Schoolchildren sheltered-at-home learn about the lifecycle of paperboard containers
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Colbert Packaging (colbertpkg.com), in partnership with the Paperboard Packaging Council’s “Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees” (TICCIT) program, presented a modified program for children learning from home in 2020. In years past, Colbert employees brought the hands-on program to area grade schools, teaching environmental awareness. This year, colorful activity worksheets were distributed to interested families, along with an educational PowerPoint presentation.
The presentation teaches the lifecycle of a paperboard folding carton, deriving from a tree, and ending with the planting of a new tree. As the tree grows and the paperboard ‘potting container’ decomposes, it feeds the sapling. Children also learn how paper is made and why trees and recycling are important. For example, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, trees help us breathe by absorbing more than 10 pounds of CO2 each year, and two-thirds of the nation’s drinking water comes from forests (https://www.afandpa.org/our-industry/fun-facts).
For the hands-on portion, children followed simple steps to plant seeds, a starter plant or a sapling in a paperboard carton filled with soil. They could then choose to start the seedlings indoors or plant the specially prepared containers into the ground.
By reinforcing the importance of trees in our lives, and the sustainability of paperboard packaging, Colbert Packaging encourages parents to model and talk to their children about taking an active role in recycling. For more information about the TICCIT program, visit the Paperboard Packaging Council’s TICCIT page (https://ticcit.info/home/).
Colbert Packaging Corporation is a family-owned business with extensive R&D capabilities and a solid reputation for excellence. Founded in 1959, Colbert Packaging has grown its repertoire of paperboard packaging solutions into one of the most comprehensive, diverse and inventive portfolios in the industry. Colbert’s Kenosha, Wisconsin facility produces offset and flexographic printed folding cartons, pressure-sensitive roll labels and package inserts; the Elkhart, Indiana operation includes folding carton production and paper tray forming. Learn more at www.colbertpkg.com.
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