Exeter in Britain heard of a school in Sierra Leone in desperate need of support, he approached the Green Standards Trust for help.

Andy had heard of the 2006 collaboration between RE head office staff and the Green Standards Trust which resulted in a School in a Box – containing computer equipment, furniture, and supplies – for AfriKids in Ghana. Andy was interested in shipping such a container to Eva Houston Primary School in Freetown, Sierra Leone, twinned with Grassington Primary School, not far from his office. Green Standards rose to the challenge and Andy agreed to oversee fundraising to cover shipping and transportation costs.

Throughout 2008, Elsevier Exeter, with support from Grassington Primary, raised over £6,000 through events like a sponsored bike ride covering 125 miles from Exeter to Lands End. Elsevier Exeter also agreed to match funds raised.

The School in a Box for Eva Houston Primary will reach its destination in spring 2009. The computers, desks, chairs, storage units, stationery, and a raft of educational materials will help rejuvenate the school.

Since its inception in 2004, Green Standards have supported educational provisions in Morocco, South Africa, Liberia, Kenya, The Philippines, Ghana and Romania – nearly 35,000 children worldwide.