project 7

Ok my friends...check out www.project7.com. My sweet friends Tyler and Taylor Merrick founded project 7 and it is so amazing!





this is directly from the website! please support their cause. books a million and whole foods carry their products now...

Project 7 was developed on a cold fall night 2 years ago when the thought of the 7 deadly sins came up. I began to do some research on the history and origin and had a simple thought. What if man in his selfishness instead of focusing on abstaining from the 7 sins worked to help those that were a consequence of one of these 7? What if the “glutton” in this example which I fall into regularly stopped focusing on myself and started focusing on helping those that were starving. So take that concept and spread it over what we call the 7 most critical areas of need in the world, hence the name Project 7. So then the vision started playing itself out and I needed something to help get this initiative out there. So having a consumer goods background and a heart to see real change come about this company was created. I believe like most of you, that if we spent more time helping others, we can in fact, “Change the Score.”

Enter Project 7, a consumer goods company passionate about social change and dedicated to addressing the seven most critical areas of need in the world today, as determined by Project 7—Build the Future, Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Help those in Need, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, and Save the Planet. No matter people’s political affiliations or background, these seven issues strike a chord in the very fiber of mankind

Philosophy

“Change the Score,” Project 7’s basic mission, strives to build a better world by creating a collective awareness and improvement in the seven areas of need. We believe there are others in the world who feel the same way they do but a lot of them just don’t know how. The company’s goal is to bring to market everyday products— the first of which is bottled water—that consumers can easily purchase in order to effect change across the seven areas of critical need. We are redefining the way people think about business and the products that are on their pantry shelf.

Project 7 will take more than 50 percent of profits from its products to create a community piggy-bank. Throughout the year, the company will accept applications from nonprofits that benefit one of the seven causes, eventually selecting three finalists for each. Project 7 will then invite consumers to vote online for the organization within each area that will receive proceeds collected from consumer purchases throughout the year. In total, Project 7 will support seven different charities, each representing one of the seven areas of need in our world.

Community

Project 7 allows consumers to “Change the Score” from start to finish with their purchasing decisions and by voting on which organizations will benefit, all while staying connected to nonprofits online to see the difference their funds are making in the lives of others. Project 7 will also have volunteer opportunities for consumers domestically and internationally with partner organizations. This means that our consumers literally can buy a product off of the shelf and watch the funds go out into the field in use. They can stay connected through our blogs, video updates, photo galleries, etc. We believe that the transparency factor of our model is unique in the fact that our community every year gets to see what we give. We don’t want you to just buy the product because you see a message on our packaging, we want you to know we are accountable in that process to provide updates and keep you included in this community.

Goal

Regardless of sales during its first year, Project 7 has committed to donating $15,000 to nonprofits supporting each of the seven areas of critical need, totaling a minimum donation of $105,000 in 2009.

Donations

On top of all of this we have created a non profit known as Project 7 Intl. where people from our community can donate additional funds to help “Change the Score”. This means that if you are a student who wants to set up a $7.00 a month auto debit to a business that would like to give $7,000 in one year we have a vehicle you can do that through that is tax deductible. We did this so we can help out these non profits that are doing great things locally and abroad who simply need awareness and funds.

Environmental

Project 7’s bottles are made of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and are 100 percent recyclable. The company encourages consumers to recycle their water bottles, which it will make into t-shirts available for online purchase, with 50 percent of profits benefiting Project 7’s nonprofit partners. The t-shirts are 50 percent organic cotton and 50 percent recycled PET plastic bottles. On average, 5 recycled bottles are used per t-shirt.

Project 7’s packaging process is also unique. The company does not pack bottled water in trays that need to be shrink wrapped in plastic. Instead, Project 7 uses boxes made from 100 percent recyclable material and soy inks—a method that also saves energy since more product can fit in each truck using boxes versus trays. Using this method it takes only four trucks as opposed to five to ship the same amount in traditional trays.

Conclusion

Just like in our intro video said, we need you. We need you to spread the word about Project 7. Tell your friends, favorite non profits, neighbors and the family members that read your blog all about us. Ask your favorite retailers and eateries to carry our products. Put our stickers on your car, locker, skateboard or your friends car and send us the pictures of it. Buy the shirts, wear them to school, wear them to band camp or give them away as presents. We need a grass roots effort as we try to make the most of our resources and do not do any major advertising. Send us your stories, tell us what you are doing as this is a community of change. Together we can change the score.

Tyler Merrick, Founder