Trees of Knowledge

The seeds have been planted, now we’re looking to grow:

Trees of Knowledge is back to give away another outdoor classroom

- Canadian schools can enter now for a chance to win a $20,000 outdoor classroom from MAJESTA, Tree Canada and Focus on Forests -

TORONTO (November 24, 2011)–The Trees of Knowledge™ program is back for 2012 and will award one eco-conscious school a complete, customized outdoor classroom, valued at $20,000. The program was created last year by MAJESTA, the soft and green choice for household paper products, in partnership with Tree Canada and Focus on Forests to help teachers and students experience the benefits of being outdoors. All Canadian schools can apply by visiting www.majesta.com and entering before January 27, 2012.

“We created the Trees of Knowledge program to help educate Canadian students and teachers about the importance of environmental sustainability. The winning school gets to see the benefits in action with an outdoor classroom,” says Jim Schedler, Vice President of Marketing for MAJESTA. “Judging from the impressive entries we received last year, many Canadian schools, teachers and students are passionate about the environment. The contest has taken root in its first year and we are looking to branch out and receive submissions from all across Canada this year.”

Last year’s program received more than 50 applications from schools across the country. The creative submissions included ideas that ranged from composting initiatives to the design of a living roof, which would feature plant life growing from it. The winning submission, from St. Paul Elementary School in Beaconsfield, Quebec, outlined how the classroom would be used to enrich learning experiences and foster an appreciation for the environment.

“We want to thank all the schools that entered in 2011. We’re very excited about the new elements of our program for 2012, which includes the addition of a video component and allowing 2011 applicants to make minimal changes to their entry from last year and to resubmit,” says Schedler. “Interested schools should visit www.majesta.com for more information and resubmit or apply for the first time to our Trees of Knowledge program. It’s an innovative way to drive home the importance of the environment to the next generation.”

The winning school will receive:

· A customized outdoor classroom, valued at $20,000.

· The outdoor classroom can include things like topsoil, boulders/furniture (large rocks, logs/stumps), coniferous trees, deciduous trees, shrubs, or planters.

· Trees of Knowledge program partners, Tree Canada, an organization dedicated to empowering communities to develop and maintain their green infrastructure, will provide technical support to the school. The school will also receive curriculum support through Focus on Forests, a teaching tool that provides hands-on activities and support materials for outdoor learning.

How the Trees of Knowledge competition works:

To enter the Trees of Knowledge competition, schools must submit the following by January 27, 2012:

· A completed application form, available to download at: www.majestatreesofknowledge.ca/apply

· A 400 word essay on why their school is the most worthy candidate for an outdoor classroom

· One to five photos of the school grounds, including the proposed site of the outdoor classroom

· A landscape-site plan

· A letter of commitment for the outdoor classroom project from the School Board

· A two minute video component entry (optional)

Applications will be judged based on criteria such as the strength of the plan, the impact the classroom will have and the longevity and sustainability of the outdoor classroom project. Judges will select the finalist schools from which the winner will be chosen by online voting.

About MAJESTA:

MAJESTA is the soft and green choice for household paper products. MAJESTA products are made from trees from J.D. Irving, Limited’s forests. As part of its award-winning commitment to responsible forest management, J.D. Irving, Limited plants seedlings every spring and summer to reforest the woodlands. In the past 50+ years, J.D. Irving, Limited has planted over 850 million trees. Since 2001, J.D. Irving, Limited’s forests have been certified by The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (“SFI”). Our promise is: “We plant three trees for every one we use to produce MAJESTA products.” Both soft and green, MAJESTA delivers the softness you can feel and feel good about.

www.majesta.com

About Tree Canada:

Tree Canada is a not-for-profit, charitable organization established in 1992. Under the direction of a 13-member volunteer Board of Directors, Tree Canada provides education, technical assistance, resources and financial support through working partnerships to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in rural and urban areas.

www.treecanada.ca

About Focus on Forests:
Focus on Forests provides hands-on activities and support materials to assist teachers of all grade levels. The lesson plans are well organized and designed to be easily adapted to any teaching environment or grade level. Focus on Forests is a program of the Ontario Forestry Association. Together with Tree Canada, these two groups have combined their efforts to bring this forest education program to a Canada-wide audience and highlight the value that Focus on Forests plays in introducing forests to Canadian classrooms. This exciting new partnership is supported by Irving Consumer Products, the makers of MAJESTA household paper products. www.focusonforests.ca

For more information:

Laura Arlabosse-Stewart / Andrea Hanft
Paradigm Public Relations
lstewart@paradigmpr.ca / ahanft@paradigmpr.ca

416-203-2223

Trees in pop-culture

This week on Tree-NN, we bring you an article from Entertainment Weekly, which puts the spotlight on trees in pop-culture! Over the years, trees have played some big roles, not only in our everyday lives, but also in film, television and even in literature. Read on as EW.com leaves no leaf unturned, showcasing some of cinema’s most memorable trees!

