ADDISON, Ill., April 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois
Governor Bruce Rauner, Congressman
Raja Krishnamoorthi of the Illinois 8th District,
Addison Mayor Rich Veenstra, and representatives from
Illinois' Senatorial and
Congressional offices celebrated Earth
Day together in Addison at
the manufacturing facility of the nation's leading green cleaning
products company, Earth Friendly Products. In honor of the
company's founder, Dr. Eftichios "Van" Vlahakis, who graduated from
Roosevelt University, the company
presented the university with a check for $500,000 to establish the Eftichios "Van"
Vlahakis Organic Chemistry Lab on campus. The event was hosted by
Itasca native and president and
CEO of Earth Friendly Products, Kelly
Vlahakis-Hanks. The employees of the Addison plant were gifted with an extra week's
salary, and they are among some of the highest paid minimum wage
employees in the nation.
With 200 people in attendance at the event, Governor Rauner
spoke about how Earth Friendly Products is the "epitome of the
American Dream and provides Illinois workers with good paying jobs while
delivering quality and sustainable products to consumers
nationwide."
Congressman Krishnamoorthi presented a proclamation to Earth
Friendly Products in honor of the occasion and thanked
Vlahakis-Hanks for choosing Illinois as a location for one of its four
manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and creating green
jobs for the denizens of Addison.
Other dignitaries present included State Senator Tom Cullerton, Illinois 6th District; State
Representative Deborah Conroy, Illinois 46th District; State
Representative Robyn Gabel,
Illinois
18th District; and State Representative
Kathleen Willis, Illinois 77th District.
During the inspiring afternoon, Vlahakis-Hanks spoke about her
love of the environment, gave heartfelt praise to her employees,
and said it was an honor to be a part of the business community in
her native state of Illinois. She thanked Governor Rauner for
helping to champion the Future Energy Jobs Bill that will create
thousands of clean energy jobs in the state and said the company
was committed to creating more green jobs for Illinois workers in the years to come. She
encouraged guests to "read labels, know what you bring into your
house" and thanked the U.S. EPA for the honor of being chosen as
its 2017 Safer Choice Partner of the Year.
As Vlahakis-Hanks stood on the podium, she told the moving story
of her father, Van Vlahakis, a Greek
immigrant who came to the U.S. with $22 in his pocket. "My father was an
eco-pioneer who founded this at the dawn of the environmental
movement. He said that success is doing the right thing. That
vision guides us to continue to break barriers in green science. I
vow to protect people, pets and the planet. Finally, I want to
remind you that the small choices you make – even the smallest -
can create big consequences for your health and that of the
planet."
Vlahakis-Hanks then went on to present a $500,000 check to Roosevelt
University President Dr. Ali
Malekzadeh to support the organic chemistry lab named in her
late father's honor.
Did you know?
- Earth Day started on April 22 in 1970. Earth Friendly Products was
established only three years before that in 1967 by Van Vlahakis. Not speaking a word of English
when he came to the U.S., Vlahakis chose to study chemistry because
the root words of chemistry were in his native Greek.
- On the first Earth Day, 20M
people, Democrats and Republicans, rich and poor came together to
place the environment on the national agenda.
- In the same year that Earth Day
was created, so was the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean
Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
- On Earth Day in 2017, it is
estimated that 1B people in 192 countries will come together to
rally, plant trees, clean beaches and educate the world about
protecting the environment.
- The U.S. government currently has no requirements on ingredient
disclosure for household products.
- The pollution inside homes is 5-70 times worse than outdoor air
pollution; this is based on the noxious chemicals typically used in
cleaning products.
About Earth Friendly Products Family owned and operated
since 1967, Earth Friendly Products is the maker of
ECOS™ Laundry Detergent and over 200 other
environmentally friendly products that are safer for people, pets
and the planet. Made with plant-powered ingredients,
ECOS™ cleaners are thoughtfully sourced, pH balanced,
readily biodegradable, easily recyclable and never tested on
animals. Earth Friendly Products is a primary manufacturer that
makes its own products in sustainable manufacturing facilities
located across the U.S. All Earth Friendly Products facilities are
carbon neutral, water neutral and Zero Waste Platinum certified,
saving over 53 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually and
diverting over 95% of all waste from landfills. Over 100
ECOS™ products have received the coveted U.S. EPA
Safer Choice certification, which
means that every ingredient is the safest in its class and that the
product has proven superior performance. ECOS™, Disney
Baby ECOS™, ECOS™ for Pets! and
ECOS™ Pro cleaners are available at selected major
retailers throughout the U.S., in over 60 countries and online at
ecos.com.
Press contacts:
Alyson Dutch / Andrea Schnorr, BROWN + DUTCH PR, INC.
156247@email4pr.com
310.456.7151, 847.525.7756
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SOURCE Earth Friendly Products