USA: Unilever National Parks Programme

A proud partner

"When asked to step-up to the plate – they respond." This is how Fran Mainella, Director of the National Park Service, summarises Unilever's ongoing support.

As a Proud Partner of America's National Parks, Unilever adds vitality to National Parks in priority areas. These areas include:

• ongoing funding through the Recycling at Work Sustainable Grants Programme
• children and families, through the revitalisation of the National Park Junior Rangers Programme
• health and wellness, through the Lipton Tea-sponsored Healthy Parks-Healthy Living Programme
• park visitors, through our education and outreach programmes

Our support for the National Parks Service grows out of our commitment to add vitality to life. It also contributes to our goal of connecting to our consumers and pursuing sustainable practices in communities where we do business and live.

"As stewards of America's National Parks, we are fostering a vital and enduring connection between the American people and their historic, cultural and natural resources," explains Mike Polk, Group vice president and president of Unilever in the United States.

A particular priority area for us is the involvement of our employees. Through the National Parks America Tour, our employees have the opportunity to volunteer in a range of conservation activities. With more than 25 events annually, our people have helped contribute more 100 000 hours of service to America's National Parks. In cash terms, this amounts to the equivalent of $1.7 million in employee time.

Recycling at work

The National Parks' flagship initiative, Recycling at Work, involves recycling plastic containers and then converting them into dimensional plastic "lumber". The lumber is then used to complete infrastructure projects which would otherwise not be possible because of lack of funding.

To date, Unilever's Recycling at Work projects have taken place in more than 180 National Parks, using donated lumber representing nearly 15 million Unilever household, personal care and food product containers. Instead of being sent to landfill sites, the recycled plastic now forms boardwalks, docks, fences and campground benches and picnic tables.

Through our partnership with Yellowstone, the world's first National Park, we have donated more than 750 000 square-feet of sustainable lumber to the park. This recycling effort has helped restore the entire decking system around two of Yellowstone's most popular tourist spots; the Old Faithful Geyser and the Midway Geyser Basin. In 2004, we also donated $1.45 million towards a new visitor education centre at the Old Faithful site.

Every year three million people visit Yellowstone, helping raise the profile of our pledge to preserve and protect America's National Parks.