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20194843_20443748,00.html#20442041

We hope you like it!

MAJESTA Trees of Knowledge Competition

On May 4^th Majesta, partnered with Tree Canada and Focus on Forests, launched their new, educative, Trees of Knowledge Competition. Majesta is giving one lucky Canadian school the chance to win an outdoor classroom valued at $20,000! To learn more about the competition, read the official press release below:

Can getting students outside help get them thinking outside the box? Can a little extra sunshine make students a little brighter? To help teachers and students experience the benefits of being outdoors, MAJESTA, the soft and green choice for household paper products, has created its Trees of Knowledge™ program. The program invites Canadian schools to submit applications for a chance to win a complete, customized outdoor classroom, valued at $20,000.

“Dating back as far as Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity while sitting under a tree, educators and students have benefited from learning in outdoor classrooms. Spending time outside can help foster an environmental ethic among students, improve social interactions and lead to higher scores on standardized tests,” says Jim Schedler, Vice President of Marketing for MAJESTA. “We encourage all schools to visit www.majesta.com and apply to our Trees of Knowledge program. It’s easy to see the benefits of incorporating time spent outdoors into the curriculum.”

The contest is open to all Canadian schools and the deadline for applications is August 12, 2011. The winning prize is valued at $20,000 and can include things like topsoil, boulders/furniture (large rocks, logs/stumps), coniferous trees, deciduous trees, shrubs, or planters depending on the winner’s proposal. As partners in the Trees of Knowledge program, Tree Canada, an organization dedicated to empowering communities to develop and maintain their green infrastructure, will provide technical support to the school. The school will also receive curriculum support through Focus on Forests, a teaching tool that provides hands-on activities and support materials for outdoor learning.

For a chance to win a Trees of Knowledge outdoor classroom, schools must submit:

· A completed application form, available to download at: www.majestatreesofknowledge.ca/apply

· A 500 word essay on why their school is the most worthy candidate for an outdoor classroom

· One to five photos of the school grounds, including the proposed site of the outdoor classroom

· A landscape-site plan

· A letter of commitment for the outdoor classroom project from the School Board

Applications will be judged based on criteria such as the impact the classroom will have and the longevity and sustainability of the outdoor classroom project. Judges will select the finalist schools from which the ultimate winner will be chosen by online voting.

“At MAJESTA, we’ve made a commitment to sustainability. It’s a priority for our brand and for our parent company J.D. Irving, Limited. We call it being ‘tree-sponsible’ and have made a promise to plant three trees for every one that we use to produce MAJESTA products,” says Schedler. “We want to help our next generation get involved and learn about the benefits of the environment. An outdoor classroom is a great place to start, and plant the seed about environmental learning and stewardship.”

About MAJESTA:

MAJESTA is the soft and green choice for household paper products. MAJESTA products are made from new wood fibres of trees from J.D. Irving, Limited’s forests. As part of its award-winning commitment to responsible forest management, J.D. Irving, Limited plants seedlings every spring and summer to reforest the woodlands. In the past 50+ years, J.D. Irving, Limited has planted over 827 million trees. Since 2001, J.D. Irving, Limited’s forests have been certified by The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (“SFI”). Our promise is: “We plant three trees for every one we use to produce MAJESTA products.” Both soft and green, MAJESTA delivers the softness you can feel and feel good about.

About Tree Canada:

Tree Canada is a not-for-profit, charitable organization established in 1992. Under the direction of an 11-member volunteer Board of Directors, Tree Canada provides education, technical assistance, resources and financial support through working partnerships to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in rural and urban areas.

About Focus on Forests:

Focus on Forests provides hands-on activities and support materials to assist teachers of all grade levels. The lesson plans are well organized and designed to be easily adapted to any teaching environment or grade level. Tree Canada and the Ontario Forestry Association have formed a National Education Partnership, highlighting the value that Focus on Forests plays in introducing forests to Canadian classrooms. Together, these two groups have combined their efforts to bring a Canada-wide forest education program. This exciting new partnership is supported by Irving Tissue Corporation, the makers of MAJESTA household paper products.

