3.25.2008 - 11:45am ET

(CSRwire) STAMFORD, CT - March 25, 2008 – Keep America Beautiful, Inc., America's leading nonprofit volunteer-based education and community action organization, has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Office Depot Foundation to redesign and enhance its Clean Sweep U.S.A. (www.cleansweepusa.org) environmental education Web site.

Thanks to the Office Depot Foundation grant, Clean Sweep U.S.A. " an educational math and science classroom resource for students in grades 4 through 8 " was expanded to include lessons on litter prevention and beautification. The new site features interactive learning modules that help students, teachers and families address real-world issues about waste. Building on the site's original lessons related to garbage, source reduction, composting, recycling, waste-to-energy and landfills, the new games and lessons cover KAB’s focus areas of litter prevention and beautification with new interactive games, background materials, and more.

"Clean Sweep U.S.A. is a great platform for teachers to provide fun, interactive lessons that will give their students a better understanding of the increasingly critical issues surrounding waste reduction, recycling, litter prevention and beautification that are core components of environmental education," said Keep America Beautiful President & CEO Matthew McKenna. "Keep America Beautiful is very fortunate to have the Office Depot Foundation as a partner in our educational outreach, which will provide a positive impact on the lives of many students who are exposed to the site."

'One of our Foundation's strategic priorities is to help children get ready for life and for work," said Mary Wong, president of the Office Depot Foundation. "We are pleased to partner with Keep America Beautiful in providing such an entertaining and informative resource for learning about the environment. We believe that young people who develop environmental awareness early in life will carry these important lessons with them into adulthood."

A portion of the Office Depot Foundation funds will go to marketing the site to teachers.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of nearly 1,000 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit www.kab.org.

About the Office Depot Foundation

The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation that serves as the primary charitable giving arm of Office Depot. In keeping with its mission, Listen Learn Care, the Foundation strives to make a positive impact on many lives in many communities around the world. The Foundation supports a variety of programs that enhance the quality of life for children, strengthen communities, encourage local and global economic growth, and empower schools and civil society (non-profit) organizations. It also provides support when disasters strike  doing what it can, not only to speed the process of rebuilding, but also to mitigate the impact of future disasters. For more information about the Office Depot Foundation, visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.

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