BS : Coke to extend `Elixir of Life` project :  Oct 08, 2007

Coke to extend `Elixir of Life` project

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hyderabad October 08, 2007

Coca-Cola India, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR)
strategy, is extending its 'Elixir of Life' project to 1,000 schools
nationally by 2010.

In the first phase, the project will benefit more than 30,000
underprivileged children from 100 primary and panchayat schools in and
around Chennai, John Ustas, chief executive officer of Hindustan Coca-Cola
Beverages, told mediapersons here on Saturday.

The project, launched in March this year in association with the Rotary
International to provide access to potable water to the underprivileged
children, has so far covered 20 schools in Chennai.

Coca-cola has also partnered the UN-Habitat to improve access to water and
sanitation including providing drinking water to 150 schools in West Bengal.

Targeting to reach 'zero water balance' with respect to ground water usage
by 2009 to seek efficiencies in all areas of water use through a 4R
(reducing, reusing, recycling and recharging) approach, the company has
instituted the Coca-Cola Citizenship Challenge Awards.

This year, the first prize was bagged by the company's Visakhapatnam unit
for its contribution towards water conservation through construction of a
check dam for diverting stream water to benefit large community in Pamureli
village of Paderu mandal.

"The unit's efforts helped facilitate livelihood opportunities for community
through agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and seasonal crops
converting 103 acres of forest land into agricultural land besides
indirectly enhancing the recharge of ground water level from 16 per cent to
60 per cent. Around 132 tribal families benefited from this initiative,"
Deepak Kaul, regional vice-president (south), Coca-Cola India, said.

The second prize went to the Silliguri unit in West Bengal for helping
conserve the environment through over 200 tonne of PET recycling, while the
third prize was shared between Paud unit at Pune and Varanasi unit of Uttar
Pradesh for their contribution in rain water harvesting.


Publication : BS; Section : Regional News; Pg : 8; Date : 8/10/07
URL :
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=300560