My name is Erin Genrich, and I’m the Program Manager for Environmental Education and Outreach at the Green Project. Our mission is to promote a culture of creative reuse while diverting waste from landfills, and my role is to connect that mission to the community through education, programs, and hands-on experiences.
The Green Project is a 30-year-old nonprofit that began as a paint swap, allowing people to trade unused paint for free. Today, we recycle 20,000–30,000 gallons of paint annually and operate like a thrift store for building materials, giving usable items a second life while making them affordable for the community. Volunteers are essential to everything we do, and our small but dedicated staff ensures that operations, education, and recycling programs run smoothly.
One of our signature programs is the MESS Lab, a free curriculum for fourth- through twelfth-grade students. Kids collect and recycle paint, create new products, and even design marketing campaigns for their creations. Through this hands-on experience, students learn that sustainability is not just about recycling—it’s about creativity, teamwork, and investing in the environment. Participation has tripled since the program’s launch, and every recycled paint sale goes back into funding these educational programs.
What keeps me inspired is the creativity and curiosity of the students, the collaboration with other nonprofits, and the daily challenge of making sustainability accessible to everyone. Working at the Green Project has taught me resilience, problem-solving, and the importance of environmental stewardship. To me, being American means working hard, serving your community, and finding practical ways to take care of one another and the planet—and the Green Project embodies all of that.
The Green Project is a 30-year-old nonprofit that began as a paint swap, allowing people to trade unused paint for free. Today, we recycle 20,000–30,000 gallons of paint annually and operate like a thrift store for building materials, giving usable items a second life while making them affordable for the community. Volunteers are essential to everything we do, and our small but dedicated staff ensures that operations, education, and recycling programs run smoothly.
One of our signature programs is the MESS Lab, a free curriculum for fourth- through twelfth-grade students. Kids collect and recycle paint, create new products, and even design marketing campaigns for their creations. Through this hands-on experience, students learn that sustainability is not just about recycling—it’s about creativity, teamwork, and investing in the environment. Participation has tripled since the program’s launch, and every recycled paint sale goes back into funding these educational programs.
What keeps me inspired is the creativity and curiosity of the students, the collaboration with other nonprofits, and the daily challenge of making sustainability accessible to everyone. Working at the Green Project has taught me resilience, problem-solving, and the importance of environmental stewardship. To me, being American means working hard, serving your community, and finding practical ways to take care of one another and the planet—and the Green Project embodies all of that.