Click Below to Learn More: www.majestatreesofknowledge.ca/

Trees, and The Role They Play in Our Life

It is safe to say that many of us take trees for granted. Here at Tree-NN we would like to take the time to remind you that trees play an integral role in the development of all life here on our Earth. Trees are part of our everyday lives and it is our responsibility to make sure that we take care of them. Click below to learn more about how trees play a crucial part in our daily routines and if you’re a teacher, try the included exercise with your class!

http://www.borealforest.org/school/trees.htm

How do trees play a role in your everyday life?

2010 Tree Planting Season a Success

After thousands of trees planted, dozens of communities green spaces improved and new milestones reached, Majesta and Tree Canada’s Trees by the Shore program is celebrating the close of another successful season.

Congratulations to all the communities that took part in our 2010 tree planting season. Majesta and Tree Canada are excited to help Canada get even greener in 2011!

Georgetown Reminds Us Of Our Roots

On October 2nd Trees by the Shore celebrated a milestone tree planting event with Juno award-winning musician and Trees by the Shore spokesperson, David Usher. Our 50th tree planting event took place in Georgetown, Ontario with over 150 trees being planted in Cedarvale Park despite the rain. The park will also receive over 1,000 new trees in the coming weeks.

While the 50th event is an impressive accomplishment, we think every tree planting event is equally important. We’re proud to have been able to help green so many communities across Canada with over 45,000 trees planted in the past two years.

Majesta and Tree Canada would like to thank David Usher, P.O.W.E.R. (Protect Our Water Environmental Resources), Rick Bonnette, the Mayor of Halton Hills and especially all the volunteers for taking part in this celebration.

See below for photos from the tree planting event:

David Usher to Celebrate Planting Milestone in Georgetown

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Trees by the Shore, is celebrating its 50th tree planting event by welcoming Juno Award winning musician and Trees by the Shore spokesperson David Usher to Georgetown, ON.

The program brings together school children, Girl Guides, Scouts and local conservation groups to plant native trees near shorelines in 25 Canadian communities each year. Included in the program are lesson plans whereby students will learn about the benefits of trees near waterways including: maintaing water quality, minimizing soil erosion and providing habitat for wildlife.

“We are excited to participate in the 50th Trees by the Shore planting event alongside Tree Canada: a valued partner who shares our tree planting objectives,” says Jim Schedler, Vice President of Marketing for Majesta.

On October 2nd, David Usher will be celebrating the 50th event of the program in Georgetown, ON, at Cedarvale Park where approximately 1,500 trees will be planted in the Silver Creek area by Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources (P.O.W.E.R.), the partner in Halton Hills for the Tree Canada/Majesta project. “We are especially grateful that this project is highlighted and that David Usher will be joining us in our Community during the International Year of Biological Diversity and there are many things we can all do to protect our precious web of life,” said Leslie Adams General Manager of P.O.W.E.R.

“We are so pleased to be welcoming David Usher’s support for our program as we conduct this planting in Georgetown,” said Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. “Trees by the Shore shows us how interconnected trees are with the natural world and provides a lasting environmental legacy in each community that participates.”

“David is a nationally recognized Canadian musical talent and a friend of the environment. He is lending his support to Trees by the Shore to help us bring attention to the need to plant more trees in urban locations across the country,” says Mr. Rosen.

The program is funded by Tree Canada in conjunction with their corporate partner Irving Tissue and their Majesta brand of tissue products. Other notable contributors for this event are the town of Halton Hills as well as the Credit Valley Conservation.

About Tree Canada

Tree Canada is a charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees. To date, more than 76 million trees have been planted and more than 450 schoolyards have been greened. www.treecanada.ca

About Irving Tissue and The Majesta Brand

Irving Tissue is a family run, privately owned company committed to North America and the environment. They are part of Irving Forest Products, a company that employs more than 8,400 people in North America. The company leads the nation with the planting of over 800 million trees. 100% of the woodlands owned or managed by J.D. Irving Limited are certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Standard and ISO 14001 Environmental Standard. Irving Tissue began in 1988 and since then has grown to become one of North America's leading tissue manufacturers. All Majesta products are made in Canada and come with a Tree Planting Promise: “To plant three trees for every one used to produce Majesta products.”

www.majesta.com


For more information:

Melissa Nisbett
Communications and Marketing Officer
Tree Canada
Email: mnisbett@treecanada.ca
Tel.: (613) 567-5545, ext. 224


To set up and interview:

Carrie Croft, Consultant
Thornley Fallis Communications
Email: croft@thornleyfallis.com
Tel.: (613) 231-3355 ext. 227
Cel.: (613) 866-2564