Vernon Hills company helps spruce up forest preserve

Plenty of corporations talk about "going green" and being environmentally conscious.

Employees at the Vernon Hills offices of a multinational company called Tetra Pak backed up that claim Thursday - and they've got the dirty work gloves to prove it.

About 80 employees of the company - a food processing and packaging company headquartered in Switzerland - spent a few hours at the nearby Half Day Forest Preserve, planting dozens of shrubs native to the area.

The project was part of an annual, companywide effort.

"The environment is always top-of-mind for us," said Ed Klein, vice president of environmental affairs for Tetra Pak. "We try to do something to give back to the local community."

Tetra Pak, which makes products including paper packages for milk, juice and other liquids, takes environmental responsibility seriously. It lists its environmental policy and goals - such as steps to combat climate change and promote recycling - prominently on its Web site.

The Vernon Hills office - its U.S. headquarters - has participated in what it calls Environmentally Active Days for seven or eight years, Klein said.

Previous efforts have included the construction of bird houses and beach cleanups. This year, the company chose the Half-Day preserve, which is on the east side of Milwaukee Avenue at Corporate Woods Parkway.

The company purchased 120 shrubs and brought all the equipment needed to put them in the ground. They had permission from the forest district to do the work, of course.

Ben Socie was among the employees who donned blue jeans and work gloves for the field trip. He said participation was "strongly encouraged" by the firm, but it didn't look like any of the workers at the preserve had to be strong-armed into going.

"It is fun to come out and see the forest preserve," said Socie, of Libertyville. "A lot of people come out here for lunch."

Andrea Lenzlinger is one of the Tetra Pak employees who goes to the preserve for lunch. As she helped plant a shrub Thursday, she said she was enjoying the project.

"Not only are we getting out, but I actually learned some stuff to do at home," said Lenzlinger, of Wauconda.

Tetra Pak employee Jason Lee admitted to not being much of a gardener.

"But I'm starting to learn about renewability," the Glenview resident said. "You have to start somewhere."