Give Green Tips, Raise Greenbacks

RACINE, Wis., April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Give a tip, earn a dollar for the Earth – it's that easy. Celebrate the 40th year of Earth Day by sharing your environmental tips on SC Johnson's Team Earth Tips blog. For every tip shared, SC Johnson, the maker of well-known brands including Glade®, OFF!®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Ziploc® and Windex®, will donate $1 to Conservation International's Team Earth project, up to $25,000.

The blog, which launched in November 2009, invites families far and wide to share stories and tips about how they minimize their impact on the earth. So far, the blog has received more than 1,000 tips from people all over the world – Australia, Columbia, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, India and France, to name just a few.

"It is exciting and motivating to learn how families around the globe are taking action to protect our planet," said Kelly M. Semrau, Vice President – Global Public Affairs and Communication for SC Johnson. "For example, a mom in Hong Kong can share a tip that helps a family in Iowa. Every tip, no matter how small, can make a huge impact. This blog is about starting the dialogue and learning, from each other, how we can preserve and protect our environment."

SC Johnson is a founding member of Conservation International's Team Earth, a worldwide sustainability effort uniting businesses, non-profit organizations, scientists, educators and individuals to address the most pressing environmental issues facing humanity. The efforts kicked off in September 2009 and have been recruiting team members from countries all over the world.

"We are thrilled to see SC Johnson's continued support of Team Earth through this initiative.  Individuals inspiring others to take action is really what Team Earth is all about, so this is the perfect rallying cry to engage consumers in the fight against climate change," said Julie Blackwell, Senior Director of Team Earth at Conservation International. "We also appreciate that SC Johnson is not only getting the word out and encouraging individuals to take action, but contributing to the cause directly through their $25,000 donation."

Share a Tip, Plant a Seed

With more than 1,000 tips already posted, new ones come in every day from California to Pakistan.

Oscar from Guatemala City, Guatemala: We use a solar oven for cooking long, time-requiring meals such as beans on summer days. It helps us save on the gas bill. There are several options, most of them made for household use. The food tastes great and the savings are great also. By doing so, we help to diminish our reliance on fossil fuels and electricity.

Sheldon from Ancaster, ON: When preparing for the Holidays consider doing less wrapping. Hide gifts and then write a small note to direct kids (and adults) to the hiding spot - it's like a treasure hunt! Saves materials and time!

Sue from Brantford, ON: I carry some Ziploc containers in my car, and when I stop for take out I bring them in and ask the restaurant to put the food in my reusable containers instead of getting the wasteful Styrofoam ones.

Michelle: Walk everywhere I can, bring my own bags and teach my daughter to 'save water for the elephants' when she washes her hands.

Maggie from NYC: I tell the dry cleaners not to cover my cleaning with plastic.

Oz from Karachi, Pakistan: Our friends and family are always surprised by our low electricity bills. Besides shifting to energy-saving bulbs, the real trick is to turn off appliances when you're not using them. The biggest culprits are TVs, battery chargers (cell phones, notebooks, etc.), and other "small" stuff like modems, routers, etc.

Anne from Canada: We air dry most of our laundry, and use the clothes dryer minimally. When it's nice in the spring and summer, we hang our laundry outside, and in the winter we hang them on lines inside. We always buy laundry detergent that is concentrated, so the waste to the landfill is decreased, and the cost of bringing the product to market is less, because less water or filler is being transported.

Steve from Stamford, CT: If you work in a room in a building that receives enough natural light to work from, leave your room lights off. I'm a teacher in such a situation and my students and I have left our classroom lights off all year. That focus has spilled over to us being more conscious of turning off lights in empty rooms at home. It's a feel good action for all. Every little bit counts.

Kelly from Ohio: Hang a plastic grocery bag on a kitchen chair back. When you de-clutter your house, put any recyclable newspapers and flyers in the bag to accumulate until it is time for the recycling bin. Open the mail and junk flyers near the bag too. Recycle most of it!

Linda from Texas: Remove the caps from plastic bottles when recycling. They are not the same kind of plastic so need to be separated and many facilities don't have people to do that. They will throw the bottles away. And most cities can't recycle the caps at all.

Gabriela from Argentina:  When we are about to have a shower the water that first comes out is usually cold for a few minutes, so we wait until it is warm. In that time, a lot of water is wasted. Fill a bucket with the cold water and use it later to water the plants. It doesn't cost time or money but if you do it every day it saves a lot of water.

James from DC: Send 15 dollars to Conservation International to protect an acre of trees. Deforestation does more damage to the environment than all the cars and trucks and planes and trains combined.

Leticia from Brazil: Open your windows. The sunlight is the most powerful and revitalizing energy for your body.

Paty from Mexico: In the office, instead of taking copies, I scan all documents. That way I don't use paper.

Elicia from Ohio: I love coupons and printing them online leaves a lot of left over blank spaces of paper. I cut the coupon out and then cut the paper to memo size paper. I then have small sheets to write lists, phone numbers, or memos on. I save by reusing the paper that would have been wasted and I don't have to buy memo pads anymore.

Elizabeth from Hong Kong: Chop uncooked vegetable scraps like carrot peels or peanut and egg shells into tiny pieces and use as a fertilizer.

Dancer from Pennsylvania: When I receive a box filled with bubble paper or 'popcorn' packing, I find shipping stores that reuse it.

Albou from Mexico: Watch one television. Instead of having two or more TVs turned on, gather the whole family and watch just one. You'll be saving energy and sharing more time together.

"It's amazing to feel this sense of community and to know that, collectively, we can make a difference," said Semrau. "As a family company, we're committed to preserving our environment for families and generations to come. When you share a tip, you're taking action and helping us get it done. Tell your friends and their friends and their friends. It's quick, easy and free – not to mention a great thing to do."

Doing Our Part

SC Johnson's Team Earth Tips blog is one way the family company is doing its part to help the environment. Since 2000, the company has reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for all worldwide factories by 27 percent and sourced 36 percent of total electricity usage worldwide from renewable energy.

In addition to the company's sustainability efforts, SC Johnson is committed to protecting families.

Among other ways the company is making a difference:

• Malaria education support for families and communities from Brazil to South Africa, including three South African provinces with endemic malaria
• Sharing business expertise, infrastructure and reach to help improve public health through the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC)
• Dengue exposure prevention and awareness programs in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India
• Sets aside 5 percent of pre-tax profits globally for corporate giving – nearly four times the corporate average
• Partnerships with Base of the Pyramid (BOP) communities in Kenya on a shared-toilet cleaning program to provide families with more sanitary bathrooms

To learn more about SC Johnson's sustainability and community efforts and services, visit www.scjohnson.com to read the 2009 Public Report.

About SC Johnson

SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, ECHO®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, and MR. MUSCLE®. The 124-year-old company, with more than $8 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

SOURCE SC Johnson

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