Growing concern around the environmental impacts of climate change and rising energy costs has prompted many to question what they can do to take action in their daily lives.
In what is believed to be a first for corporate America, aluminium company Alcoa and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change have launched a unique new program to help find the answers.
Make an Impact provides the tools for Alcoa's employees and the local community to manage their individual carbon footprint, reduce their energy costs, and become part of the solution to global climate change.
The Make an Impact program includes:
Pew Center President Eileen Claussen applauded the project, “We often think that solutions to climate change and energy costs can come only from business and government. But everyone needs to play their part - and through our partnership with the Alcoa Foundation - we are making that possible.
“We expect this program to serve as the benchmark on personal carbon accounting across business and the community and we look forward to sharing it with our business partners in the near future.”
Alcoa CEO Klaus Kleinfeld said that this was a part of a global leadership position on addressing climate change and in addition to Alcoa reducing emissions inside its operations 33% from a 1990 base, Alcoa Foundation had invested over $8 million in community-driven climate change projects in the last year.
“Climate change is the most critical sustainability issue of our time and to make a real difference we all need to take action - on all fronts and at all levels, individually and together, said Mr Kleinfeld.
“Our 97,000 employees are finding new ways to meet this challenge every day and our product is also playing key role – not only can aluminum be recycled endlessly - taking only 5% of the energy needed to make new metal - but it is also reducing fuel use in transport by making lighter vehicles.”
“By providing our employees and neighbours the tools to understand and manage their environmental impact, we support them in being part of the solution to global climate change. Because as individuals we can all make a difference, but by working together, we can really make an impact.”
The Make an Impact program builds on the success of the program developed in Australia in 2006 through an Alcoa Foundation partnership with Greening Australia.
Make an Impact will kick off in the US on September 18th and initially be introduced at nine Alcoa locations from Washington to Pittsburgh, with plans to take the program elsewhere to other US locations and beyond.
To find out more visit www.alcoa.com/makeanimpact.
Pew is no longer active in this line of work, but for more information, visit the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions site.