11.21.2007 - 11:25am ET

(CSRwire) ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Nature's Path, North America's No. 1 organic cereal manufacturer, has awarded a $100,000 grant from its EnviroFund to the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), enabling the environmental group to expand its educational and cultural programs focused on the children of the Amazon.

Since 1999, Nature's Path Foods has set aside 1% of sales annually from its EnviroKidz-branded products for the EnviroFund. EnviroFund grants support programs dealing with endangered species, habitat conservation and environmental education for kids around the globe.

"It is our belief that by supporting groups committed to environmental and species conservation and education, we are helping to ensure that our children will grow up in an abundantly diverse, sustainable and healthy world," said Nicola Shaw, EnviroKidz Brand Manager.

With this grant, ACT can expand its signature initiative, "Shamans and Apprentices" (whereby elder shamans of the indigenous tribes in the region pass on their knowledge of medicinal plants and healing rituals to apprentices), to now include grammar school-age children within the villages. Concurrently, ACT will continue to work with the EnviroKidz program to provide engaging materials for children throughout North America to learn about the Amazon. This grant also represents an expansion of Nature's Path's support of ACT's efforts in the Amazon, a partnership initiated in 2001.

"The work of the Amazon Conservation Team embodies the values and goals of Nature's Path," said Arran Stephens, founder and president of the organic food pioneer. "We strive to be environmentally responsible. That's why we are proud to support ACT in its efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest by supporting those who depend upon these critical ecosystems."

The EnviroKidz initiative was created by Nature's Path to connect children with the environment through the Web and special promotions associated with the company's organic breakfast cereals. One of these breakfast products, Amazon Flakes, also highlights the Amazon Conservation Team, with ACT information on the back of each box.

"With this generous grant from Nature's Path, we can further touch the youngest among the Amazonian tribes, helping them to learn the wisdom of their elders and, simultaneously, fostering a greater sense of pride in their culture," said Mark J. Plotkin, president and co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team.

Founded in 1985, Nature's Path Organic Foods is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia and employs over 300 people at its four facilities in Canada and the United States. The privately held, family-owned company produces breakfast foods, snacks and pasta sold in specialty foods stores and retailers in 40 countries around the world. The company's innovative brands include EnviroKidz(R), Weil by Nature's Path, and Optimum(R). Visit Nature's Path online at http://www.naturespath.com.

Founded in 1996, the Amazon Conservation Team is based in Arlington, VA; its heart, however, is in its range of programs implemented in the rainforest regions of Brazil, Suriname and Colombia. With 90 percent of its resources in the Amazon, ACT was recently cited by a noted charity evaluator as one of the most fiscally efficient and effective environmental organizations in the U.S. For more information on ACT, visit the Web site at http://www.amazonteam.org.

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