(BUSINESS WIRE)--This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and consumers might well ask: what difference can any one of us make? Macy's (NYSE:M) announced today three ways it is making a difference: a cause marketing campaign to generate much needed support for national parks, renewed sustainability efforts to reduce Macy's impact on the environment, and giving back to local communities through volunteer efforts.
“Helping to protect the environment is an important priority for our customers and associates”
Starting on April 5, Macy's launches its Great Give Back campaign highlighting the work of the National Park Foundation, providing a matching grant to customer donations for a total fundraising goal of $1 million. This amount is added to the $5 million already donated by the retailer and its customers since 2008.
"This year, Macy's support is connecting more than 100,000 young people to their national parks," said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "Macy's contributions have helped support programs including First Bloom which brings urban youth into the national parks to design and plant their own gardens; as well as our upcoming Electronic Field Trip to Bryce Canyon, which will connect classrooms around the country and world to one of our most amazing national parks."
The Great Give Back campaign runs through April 30 in all Macy's locations and on macys.com. Customers are encouraged to make a point-of-sale donation in any denomination, and Macy's will make a matching grant up to $500,000.
From April 17 to 25, Macy's is an official partner of the National Park Foundation for National Park Week . Eight park locations have been selected for volunteer projects, assisting with vital programs including habitat restoration, trail maintenance, and land/river clean ups. The eight efforts around the nation are:
* Atlanta: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area - First Bloom planting and trail work
* Cleveland: Cuyahoga Valley National Park – First Bloom planting
* Los Angeles: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area – Trail restoration and maintenance
* Minneapolis/St. Paul: Mississippi River National Recreation Area – Park cleanup
* New York City: Gateway National Recreation Area – Ground maintenance and repairs
* San Antonio: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park – First Bloom planting
* San Francisco: Golden Gate National Recreation Area – Habitat restoration and trail work
* Washington, D.C.: National Capital Parks East/Fort Mahan – Trail maintenance
"Helping to protect the environment is an important priority for our customers and associates," said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Macy's is proud to partner with the National Park Foundation for the third year in a row. This year, we've added the new element of volunteering time in the national parks, and we're delighted to invite community volunteers to join our Macy's Partners in Time participants in the parks."
Additionally, Macy's, Inc renewed its commitment to sustainability with new corporate goals through 2013. Since 2008, Macy's has:
* Encouraged nearly 1.5 million customers to switch to online billing statements vs. paper statements;
* Decreased use of office paper by 34 percent and paper used in marketing by 23 percent;
* Increased the proportion of recycled or certified paper used in our marketing materials to 63 percent and in our shopping bags to 82 percent;
* Installed active solar power systems at 40 stores;
* Invested in energy efficiency projects and consumption reduction initiatives to reduce total energy use by 10 percent (in addition to a reduction of 9 percent in the previous five years);
* Substituted biodegradable packing materials instead of foam "peanuts" in shipping online orders;
* Pioneered efforts to reduce the number of empty trucks on the road through the “Empty Miles Service" program, matching trucks/trailers with other shippers to minimize empty loads
Macy's, Inc has set new sustainability goals for 2013, including:
* Reduce energy consumption on a kWh per square foot basis by another 8 to 10 percent;
* Host an additional 15 to 25 percent of renewable energy sources;
* Reduce the amount of paper used by at least another 10 percent;
* Increase the percentage of recycled (10 percent PCW or higher) and/or third-party certified paper in marketing materials to 70 percent of total (up from 3 percent in 2006);
* Increase the use of sustainable building materials in all major construction projects by 20 percent
"Giving back is one of Macy's core values," said Lundgren. "Through our efforts with the National Park Foundation and our commitment to sustainability, we're proof that one company can make a big difference."
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage
