Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: April 22, 1999

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

DOI, GSA and GSI Signs Partnership Agreement
with EarthShell Corp.

In commemoration of Earth Day, Interior's Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, John Berry, General Services Administration Concessions and Retail Tenant Services, Jim Knodel, Guest Services, Inc. Group Director of Operations, Sam Ayoub, and Vice President of the EarthShell Corporation, Vincent J. Truant signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the EarthShell Corporation to launch a pilot project to demonstrate the performance of new environmentally sensible food service packaging products.

The Pilot Project

The EarthShell pilot project is designed to test and demonstrate food service packaging products that will help protect the environment by addressing the problems of atmospheric and land pollution and to promote pollution prevention practices. The pilot project is scheduled to run six months beginning April 28, through October 22, 1999. The project will provide the EarthShell Corp. with an opportunity to demonstrate the performance and durability of its products made from environmentally sensitive renewable ingredients and bio-degradable materials. The disposable food service packaging is structured to immediately begin to bio-degrade and disintegrate upon discarding in the presence of air and moisture.

The Agreement

Under the MOU announced today, the EarthShell Corp. will provide cafeteria services at Interior, GSA, and GSI with food service packaging products. GSI will notify EarthShell and other participants of observations and suggestions regarding performance, cost effectiveness, user responsiveness, and other information pertinent to the pilot project.

The Interior Department will lend its cafeteria as a demonstration site for use of the EarthShell disposable food service packaging products such as, plates and bowls. The pilot project will test product designs and configurations and to help identify environmentally preferable food service products prior to commercial introduction.

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