Milliken & Company Receives Award for Planting Trees

Milliken picked up a limited edition print by artist Barry Nehr.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 11/30/2007

LaGrange, Georgia-based textiles and chemical manufacturer Milliken & Company was presented with the first ever Special Partnership Award from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) for its contributions to urban forestry. Milliken was specifically recognized for its Making the Shade pilot program that sponsors planting initiatives on elementary school playgrounds. In addition to aesthetic benefits, trees add shade protection necessary for a child's safety in hot areas, according to Milliken executives.

"Adding shade trees addresses the unrecognized playground hazards of hot surfaces and air quality for elementary schools," says Milliken's Floor Covering Division president David Caples, who accepted the award on behalf of the company. "Milliken supports safety and improved air quality, indoors and out through green products and community stewardship."

The award presented was a limited edition print of the September elm growing in Rome, Georgia's historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery. The original painting was done by artist Barry Nehr, a retired USDA Forest Service employee.

Making the Shade launched on February 16, coinciding with Georgia's Arbor Day. The program is an extension of Milliken's Trees for All, an initiative dedicated to educating the supply chain about the benefits of planting trees.