On December 1, 2009, the Midwest learned a little about the Far East.  Jeff Weatherly, Group Environmental Compliance Director for the Soil Pipe/Plumbing Divisions of McWane, gave a PowerPoint presentation on China to the sixth grade at Marshfield Junior High in Marshfield, Missouri.  There were 222 students in all, broken up into six groups over the course of the day.   Krista Stone, sixth grade social studies teacher, commented about her students, "They hear me talking about it and they read about it in their books, but to hear it from someone who has spent a great deal of time there made it more relevant to them."

The presentation covered Jeff's travel experiences in China, the country itself, its people, the language, environmental concerns, the Great Wall, and fun facts about China.   Sixth grader Noah R. said that he enjoyed the fun facts and learning more about the Great Wall.  Jeff also introduced the students to a few words in Mandarin (Chinese) - hello, how are you?, goodbye, and thank you.  The presentation reinforced what they have learned in class such as Chinese inventions such as gun powder, paper, compass, cross-bow, wheelbarrow, and ice cream.

Tyler Pipe donated pens and notepads for each student and many took notes during the presentation.   Each student also received a souvenir brass coin purchased by Jeff while in China, which is a replica currency from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).   The coin is considered to be "good luck."

Students learned of the environmental challenges for air quality, water quality, and waste management that impact the Chinese quality of life.   The number one ranked polluted city in the world is often listed as Linfen, China, where air quality for 3,000,000 residents is heavily polluted from coal mining/processing and other industrial activities.

Jeff oversees the environmental aspects at McWanes Tyler Xianxian facility in China.  October 2009 marked Jeff's 20^th trip to China in support of the Tyler Xianxian operation since its construction in 2004.

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