Dow, Keep America Beautiful to Award Up to Another $100,000 in Hefty® EnergyBag® Grants in 2019
Application for grants, which will help communities establish local waste recovery programs, open through Jan. 31, 2019
STAMFORD, Conn., October 22, 2018 /3BL Media/ – The Dow Chemical Company is again teaming up with national nonprofit and long-standing collaborator Keep America Beautiful to award up to $100,000 in grants for organizations to establish Hefty® EnergyBag® programs in their communities. The Hefty® EnergyBag® program, led by Dow and Reynolds Consumer Products, offers an innovative approach to diverting hard-to-recycle plastics, such as chip bags, standup pouches, candy wrappers and juice pouches, from landfills and converting the materials into valuable resources.
For the third year, the 2019 Hefty® EnergyBag® grant program will offer up to $100,000 in grants to select communities across the nation. The first permanent Hefty® EnergyBag® program launched in the Omaha area in October 2016. As part of the 2017 grant program, Dow awarded $50,000 each to organizations in Boise, Idaho, and Cobb County, Georgia (Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc.) to establish the program in their respective communities. Boise launched the Hefty® EnergyBag® program in May 2018, and Cobb County will kick off its local program toward the end of this year. Next month, Dow will announce the winner(s) of its second grant program that closed on June 30.
“We’re pleased to continue our relationship with Keep America Beautiful and offer communities across the nation an opportunity to establish the Hefty EnergyBag program as part of their existing waste management infrastructure,” said Jon Pyper, associate director of sustainability & advocacy for Dow. “The Omaha-area and Boise programs have already proven the success of the program by generating strong community involvement and diverting tons of plastic waste from landfills. We’re eager to continue expanding this program to new communities across the country for a third year.”
The grant application is open to municipalities, nonprofits, materials recovery facilities and other qualifying organizations through Jan. 31, 2019. Dow will equip grant recipients with a framework for developing a successful Hefty® EnergyBag® program in their communities, and will facilitate planning, implementation and measurement. Recipients will manage their local programs and solicit involvement from key community stakeholders. Dow and Keep America Beautiful will host two one-hour webinars on Nov. 7 and Dec. 12 to review the application process and describe how they will evaluate grant applications.
Dow’s long-standing relationship with Keep America Beautiful is built on more than 10 years of collaboration through the Great American Cleanup. This annual event is the largest community improvement program in the U.S., which provides an opportunity to engage employees, customers and communities for environmental impact.
“The Hefty EnergyBag program is an exciting opportunity that directly supports Keep America Beautiful’s commitment to reducing waste in communities across the country,” said Helen Lowman, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We look forward to continuing our relationships with Dow and other organizations that see the value in reducing landfill waste and improving waste management.”
To date, Hefty® EnergyBag® curbside and non-curbside programs have collected more than 276,000 bags and diverted over 181 tons of hard-to-recycle plastic from landfills – the equivalent of 865 barrels of diesel fuel. The Hefty® EnergyBag® grant program demonstrates Dow’s commitment to advancing a circular economy as part of its 2025 Sustainability Goals.
To apply for the Hefty® EnergyBag® grant, visit www.kab.org/hefty-energy-bag-program. To learn more about the Hefty® EnergyBag® program, visit www.heftyenergybag.com.
About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, a business unit of DowDuPont Materials Science, combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver sustainable solutions for plastics and adhesives markets. The business focuses on high growth market segments in flexible and rigid food packaging, secondary and tertiary packaging, personal hygiene and medical products, and adhesive applications. Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics is one of the largest polyethylene producers in the world, and is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain.
About The Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) combines science and technology knowledge to develop premier materials science solutions that are essential to human progress. Dow has one of the strongest and broadest toolkits in the industry, with robust technology, asset integration, scale and competitive capabilities that enable it to address complex global issues. Dow’s market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of advanced materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics businesses deliver a broad range of differentiated technology-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care. Dow is a subsidiary of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), a holding company comprised of Dow and DuPont with the intent to form three strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty sectors. More information can be found at www.dow.com.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Celebrating its 65th Anniversary in 2018, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, curricula, practical advice and other resources to deliver measurable environmental, economic and social benefits. The organization is driven by more than 600 state and local affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities and government officials. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
About Reynolds Consumer Products
Reynolds Consumer Products is a leading provider of quality household essentials that have been trusted for generations. Our Reynolds® and Hefty® brand products help with preparation, cooking, cleanup, and storage. The Hefty® brand is best known for strong, dependable waste bags, available in the U.S. at mass merchants, grocers, and other retail stores nationwide. For more information, visit Hefty.com.
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