Lake Forest, Ill. – Colbert Packaging Corporation recently hosted a TICCIT® (“Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees”) event for elementary students in Wisconsin’s Salem School District. Jeff MacDougall, production manager at Colbert Packaging, led the educational outreach program, which drew participation from over 320 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades. Salem students learned how trees are grown and harvested for the making of paper and paperboard, and then turned into packaging materials that are recyclable and renewable.

Hands-on learning is an important part of TICCIT, a program of the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC). MacDougall and seven others from Colbert Packaging helped the students plant saplings. Each student was given an eastern white pine sapling, along with a paperboard carton and some soil in which to plant the sapling. Students were encouraged to take their sapling home and plant both the sapling and the box, which will biodegrade over time, in their backyard.

“We all share in the responsibility of being wise stewards of our planet’s natural resources. We do our part within our operations and through the types of paperboard packaging we produce. We also recognize that we have an obligation to impress upon younger generations the importance of biodegradability and sustainability, and to inspire them to do their part to protect the environment,” said MacDougall. “This program enabled us to do that in a fun way, and with a lasting effect.”

PPC, now in its 89th year, is the North American association for converters of paperboard packaging and their suppliers. PPC works to grow, promote and protect the paperboard packaging industry, while providing its members with resources and tools to compete successfully in the marketplace. For more information, call + 1 413 686 9191 or visit www.paperbox.org.