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EARTH DAY NETWORK ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF A BILLION ACTS OF GREEN® SMART CAR SWEEPSTAKES

For Immediate Release
January 13, 2011

Washington, DC–Earth Day Network, the nonprofit organization that coordinates Earth Day globally, has announced the two winners of its Billion Acts of Green® smart car sweepstakes, one of the first online contests to ask entrants to use social media to inspire their communities to environmental activism.

The winners are Rebecca Kaspar of Camarillo, CA and Nathan Coggins of Jonesborough, Tennessee. Both winners pledged to teach their children about the environment as their Act of Green and each will receive a smart fortwo car which was donated by SCA, a global hygiene products and paper company and leader in sustainability. The winners were selected through a random drawing among thousands of entries.

“We congratulate the winners of our contest and commend them for committing their Acts of Green,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, which generates a wide range of environmental education and policy initiatives year-round. “The Billion Acts of Green campaign was launched last year and will continue to collect green acts until the time of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, when we expect to have one billion acts.”

According to Rebecca Kaspar, “As a teacher of Family and Consumer Science, I guide students through the sewing process of an apron project and encourage students to use their scraps to make other useful items. When we study nutrition, I introduce my students not only to foods and how they nourish their bodies, but I also introduce them to some aspects of the food industry, its impact on the environment and how the food choices they make reflect back to the environment.”

Nathan Coggins said, “At home we raise a garden, plant trees, use compact florescent bulbs, cycle and recycle. We use a ground water source heat pump for our home and have passive solar, and support our local ‘Green Power Switch’ which electrifies our home with a percentage of energy from renewable sources.”

Each winner also happens to have an adult child who works in renewable energy.

The smart fortwo is the most fuel-efficient, non-hybrid, gasoline-powered car in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 Fuel Economy Guide (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG2010.pdf). Furthermore, the smart fortwo is completely recyclable, from its dashboards to exterior door panels.

About Earth Day Network

Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We pursue our mission through a combination of education, public policy, and consumer activism campaigns.
Earth Day Network’s campaigns and programs are predicated on the belief that an educated, energized population will take action to secure a healthy future for itself and its children. The organization has a global reach with a network of more than 22,000 partners and organizations in 190 countries. Earth Day Network is a 501(c)3 organization located in Washington, D.C.

About SCA

SCA has been ranked among the top 100 most sustainable and most ethical companies for the past several years. With a rich history in forest products, SCA is the largest owner of private forests in Europe, which annually offset all of the CO2 from the company’s production processes. SCA is recognized for its responsible management of its FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified forests, and plants three new trees for every tree it fells. For more information on SCA’s environmental efforts, visit www.sca.com/en

For more information, contact:
Lisa Swann, EDN vice president of communications, on 202-518-0044, x14, or [email protected]t
Mary Shaughnessy, Vice President, Group Account Director, Cramer-Krasselt
P: 312.616.2613 F: 312.233.8512 C: 312.218.4508, [email protected]