PureCircle, Chicago, a producer and marketer of high purity stevia products, announced the latest developments in its sustainability initiatives in partnership with Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS). AMIGOS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to building young leaders through collaborative community development and immersion experiences in Latin America. The success of the latest year’s program follows the recent release of PureCircle’s 2011 Sustainability Commitment, highlighting the company’s global environmental and social responsibility activities.
Building on 2010 projects, PureCircle and AMIGOS just completed community development initiatives in the farming communities of San Pedro, Paraguay. This year, the projects focused on the communities’ schools, where local youth and volunteers built playgrounds and restored school yards, providing safe environments for children to play. Volunteers also engaged over 6,500 children and youth in nutrition education activities, provided fuel-efficient stoves to families, and promoted environmental awareness through educational day camps, which included planting over 2,500 trees.