The Future of SCRATCHies, Inc

It is with great regret we inform you that SCRATCHies is no longer an operating NPO. In junior high, there is simply no opportunity to hand out SCRATCHies, and our elementary division seems, unfortunately, not to be working as planned. With a lack of customers we are overstocked and cannot cater to your needs. Of course, if you asked, any member of our SCRATCHies group would likely still be happy to give you a SCRATCHie. As a team, we hope that the end of our company will not hinder the desire we feel, and the desire you feel, to help the environment. As proud Hopkins Green Club members, we have started a Triple Stream bin system at our school to help reduce unnecessary waste and we have proposed to the Associated Student Body to fund us for building a garden to donate produce to the Abode Homeless Shelter. We hope that with your positive ecologically friendly actions in addition to ours, we can create a community that is well-informed and actively strives to change our world for the better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0KHS-AD14w

-the SCRATCHies Team

4th of July Fireworks: Are They Harmful to the Environment or Not?

Did you guys enjoy Independence Day? Well, I did. In fact, some of my friends and neighbors went to some fireworks last night, and they were really amazing. Yet, we couldn't help wondering if the smoke left behind from the colorful display was harmful to the environment. So, we did a little research. It turns out that the 4th of July fireworks only contribute 0.01% of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution for that day! In other words, those explosive firecrackers are really only 1/100 of human-caused air pollution of that day. However, this is on a global level. In local areas, fireworks can cause a temporary increase of air pollution by up to a whopping 42%! Exposure to fine particles like the ones found in smoke and haze can lead to coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, heart attacks, stroke, and early death, and the elderly and children are the most vulnerable. There are many others out there who are studying the 4th of July effects on global warming, and Forbes and Live Science have some easy-to-understand articles that still go in depth to the topic (http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/07/04/how-do-4th-of-july-fireworks-impact-the-environment/#36e8e8196ddf, http://www.livescience.com/51408-july-4-air-pollution-fireworks.html).  Definitely try to go to your local city's fireworks instead of a home show, because a) the pollution for 1 big show is less compared to 1000 tiny home fireworks, b) these fireworks would most likely be bigger and more extravagant, and c) the experience is worth it. In conclusion, fireworks may not be the best for the environment, but the effects aren't that major. Enjoy your summer!

The Summer Solstice and the Strawberry Moon

Potage! Today is officially the first day of summer, or the summer solstice, but that's not all; today coincides with the Strawberry Moon, which is a full moon which told Native Americans when to plant their strawberries. This pairing hasn't occurred since 1967, and it won't again until 2062, so we're very privileged to have this opportunity now. If you haven't already seen, Google has a Google Doodle acknowledging this occasion, and it really explains the whole phenomena.



Today's Google Doodle


Well, that's it for now; have a great summer!!!!!! 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃



~Tanisha
If you share our goals of reducing human impact on climate change, sign up for an interview at SCRATCHies so that YOU can help the WORLD.

Introducing....Katherine Lin

Soup! (Notice, Julia, NOT SOOP. SOUP. S-O-U-P. SOUP! )

To our most amazing fans, (AKA followers), I'd like to apologize on behalf of the SCRATCHies Team for interrupting your vacation (Comment below where you are/are going to go this summer! We love reading your comments! ;))

Science Camp!!

Hey 6th Graders: am I the only one, or is everyone else ready for science camp?! I'm so excited; did you pack already or were you procrastinating? Well, we just can't wait for the nature hikes, can we? 😉 Have fun!

-Me (& the Team) 🍂

Special Earth Day Contest!

I can hardly believe it, but today is the day we have all been waiting for - Earth Day 2016! In honor of this wonderful holiday, the SCRATCHies Team is hosting an all-new LOGO CONTEST:

'Eccentric Emblems' Contest Description and Rules:

Description/Brief Overview: The SCRATCHies Team proudly hosts our special Earth Day 2016 logo contest, Eccentric Emblems. Earth Day is a day of celebration, gratitude, and everything nice about our world. The contest is meant to be a fun way of showing our thanks for Mother Earth. In this event, artsy contestants will design a potential logo for SCRATCHies. This is a grand undertaking, as we WILL actually use the winning student's emblem, or logo, design. Don't really feel like doing Habitat Means Home or just feel up to a creative challenge? Read our rules and get that quirky pencil sketching!

Rules: 

• Design can be on any blank paper. Paper can be any color suitable for your logo design.(Binder paper not allowed unless you ask; watercolor paper, copy paper, construction paper, cardstock, etc. all acceptable)
• Design must be at least 3 by 5 inches, at most 9 by 12 inches.
• All mediums acceptable - watercolor, colored pencils, crayons, chalk/oil pastel, oil paint, or even just a graphite pencil sketch. However, pencil sketch must not be a scribble. (We don't need an amazing masterpiece: we just want your creative ideas.)
• Design must contain the words 'SCRATCHies Incorporated' (SCRATCHies Inc. is fine, too)
• Design highly recommended to be about the environment. (If adding animals, do not just add one animal - either put multiple animals or none.)
• Design must be appropriate and suitable for our purpose - NO memes, inappropriate language, Illuminati, or anti-environment additions

Deadlines:

• Completed logo design must be submitted to Julia Zhan or Tanisha Srivatsa by Wednesday, June 8th
• Prizes:

• FIRST PLACE: The first place winner gets a prize, a certificate of achievement, and a surprise prize. (We will specify what the prize is soon.)
• SECOND PLACE: The second place winner would get a certificate of achievement and a prize. Depending on the number of participants, the SCRATCHies Team may or may not give out 2nd, 3rd place awards.
• THIRD PLACE: The third place winner would get a certificate of achievement and a prize. (Again, prizes will be specified later.)

Google Forms Applications

Hey guys! I'm going to ask you a favor, and I really hope you'll help us out and do this. Whenever someone fills out an application form to SCRATCHies, Julia and I spend OUR time reading YOUR applications, and we schedule a recess out of OUR time to interview YOU. Unfortunately, 36% of the  job applications we receive are incorrectly filled out, and often intentionally! Now, since we're spending so much of OUR time helping you to get into our NPO, the least you could do is fill out the forms correctly.