Evergreen Packaging sponsors Made by Milk Carton Construction Contest; student design competition constructs creations made from empty school milk cartons, promotes recycling

Kendall Sinclair

MEMPHIS, Tennessee , August 2, 2012 (press release) – Promoting good nutrition and awareness of sustainable packaging benefits among school children are the goals of the Made by Milk Carton Construction Contest, a unique nationwide student design competition launched August 1, 2012. Schools across the U.S. can win up to $5,000 by having classroom teams design and construct creations made from empty school milk cartons. The contest, sponsored by Evergreen Packaging, promotes carton recycling and milk consumption among school-aged children. Prizes are awarded each semester for creations based on a specific theme. The theme for the fall 2012 contest is: habitats.

"Milk is an excellent source of nutrition, and with so many other beverage choices available in school cafeterias, kids need a fun, educational reason to choose milk," said Erin Reynolds, marketing director for Evergreen Packaging. "In addition to promoting better nutritional choices, the Made by Milk program teaches valuable, hands-on lessons in recycling. It also encourages leadership and teamwork skills as groups of students work together to design and construct their milk carton habitat."

Evergreen Packaging is the No. 1 manufacturer of gable-top cartons in North America and provides a significant number of school milk cartons in the United States. The Made by Milk program is part of ongoing efforts by Evergreen Packaging to raise awareness among consumers regarding the eco-friendly benefits of cartons. "Data indicates that many consumers see a natural connection between personal and planetary health, so the Made by Milk program, promoting milk consumption and recycling awareness, is a fun program in which both students and teachers can feel good about participating," commented Reynolds. Cartons are an eco-friendly packaging choice because more than 70% of milk carton packaging is paper, made from trees, a renewable resource. Currently, more than 44 million households in the United States have access to recycling programs that accept paper milk cartons.

The Made by Milk program is designed to encourage school-wide participation, as classroom teams collect the 100 minimum milk cartons required to be used in the habitat construction – generating excitement about recycling and choosing milk. Students also must write a 200-word essay on how their school will utilize the prize money.

Winning categories include:

Grand Prize – $5,000
People's Choice Award – $2,500
Elementary Winners (3 total) – $1,500
Middle School Winners (3 total) – $1,500
High School Winners (3 total) – $1,500

Entries will be accepted until November 16, 2012. Visit www.madebymilkcontest.com for official rules, contest details and creative ideas.

About Evergreen Packaging®

Evergreen Packaging is a global leader in creating fiber-based packaging solutions customized to deliver product freshness and brand distinction. Evergreen Packaging is a vertically integrated packaging company, delivering total solutions of barrier paperboard, technical expertise, equipment and service.

Evergreen Packaging cartons have the eco-friendly attributes consumers want: more than 70 percent of the carton is made from paper derived from a renewable resource: trees. Cartons are also recyclable for an increasing number of households. In addition, our cartons are made with renewable energy – over 50% of the energy used to make the paper in our carton comes from biomass.

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