Tetra Pak Leads Earth Hour "Lights Out" Community Activity in Vernon Hills

VERNON HILLS, Ill., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Local residents in and around Vernon Hills are being encouraged to support global efforts to raise awareness about climate change thanks to the efforts of Tetra Pak, a local food and beverage processing and packaging company, which is working with other local groups to spread the word and share information about Earth Hour.

On Saturday March 26th at 8:30 p.m. local time, millions of people in more than 4,600 cities around the world will be working together to take positive action on climate change and participate in Earth Hour, a global event sponsored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Individuals, corporations and cities around the world will turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a bold statement of collective concern about climate change.  

Tetra Pak, a member of WWF's Climate Savers program, is once again participating in the initiative in recognition of its overarching commitment to the environment. As a global leader in the manufacturing of food and beverage packaging with a minimal environmental footprint, Tetra Pak is committed to business practices and partnerships that promote sustainability. In 2010, Tetra Pak forged relationships with local organizations in the Vernon Hills community around this shared commitment, and worked together to increase local involvement in the Earth Hour initiative by reaching out and sharing resources with residents.

"We believe that climate change is a global responsibility that starts in our own backyard," said Carla Fantoni, vice president of communication and environment for Tetra Pak Inc., U.S. and Canada. "We're proud of our own track record for voluntarily reducing carbon emissions on global levels by 12% since 2005 -- despite double digit production growth during the same period. And we are eager to once again join together with members of the local community to  encourage friends, neighbors and fellow corporate citizens to embrace their own commitments to make a positive difference in the world."

Locally, Tetra Pak has been working with the Village of Vernon Hills, the Lake County Family YMCA, and other local organizations to spread Earth Hour awareness among residents and promote participation.

Tetra Pak has also created a special Earth Hour Web site residents can access to find information about Earth Hour and fun ideas for activities and events:  http://www.tetrapakusa.com/environment/Earth Hour 2011.

In recognition of Earth Hour, Tetra Pak will turn out all non-essential lights during the hour at its U.S. headquarters in Vernon Hills, as well as its Canadian headquarters in Richmond Hill, Ontario and its packaging facilities in Denton, TX and Sikeston, MO. Further, the company will have  production shut down throughout the day of the 26th at their packaging facility and Vancouver, WA.  

ABOUT TETRA PAK

Tetra Pak is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working closely with our customers and suppliers, we provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 170 countries around the world. With almost 22,000 employees based in over 85 countries, we believe in responsible industry leadership and a sustainable approach to business. Our motto, "PROTECTS WHAT'S GOOD™," reflects our vision to make food safe and available, everywhere. More information about Tetra Pak is available at www.tetrapakusa.com.

SOURCE Tetra Pak