News

Cumming, Ga. - As a part of its Partners in Education commitment, The Avenue® Forsyth is collaborating with Keep Forsyth County Beautiful to outfit five new local schools with 400 recycling bins. The bins will be delivered to the schools on August 4 and 5 by staff of The Avenue Forsyth, Keep Forsyth County Beautiful and the Board of Education. Throughout the 2009-2010 academic year, the 400 recycling bins funded by The Avenue are expected to prevent more than 100 tons of paper from being discarded. During the first half of 2009, more than 87 tons of paper – nearly the weight of a blue whale – were recycled by Forsyth County schools. The district was the first in the state to implement a formal recycling program. 

“The local community has been supportive of The Avenue Forsyth and its retailers since the center’s opening in May 2008, and the recycling initiative is an ideal opportunity to give back – both to the education system and the environment,” said Megan Jurkovic – marketing manager, The Avenue Forsyth.

The school district’s recycling initiatives were jump-started in 2006 when Keep Forsyth County Beautiful implemented an award-winning program called “Drink it Then Sink it,” which focused on recycling plastic milk cartons from the lunchroom.

“As student enrollment continues to climb, it’s important that we provide adequate recycling resources to reduce school waste and teach students the importance of environmental stewardship,” said Tammy Wright – environmental program manager, Keep Forsyth County Beautiful. “Our ongoing partnership with The Avenue Forsyth is helping our organization fulfill its mission of working with local businesses to improve beautification, litter reduction and recycling,” she continued.

The Avenue Forsyth launched its partnership with Keep Forsyth County Beautiful in April during its “Art for the eARTh” contest, in which high school students created unique works of art from recycled materials donated by the environmental organization. The shopping center demonstrates its own green commitment through using reclaimed water for landscaping and bathroom faucets, reflective roofing to increase energy efficiency, a computerized lighting system featuring incandescent light bulbs and tinted windows, and a recycling program for retailers, restaurants and the management office.