Coca-Cola Provides $196,000 Grant to United States Forest Service to Restore Critical Watershed

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Standing by its mission to “Return What We Use,” Coca-Cola today joined the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in granting nearly $377,000 to the U.S. Forest Service. The funding will be used to restore water to Indian Valley, a 500-acre meadow that sits atop the Sierra Divide and is in the headwaters of the Mokelumne River watershed.

“We are pleased to have received such a generous amount from Coca-Cola and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation”

The Mokelumne River watershed accounts for 94 percent of the East Bay Municipal Utility District impacting much of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. This includes Coca-Cola’s San Leandro production facility which derives its water from East Bay Mud. http://www.ebmud.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/water_supply_system2003.pdf

“We are pleased to have received such a generous amount from Coca-Cola and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,” said Randy Moore, Pacific Southwest Regional Forester who accepted the check on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service at an event at the San Leandro facility. “Coca-Cola’s example of seeing beyond the bottling plant to sustaining the forest ecosystems is a view that includes the greater good.”

Moore said the U.S. Forest Service will continue to build partnerships to explore new restoration avenues so that the land will be better able to adjust and thrive in the face of weather-pattern changes and large-scale disturbances such as fire, drought and insect attacks. American Rivers, a leading organization working to protect and restore the nation’s rivers and streams, wrote the original grant proposal and will contract for the work on the ground. http://www.americanrivers.org/

Coca-Cola contributed $196,000 toward the project, with the remainder coming from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It will result in a stream that can access the floodplain and spread out. This reduces the energy of the water flow and re-waters the nearby meadow. The seasonal water table is expected to stay higher for longer into the dry season, encouraging the growth of riparian vegetation and providing cooler water for fish and wildlife.

Bruce Karas, Coca-Cola’s vice president of environment and sustainability, said The Company’s aim is to meet its water needs while helping to conserve watersheds and improve community access around the world.

“Water stewardship is top of our list of sustainability efforts,” he said. “Coca-Cola is committed to replenishing water to communities and nature through local projects, such as this. Our other two objectives are to reduce the amount of water we use in producing our beverages and recycling water used in our manufacturing processes so it can be returned safely to the environment.”

The work is expected to be completed in early October with the help of Coca-Cola associates. Volunteers will congregate at Eldorado National Forest on September 29^th and play an active role in improving the habitat with cumulative enhancements for downstream users. Similarly to environmental sustainability, community support is the foundation of Coca-Cola’s Live Positively Commitment. http://m.livepositively.com/

The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.

For more information on Coca-Cola’s commitment to recycling, water conservation, and climate protection and what you can do to help, go to: http://livepositively.com/en_us/planet?WT.srch=1#/planet

The U.S. Forest Service

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is a Federal agency that manages public lands in national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service is also the largest forestry research organization in the world, and provides technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies. The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service manages 20 million acres of National Forest land in California and assists the State and Private forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. Eighteen national forests are located in this region. For more information, please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/r5 or follow us on Twitter at usfs_r5.