Gladiator® GarageWorks Partners With The U.S. Department of Energy in Effort to Recycle Old Energy-Draining Refrigerators
Chillerator® Garage Refrigerator Joins The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Show in Town Exhibition as Part of Refrigerator Showcase
PRNewswire-FirstCall
BENTON HARBOR, Mich.

Gladiator® GarageWorks, the leader in garage organization, is proudly sponsoring The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Show in Town exhibition. The exhibition showcases an artistic take on the history of refrigerator innovation as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) ENERGY STAR® Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040202/DETU004LOGO )

As the maker of the only ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator designed specifically for the garage, Gladiator® GarageWorks joins the DOE campaign, which encourages Americans who own old, inefficient refrigerators to trade them in. In many instances, instead of recycling an old refrigerator, homeowners take their old models and use them in the garage as a second food storage solution. Due to extreme garage conditions, even the best energy efficient refrigerator will fall short on savings. Unlike the Chillerator® garage refrigerator, kitchen refrigerators are simply not designed with the garage in mind.

"Homeowners today are very concerned about energy efficiency, yet they continue to put a drain on their energy budgets by placing old refrigerators in the garage," said Lou Ann Schafer, senior marketing manager for Gladiator® GarageWorks. "By joining up with DOE, we hope to bring a newfound awareness of energy efficiency and refrigerator recycling while highlighting the unique benefits and cost savings of our ENERGY STAR® qualified Chillerator® garage refrigerator."

The Coolest Show in Town exhibit will feature up to 50 old refrigerators that have been turned into works of art by students, institutions, utility companies, private organizations, and individual artists across the U.S. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to vote for their favorite refrigerator art. The exhibition is taking place Mon., Aug. 25 through Tues., Sept. 2 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

A blue ribbon panel of judges will select the top three entries based on the following criteria: Best Use of Recycled Materials; Overall Creativity; and Best Portrayal of the Campaign Theme. The winners will be announced at a celebration event on Sept. 2 and will be awarded with a Gladiator® GarageWorks Chillerator® garage refrigerator.

For more information on the Chillerator® garage refrigerator visit www.gladiatorgw.com and for more information on The Art of Recycling: The Coolest Show in Town exhibition, visit www.recyclemyoldfridge.com

About Gladiator® GarageWorks

Gladiator® GarageWorks is the leader in garage organization delivering innovative solutions that allow garage owners to organize their space in a way that suits their individual storage needs. It is the only garage organization system to offer coordinated appliances designed for the harsh garage environment.

Gladiator® GarageWorks offers a Premier pre-assembled line and Ready-to-Assemble line for do-it-yourselfers. Products are available through local garage dealers, retailers including Sears and Lowe's or via www.GladiatorGW.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: angela_m_hersil@whirlpool.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040202/DETU004LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation

CONTACT: Mari Abe, Peppercom for Gladiator® GarageWorks,
+1-212-931-6137, mabe@peppercom.com; or Lou Ann Schafer, Gladiator®
GarageWorks, +1-269-923-6717, Lou_Ann_Schafer@whirlpool.com