Evergreen Packaging, Memphis, Tenn., USA, with support from KidsGardening, Burlington, Vt., this week announced the launch of the spring 2018 Carton 2 Garden contest, the nationwide competition that invites students of all ages to repurpose milk and juice cartons in school gardens that teach math, science, arts, environment, and sustainability. Now in its fourth year, the Carton 2 Garden contest underscores Evergreen Packaging's commitment to championing sustainability, STEM-learning, and healthy living. 

"The Carton 2 Garden contest gives thousands of students across the country the opportunity to not only learn more about gardening, but also teamwork, nutrition, sustainable practices and environmental stewardship," said Katie Simmons, marketing manager at Evergreen Packaging. "We are thrilled to once again partner with KidsGardening, the leaders in the school garden movement, to equip contest entrants with educational materials that instill these important lessons and life skills. Each year the gardens grow more inventive, and we look forward to seeing the innovations that will be created for this year's contest." 

 

 

Schools can compete to win one of several prize packages by repurposing 100 or more empty milk and juice cartons in their existing school gardens or by creating novel school gardens. There are no registration fees to enter the contest. Each garden will be judged for its creativity and incorporation of sustainable practices. Contest categories and prizes include: 

• Grand prize ($5,000) 
• STEM learning specialty prize ($2,500) 
• Sustainability specialty prize ($2,500) 
• Health & Nutrition specialty prize ($2,500) 
• Top elementary school garden, five total ($1,000 each) 
• Top middle or high school garden, five total ($1,000 each). 

"The Carton 2 Garden contest helps students unlock their creativity and engage their curiosity in a collaborative, team-based environment," said KidsGardening Executive Director Emily Shipman. "As students engage with gardening and nature, they develop STEM-based skills and learn about nutrition and sustainable practices. We're grateful for our continued partnership with Evergreen Packaging to bring these important learning opportunities to students across the country." 

The Carton 2 Garden contest encourages eco-aware consumers to seek sustainable packaging choices like cartons, which are made from a renewable resource. Evergreen Packaging's FreshHouse™ cartons are recyclable and are more than 70% paper, which comes from trees from forests where responsible forestry practices are used and overall growth exceeds harvest. Evergreen Packaging is committed to creating innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for the food and beverage industries. Earlier this year, the company debuted RenewablePlus cartons, which feature sugarcane-based polyethylene and are fully renewable.

The deadline for Carton 2 Garden contest submissions is Monday, April 16, 2018. More information about the contest, including its official rules, can be found online. A list of last year's winners, as well as sharable videos also are available online. 

Evergreen Packaging is a global leader in creating fiber-based packaging solutions customized to deliver product freshness and brand distinction. Evergreen Packaging is a vertically integrated packaging company, delivering total solutions of barrier paperboard, technical expertise, equipment, and service. 

For 35 years, KidsGardening has led the school gardening movement. They believe learning through gardening creates generations of kids connected to their food and community and engaged in nurturing a healthy planet.  As a national nonprofit, they are improving nutritional attitudes, educational outcomes, social emotional learning, and environmental stewardship in youth across the country.