March 1, 2007
Alcoa volunteers help local artists
Alcoa Australia Rolled Products employees from Yennora helped Western Sydney artists show off their talents at the Asian Trade and Cultural Showcase in Parramatta.
The Yennora employees volunteered to set up the art exhibition. As well as a helping hand from the volunteers, the ArtsWest community arts organisation received an Alcoa Foundation grant of $3800 to subsidise the exhibition.
 
Honorary Chairperson of ArtsWest Jeremy Wright said he was delighted with the grant and volunteer support.  “Alcoa’s support has helped us to fulfil our mission to promote, support and lobby for arts and cultural activities in Greater Western Sydney, and to enrich local communities via business engagement with the arts,” he said.
 
Exhibiting artists included Vandana Ram, Bonita Ely, David Cubby, Christopher Tozer, Vijaygiri Gauswami and Shen Wednesday.
 
Alcoa ARP Yennora Operations Manager, John Costley, said volunteering was an important part of Alcoa’s commitment to building stronger communities. “It was great to see so many of our employees helping out at this event. It not only benefits ArtsWest, but it also gives us the opportunity to learn more about our community and to contribute in a practical way,” said Mr Costley.
 
The evening had a Lunar New Year theme and included performances by Chinese folk singer Dong Ning and the Sydney Youth Dragon and Lions dance troupe. 
 
The Asian Trade and Cultural Showcase was organised by the Asia Business Connection, an organisation dedicated to promoting opportunities in Asia to Western Sydney businesses.  Tourism Australia Chairman and former Minister for Trade, Tim Fischer, was guest speaker.  Guests included Parramatta Mayor Clr David Borger and key Alcoa Australia Rolled Products customers.
 
Contact details:
Josephine Parrett
02 9681 9554 or 0404 800 542
 
Background
ArtsWest facilitates partnerships between Western Sydney artists and cultural organisations, and the business community.
 
ACTION (Alcoans Coming Together in Their Neighbourhoods) is a program developed by the Alcoa Foundation to recognise the collective efforts of Alcoans in communities where they live and work.  The Foundation rewards initiatives where 10 or more Alcoans choose to volunteer their time working together on a special community project.
 
Each Alcoa Foundation project not only receives over 50 hours of labour, but a US$3000 cheque to assist in sustaining their services into the future.
 
Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that actively invests in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide. With more than $410 million invested since our inception in 1952, Alcoa Foundation has positioned itself as a source of positive community change and enhancement. Out of that legacy has emerged a set of strengths and competencies that reflect community aspirations and needs around the world.
 
Alcoa ARP at Yennora is Australia's largest recycler of aluminium products, recycling about 70,000 tonnes per year, including 550 million cans. Around 90% of aluminium fabricated at Yennora is from recycled material.
 
Recycling aluminium plays a critical role in addressing the global greenhouse gas challenge – it takes five percent of the energy required to recycle aluminium as it does to produce it.

As a product, aluminium is also part of the solution for the greenhouse challenge.  Alcoa researchers have forecasted that with global projections for the use of aluminium in cars and trucks and the numbers of vehicles in use, aluminium will increasingly become part of the global climate change solution with the industry reaching a climate neutral state by 2017.   This means the global warming impacts of aluminium production will be fully offset by the amount of carbon dioxide emissions saved by the use of aluminium in the transportation industry.  Today’s motor vehicles use aluminium in engine parts, panels, electronic systems and wheels.  An average aluminium part is 40-50 per cent lighter than a steel part and every 10 per cent reduction in weight leads to a 6-8 percent improvement in fuel economy.  Less fuel means less emissions and every kilogram of aluminium used in a car can reduce CO2 emissions by 20 kilograms over the life of the vehicle.