Greentech Lead America: The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, has procured more than 27 grants for sustainability initiatives across the U.S in 2012, the company announced on the occasion of Earth Day celebrations.
The Coca-Cola Foundation supports water stewardship, community recycling and energy conservation initiatives. These grants make a significant impact by supporting organizations that are reducing our environmental footprint, the company said.
For example, a $250,000 grant to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation provides support for watershed conservation efforts along seven miles of the East Fork Bear River in Utah. It is just one of the more than 100 community watershed projects that Coca-Cola supports across North America.
In Massachusetts, the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay organization received a $25,000 grant. With this funding, 10,000 young people from more than 100 youth and community organizations will experience environmental education programming.
Working with Keep America Beautiful, the Recycling Bin Grant program provides more than 8,000 recycling bins annually to 100+ local organizations and promotes local community recycling efforts. More than 46 colleges and universities participate in the program. Since 2010, more than 29,000 recycling bins have been distributed through the program. Last week, more than 150 communities, including Muskegon Community College in Western Michigan and the City of Dayton, Ohio, were announced as 2013 Recycling Bin Grant recipients.
Coca-Cola celebrated Earth Day with a mix of fashion, style and a focus on the environment to raise awareness and generate funds for these two organizations. In Colorado, Coca-Cola and Colorado State University hosted a fun-filled day in the mountains planting willow trees in the Hayman watershed. Over time, the trees will help restore more than 200 million liters of fresh water for the local Front Range community.
In Chicago, the Foundation announced a one-time grant to Keep America Beautiful. Through this grant and a match from The Coca-Cola Company, more than 50,000 recycling carts will roll-out across the city of Chicago. This will support local efforts to give over 600,000 Chicago households a convenient means to recycle by the end of 2013.
Houston Coca-Cola sent employee volunteers and their families to clean-up Houston’s Hermann Park. These employee volunteers removed trash/debris and helped clear invasive plants along the Bayou Parkland.