Office Depot Partners with Keep America Beautiful and Earth Share to Make "Earth Day Every Day"
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--April 20, 2004--In celebration of Earth Day, which is recognized around the world in more than 180 countries on April 22, Office Depot, Inc. today announced strategic partnerships with Keep America Beautiful Inc. and Earth Share both underscoring the company's commitment to environmental stewardship and 'Caring and Making A Difference'.
"We are committed to promoting environmental stewardship in all that we do and we are pleased to partner with these groups because of their focus on children's programs and promoting environmental awareness," said Office Depot's Tyler J. Elm, Director of Environmental Affairs. According to Elm, these strategic partnerships will allow Office Depot to create greater awareness in the communities where their employees, customers and stakeholders work and live--and to make 'Earth Day Every Day'.
The partnership with Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest community improvement organization dedicated to inspiring environmental stewardship, is an ongoing partnership. Under the partnership, educational programs focusing on litter prevention and educating children and communities on how to collectively "keep America beautiful" will be launched nationwide throughout the year.
"Keep America Beautiful is proud to establish a partnership with Office Depot that will focus on how we can help to inspire environmental stewardship through the power of education," said G. Raymond Empson, President of Keep America Beautiful. "Our relationship is yet another demonstration of Office Depot's deep commitment to caring for its customers while assuming the mantle of leadership in corporate sustainability."
Office Depot and Nu-kote, the company's private label imaging supplies vendor will also make a combined $20,000 donation to Earth Share, a nationwide network of the country's most respected and responsible non-profit environmental and conservation organizations.
Earth Share raises vital support for its member organizations through workplace giving, offering employees at hundreds of American workplaces the opportunity to donate to the environmental causes they care about. Office Depot's and Nu-kote's donation will help support Earth Share's member organizations' programs, which include environmental outreach to inner city youth, educating children and families about the importance of environmental awareness, and protection of our health, air, water, land and wildlife at home and around the world.
"We are proud to receive this generous gift from Office Depot and Nu-kote," said Kalman Stein, President and CEO of Earth Share. "We applaud their fine example of making a difference in the health of our environment through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy."
Additionally, Office Depot's 900 retail locations will feature a new environmental brochure and poster. The brochure is entitled "Environmental Stewardship at Office Depot: Help to Make Every Office an Office for the Environment," and includes tips for a "greener" office as well as information from Keep America Beautiful about how to become involved in community-based environmental stewardship activities. While supplies last, customers shopping at Office Depot stores on Earth Day will receive packets of flower seeds with the Office Depot Caring and Making a Difference logo and cards that offer the "Top Ten Tips for a Green Office."
