AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 15 -- International Paper, the National Park Foundation and the National Recycling Coalition today announced a new pilot program to evaluate ways to limit the impact of foodservice products in America's national parks. The study, funded in part by a donation of up to $1 million by International Paper, will commence in the summer of 2008 and is aimed at moving toward "Zero Waste" across the park system by identifying best practices in foodservice waste reduction that can be transferred to national parks throughout the country.
"At International Paper, we have already celebrated our first centennial of environmental stewardship, and now we're looking forward to helping the National Park System celebrate theirs," said John Faraci, IP chairman and chief executive officer and National Park Foundation board member. "It's an exciting opportunity, but one where each of us must be prepared, right now, to provide strong support for the challenges the park system will face going forward."
Through an agreement with the National Park Foundation, International Paper will produce a customized cup for use by parks, concessionaires and others. The cup, International Paper's fully compostable, recyclable ecotainer(TM), will display printed messages that will raise awareness about the National Park Centennial in 2016 and educate the public about conservation and environmental stewardship.
International Paper will donate a penny for each commemorative cup sold, up to $1 million, back to the National Park Foundation to help fund a joint effort between IP, the National Park Foundation and the National Recycling Coalition to evaluate foodservice waste management practices and educate employees, concessionaires and visitors about ways to reduce waste in the parks.
"Becoming a zero-waste society means we each have a role to play, from the thoughtful design of a package to simple systems that take the package back to its basic element," said Kate Krebs, executive director of the National Recycling Coalition. "What better place to demonstrate Zero Waste than our national parks, where packaging can become a rich compost that can nurture the flora and fauna of our parks."
Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, said the project demonstrates that corporations can contribute not only charitable resources, but also the know-how and technology to make things happen. "The national parks have always been about partnerships - people with a common passion coming together for a larger good. Innovative partnerships like this one that can leverage the National Recycling Coalition and International Paper are essential for securing the next century of stewardship for our national parks," Cipolla said.