"Students may be aware of the plastics they see in grocery bags, but may never have considered that there's plastic in bed pillows and bulletproof vests," said Marjorie Weiner, National Outreach Director of the National Plastics Center & Museum. "The first hand observation and interaction leaves a lasting impression with students."

Natha Freiburg, the National Plastics Center & Museum's National Outreach Educator, echoed Weiner's comments concerning the impact the PlastiVan program has on students. "We like to refer to it as the 'wow effect' of our classroom presentations," Freiburg said. "It's that magical moment when you see the light bulbs going on in the students' minds as they start to grasp the principles behind the information we are presenting about plastics."

About 150 people work at BASF's Greenville location, which produces resins and coatings used in automotive and industrial applications.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.(R) BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion in 2003. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF's portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of approximately $42 billion and over 87,000 employees worldwide. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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