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September 30, 2008
Alcoa’s communities come under spotlight
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Alcoa’s commitment to its local communities and the environment will resonate in Australia during October when its national workforce - from the Managing Director to more than 2,000 employees and contractors – participate in the Alcoa Foundation’s Worldwide Month of Service.
Launched on Wednesday 1 October, Worldwide Month of Service is a global Alcoa program devised to dedicate a whole month each year to celebrate and encourage volunteering.
A packed event schedule across the company’s eight locations will see Alcoa’s people dedicate time to making a practical and positive difference in their communities by, amongst other initiatives, planting trees, reducing their environmental footprint, riding to work, coaching sporting teams, promoting school safety and enhancing good corporate governance in the not-for-profit sector.
Members of the Australian workforce will join an estimated 47,000 people in 36 countries as part of the initiative, which was first launched in 2006 and is now an annual event around the globe which is undertaken to motivate employee involvement in community service and volunteerism, and promote behaviour which supports environmental sustainability.
“Alcoa is a crucial partner within the communities in which we operate and volunteering is integral to the culture of our business, to who we are and what we stand for,” said Managing Director Alan Cransberg.
“We are also committed to tackling climate change, and our workforce is showing a great commitment in that area too.
“Month of Service is our time to emphasize our support for our employees’ voluntary work, our volunteers are making a very real difference to their individual communities, and ultimately to people’s lives.”
Alcoa’s position as a leader in the climate change challenge is reflected in this year’s Carbon Crunch theme, where employees are encouraged to become part of the solution to climate change by improving their greenhouse footprint via two innovative programs created in partnership with Greening Australia - Make an Impact and Breathe Easy*.
Alcoa has also organised a series of Carbon Crunch workshops which will be held at each of Alcoa’s nine sites in Australia, aimed at educating and building awareness about personal responsibility in this area.
During Alcoa’s Month of Service in 2007, 12,370 trees were planted, 1,734 tonnes of greenhouse gas was saved, more than 18,000 children were assisted and 187 schools were positively impacted. This October, Alcoa aims to increase volunteer participation in Month of Service by a further 10 per cent from last year, across all of its nine operations around Australia.
Alcoa’s Month of Service is an initiative of the Alcoa Foundation. The Alcoa Foundation proactively supports and encourages employee volunteering through two programs which match employee time with community grants, ACTION and Bravo!
Visit www.alcoa.com.au/monthofservice
Media Contact: Ruth Gourley - 0434 330 384
Editors Note:
*Make an Impact
Make an Impact is a greenhouse footprint reduction program for the families of Alcoa employees and their immediate communities. The program includes access to a greenhouse calculator and an online energy centre featuring a range of tips on how to lower energy and water consumption and more effectively manage waste. For further information on this go to: http://www.alcoa.com/australia/en/info_page/makeanimpact_overview.asp
*Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy is a premium carbon offset product that provides one innovative solution to the climate change problem. More information can be found at http://www.breatheeasynow.com.au/html/
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