Kimberly-Clark Celebrates More Than 25 Years in Corinth, Mississippi, With $42,000 Sponsorship of Corinth High School's 'Green Way' Project

CORINTH, Miss., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate more than 25 years in Corinth, Miss., Kimberly-Clark Mill Manager R. Martin Massey presented a $42,000 check to the Corinth High School Environmental Club today in sponsorship of the school's "Green Way" project.

The "Green Way" is an ambitious, multi-pronged environmental stewardship project developed by the Corinth High School's Environmental Club and Honors Diploma students.  It will "green" school grounds and create outdoor classrooms, promote environmental education and sustainability concepts, and expand student-led recycling programs in Corinth schools, at the Kimberly-Clark Corinth Mill, and in the Corinth community.

"The 'Green Way' project represents one example of Kimberly-Clark's on-going commitment to our Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow principles and fits perfectly with our goal of promoting sustainability within the communities in which we live and work.  At the same time, we're supporting students that are willing to think big and do something big for the environment, their school and their community while helping to educate future generations regarding the importance of environmental stewardship.  We are pleased to be able to sponsor this project through our Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow initiative in order to provide ongoing environmental education for the students of Corinth High School," Massey said.

"Everyone at Kimberly-Clark has a commitment to being a responsible steward of the environment and a positive contributor to our communities," adds Vince Overholt, Kimberly-Clark Global Nonwovens.  "Sustainability is crucial to our success.  It is a challenge, but we choose to do it and choose to work with those who support positive change, because it's the right thing to do."

At the contribution ceremony, Massey presented a check to the 2009-10 student officers of the Environmental Club. The Environmental Club, with nearly 100 student members, representing one-fifth of the high school's student population, is one of the school's largest non-athletic student organizations.

Also participating in the contribution ceremony were Corinth Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lee Childress, Corinth High School Principal Russ Elam, Environmental Club faculty advisors Greta Massey and Dana Bullard and "Green Way" partners Project Learning Tree -- a national environmental education program of the nonprofit American Forest Foundation that provides environmental education curriculum materials for teachers and students through professional development workshops -- and Keep Corinth-Alcorn Beautiful, the local chapter of the national Keep America Beautiful nonprofit association.  Preston Padgett, a local Project Learning Tree facilitator, and Andrea Rose, Director of Keep Corinth-Alcorn Beautiful, joined Martin Massey and the Environmental Club Officers in planting a tree to symbolize the start of the "Green Way" project.

"The students and faculty of Corinth High School and members of our Environmental Club are enormously grateful to Kimberly-Clark 'Green Patrol' employees for volunteering their time over the coming months in support of the 'Green Way.'  Our students have a dream of creating green spaces that will be enjoyed by the school and the community, while enhancing environmental education and their recycling initiatives.  Kimberly-Clark is a true partner in this project by making this dream possible and helping our students to learn, and teach, the importance of making sustainability and environmental awareness a part of our lives," Greta Massey said.

Primary goals of the "Green Way" are to install trees and landscaping that will curb erosion on school grounds and "green" areas through and around the school to create outdoor classrooms and enhance the enjoyment of the school's outdoor spaces, and to provide ongoing lessons in environmental education.  While supporting the installation of the "Green Way," Kimberly-Clark has also helped to organize Project Learning Tree workshops for teachers and students on sustainability, recycling, and other environmental topics.  Keep Corinth-Alcorn Beautiful will assist the students in designing and maintaining "Green Way" spaces.

Kimberly-Clark will also support the "Green Way" with volunteer time provided by employees at both Mills through the company's "Green Patrol."  Launched in April 2010, the "Green Patrol" is a national Kimberly-Clark Professional initiative that puts "feet on the street at events that support clean air, reforestation, recycling, composting, and other activities that benefit the environment," according to Kevin McVeigh, associate marketing director for sustainability for Kimberly-Clark Professional North America.  Corinth Mill employees will join Corinth High School students and teachers – all sporting distinctive bright green "Green Patrol" T-shirts – at the contribution ceremony and throughout the year in installing and maintaining the "Green Way."

Both the "Green Patrol" and Kimberly-Clark's contribution to the "Green Way" are part of the business's broader Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow global environmental sustainability program.  Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow takes a big-picture approach to environmental sustainability by seeking to reduce environmental impact at every stage of a product's lifecycle – from raw material sourcing to manufacturing, from packaging to transport, and from design and usage to final disposal.  To learn more about Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow, visit www.kcpreducetoday.com/us.

In addition to the "Green Patrol," Kimberly-Clark rigorously pursues other environmental initiatives, including becoming the first away-from-home tissue products provider in North America to receive Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification for a broad range of tissue and towel products and earning Green Seal™ certification for a range of its Scott brand products  As a member, Kimberly-Clark Professional also supports the U.S. Green Building Council's efforts to advance the LEED Program for Existing Buildings.  As many Corinth Mill employees have or had students in the Corinth School District, Martin Massey says employees are eager to join the "Green Patrol" in support of the "Green Way" project, which will make a positive impact on the school and the community.  "Employees appreciate the efforts students have made to institute recycling at the Mill and promote recycling at home, and recycling bins are now a welcome addition to the Mill cafeteria," Massey said.

About Kimberly-Clark Professional

Kimberly-Clark Professional is an indispensable business partner, delivering leading-edge health, hygiene and productivity solutions that provide tangible value every day, everywhere.  Kimberly-Clark Professional is also committed to reducing environmental impact at every stage in a product's life cycle with its Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow program.  Known for innovative, quality solutions for away-from-home washrooms, "clean" and "industrial" manufacturing environments, and DIY settings, the global brands of Kimberly-Clark Professional include Kleenex, Scott, Kimcare, WypAll, KleenGuard, and Kimtech.  With the acquisition of Jackson Safety, Kimberly-Clark Professional offers an even broader range of PPE and other safety offerings, including welding and work-zone safety products.  Located in Roswell, Ga., Kimberly-Clark Professional is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation's four business segments and can be visited on the web at www.kcprofessional.com.  

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every day, 1.3 billion people - nearly a quarter of the world's population - trust K-C brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being.  With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in more than 80 countries.

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Professional