Rep. Peter Defazio and Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley Take First Place in Capitol Hill Reuse-A-Shoe Challenge

Oregon Congressional Delegation Teams with Local Youth To Recycle 4,000 Pairs Of Shoes in Fifth-Annual Competition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nike and The Climate Group today announced the team of Rep. Peter DeFazio and the Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley as the winner of the fifth-annual Capitol Hill Reuse-A-Shoe Challenge. The team earned first place out of five participating groups, collecting a record-breaking 2,137 pairs of worn-out athletic shoes during the month-long competition. As a reward for the team’s top-place finish, Nike is making a product donation to the Boys & Girls Club.

“The kids jumped at the chance to participate in the challenge, and their enthusiasm for the recycling project quickly spread throughout the local community,” said Armond Knight, The Boys & Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley. “We are thrilled to be part of the team that came out on top, and are very grateful for the support of Rep. DeFazio and the city of Roseburg that helped make our drive such a success.”

For the 2009 challenge, Nike paired the five members of the Oregon delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives with a high school or youth organization in their district for the competitive shoe drive. The five teams collected a grand total of 4,199 pairs of shoes - keeping them out of the landfill - to be recycled into new sports and playground surfaces. The complete list of participating teams is below:

• Rep. Peter DeFazio; Boys and Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley
• Rep. Earl Blumenauer; Cleveland High School
• Rep. Greg Walden; Bend High School
• Rep. Kurt Schrader; North Salem High School
• Rep. David Wu; Westview High School

“We are proud to partner with Nike Reuse-A-Shoe and show the cumulative effect of many students pitching in for such a fun and interactive challenge,” said Kate Krebs, Director of Sustainable Materials, The Climate Group. “The students illustrated that individual actions, when combined together, have long-lasting environmental benefits. Engaging Oregon’s students in this year’s Reuse-A-Shoe challenge brought both fun and deeper meaning to recycling.”

As a new component to this year’s challenge, the schools and youth organizations had the opportunity to share their progress on the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Facebook page. There, students were able to showcase their collection efforts and demonstrate the knowledge they gained about the recycling program.

“Our youth are the people who drive the success of our sustainability efforts, so it is our responsibility to teach them about initiatives, like Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, so they understand the tremendous impact their generation has on our future,” said Orson Porter, Nike Government Affairs. “We are grateful for our partnership with The Climate Group and the involvement of the Oregon congressmen, as they make it possible for Nike to continue to empower young people to make a difference in both the environment and their own local communities.”

About The Climate Group
The Climate Group (www.theclimategroup.org) is an independent, not-for-profit organization working internationally with government and business leaders to advance smart policies and technologies which cut global emissions and accelerate a low carbon economy. Its global coalition of companies, states, regions and cities around the world recognizes the economic and environmental imperatives of taking decisive action now. The Climate Group was founded in 2004 and has operations in Australia, China, Europe, India and North America.

About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.
 
About Nike Reuse-A-Shoe
Nike Reuse-A-Shoe is an integral part of Nike Sustainable Business and Innovation and is a unique recycling program that turns worn-out athletic shoes of all brands into Nike Grind, a material used in sports and playground surfaces. Since its inception, Reuse-A-Shoe has helped reduce millions of athletic shoes from ending up in landfills each year and has recycled more than 24 million pairs of shoes. The recycled shoes are given new life, and are reborn into sports and playground surfaces around the world.

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