DTE Energy : Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and DTE Energy Foundation Partner to Take Care of Environment over Labor Day Weekend

For the eighth consecutive year, the two organizations are committed to keeping Detroit clean with on-site recycling and education initiatives.

As the 2016 Detroit Jazz Festival presented by Quicken Loans takes over Campus Martius and Hart Plaza for Labor Day weekend, the DTE Energy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy, is hitting the streets to take care of the environment with its 'Greening of the Festival ' program. In partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation, the Festival is encouraging patrons to reduce, reuse and recycle like never before.

Through this year's program, the organizations intend to save a record amount of recyclable materials from landfills by putting a stronger emphasis on educating festivalgoers on the importance of recycling. In 2015, nearly 4,000 pounds of waste were recycled out of the total 32,380 pounds collected during Festival weekend and since 2011, 12 tons of waste have been recycled.

'Bringing the greening program to the heart of our great city, during this prominent festival, is one of the many ways we give back to the community DTE has called home for more than a century, and comes on the heels of our Month of Caring employee volunteering blitz. It helps showcase the beauty of Detroit to visitors and local residents who come out to enjoy the Festival's world-class entertainment,' said Faye Nelson, vice president, DTE Energy, and board chair and president, DTE Energy Foundation. 'For the eighth consecutive year, the DTE Energy Foundation is proud to partner with the Festival to take care of the environment, and this year, we look to inspire even more Festival attendees to recycle and reduce waste - while at the Festival and in their day-to-day lives.'

Throughout the festival grounds, youth volunteers from the Detroit Recreation Leadership Council will serve as Greening Ambassadors - educating attendees about how to recycle at the Festival, support the Greening program and understand how Michigan benefits from environmentally friendly initiatives. Additionally, attendees can visit the DTE Energy Foundation Education Booth to learn more about the recycling process.

'Throughout the year we take advantage of several opportunities to educate Detroit youth on the importance of jazz; Labor Day weekend is our chance to teach Detroiters about another topic we view as critical - being green,' said Chris Collins, president and artistic director of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation. 'We hope to see even more Festival attendees making recycling a priority this year.'

Nearly 100 recycling containers will be strategically placed between Campus Martius and Hart Plaza, making it easy for festivalgoers to properly dispose of waste, courtesy of Schupan Recycling, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company. 2016 marks the fourth year the company is teaming up with the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation and DTE Energy Foundation to help reduce the Festival's carbon footprint. Festival vendors and patrons can recycle everything from cardboard to plastic, glass, shrink wrap, leftover food and wastewater.

'Each year, the world's largest free jazz festival brings thousands of music enthusiasts from across the world to Detroit, putting our city in the limelight,' said Gretchen Valade, chair of the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation Board of Directors. 'Our partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation is a critical component in highlighting Detroit's greatest attributes to out-of-towners.'

To join in the Festival's sustainability efforts, attendees can:
• Reduce their carbon footprint by walking, riding a bike or carpooling to the Festival
• Decrease the use of paper by using mobile applications for Festival information such as Detroit Jazz Fest LIVE!
• Minimize fuel use by spending the weekend downtown at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, the official hotel of the Detroit Jazz Festival
• Use compostable plates and cups while on-site

About the Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation
The Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that presents jazz and educational workshops throughout the year. The Foundation supports the Detroit Jazz Festival presented by Quicken Loans, which is the largest free jazz festival in the world and a major tourist attraction for the City of Detroit, with 23 percent of its audience coming from out of state.

The Foundation receives grant funding from the Kresge Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Erb Family Foundation, Arts Midwest Touring Fund, Carolyn P. Wanzo and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Hundreds of individual donors also contribute to the Festival through membership and donations.

Major corporate partners include Quicken Loans, JPMorgan Chase & Co., DTE Energy Foundation, Mack Avenue Records, Carhartt, Inc., Ford Motor Company, Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Greektown Casino-Hotel, Absopure, and Comcast Cable. Additional partners include AARP, AMTECH International, Andiamo, Bedrock, Bingham Legal Group, Central Michigan University, Cliff Bell's, Detroit Experience Factory, Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Detroit Saxophone Center, Detroit 300 Conservancy, George Johnson & Company, Gypsy Vodka, House of Pure Vin, LASIK Vision Institute, Meridian Health Plan, MGM Grand Detroit, Oakland University, Pepsi, Plante Moran, PNC Bank, St. John Providence, Wayne State University, Whole Foods Market and Woodward Gallery. Media partners include Fox 2, WJR, WDET-FM, WEMU-FM, WRCJ-FM, DownBeat, JazzTimes and MetroTimes. The Greening of the Festival is supported by a generous grant from the DTE Energy Foundation. For more information, visit www.detroitjazzfest.com.

About the DTE Energy Foundation
The DTE Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy, continuing the legacy of community support and involvement of its electric and natural gas utilities, which serve 2.2 million electric customers in Southeast Michigan and 1.2 million natural gas customers in Michigan. In 2015, the DTE Energy Foundation provided $15 million in grant support to nonprofits throughout the company's service territories. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress. Learn more at dteenergy.com/foundation.