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April 11, 2007
Because Each Gesture Counts!
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Montreal, April 11, 2007 – A partner in Québec Earth Day for the sixth year in a row, Alcoa is proud of the concrete efforts that its employees make every day to protect the environment. As part of Earth Day, activities linked to the theme of ecocitizenship will be held to raise consciousness regarding energy and/or greenhouse gases (GHGs). Furthermore, the efforts and progress made by the plants in reducing GHGs since the signature of the voluntary reduction agreement with the Government of Quebec in 2002 will be addressed.
Here, in more detail, are the plans proposed by each smelter:
- At Baie-Comeau, the main goal of the public awareness campaign is to enhance the use of public transit to get to the plant. A special bus route will serve Alcoa for Earth Day. If the results are encouraging, the service will be run again for another trial period.
- At Bécancour, the energy committee will deal with conservation at the plant. Hydro-Québec will be present to talk about energy conservation in the home. The Équiterre book on responsible consumption will be distributed.
- At Deschambault, there will be a demonstration of a solar-powered train. In addition, there will be a follow-up on the I do my part! project, which focused on the individual actions that each person can take to reduce personal GHG emissions. A survey will also be conducted among the employees to determine their interest in setting up a bus system for transport to the plant.
Earth Day will also be celebrated in the communities: free public transit will be offered to all by the Bécancour smelter in the RMC of Bécancour, and by the Baie-Comeau smelter in the city of Baie-Comeau. In this city, there are also plans for a draw of an annual pass, for which all participants in the Earth Day activities will be eligible.
April 22 will also mark the beginning of a competition organized by Action RE-buts, in partnership with Alcoa, to raise public awareness of the importance of recovering the wastes that are likely to end up in landfill sites instead of being reused or recycled. There are two parts to this competition: a tool for increasing awareness of the importance of recycling aluminum must be created, as well as a trophy to be awarded to the Alcoa plant with the best performance in reducing greenhouse gases. The competition will end next October, during the Québec Waste Reduction Week.
Because each gesture and each person counts, Alcoa will also offer a public awareness program on energy conservation, called Camp Kilojoue, to children's day camps in the Baie-Comeau, Bécancour and Portneuf areas. The project, carried out in cooperation with the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, will be offered in Baie-Comeau for the second year in a row, with the addition of a new section on climate change (ClimActif). Finally, Alcoa will again be present this year at the National Environment Show, which will be held next June 8 to 10 in the Old Port of Montreal.
"If everyone knows why and how to act, the changes needed for the future will be better accepted, and it will be easier for us as citizens, businesses or a society, to make the right choices, and to really implement sustainable development," said Lise Sylvain, Regional Environment and Sustainability Manager at Alcoa Canada Primary Metals. "That, in my view, is where we should concentrate our actions."
Because every gesture counts, it's time to act … together!
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrapâ foils and plastic wraps, Alcoaâwheels, and Bacoâ household wraps. Among its other businesses are closures, fastening systems, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks.
The company has 123,000 employees in 44 countries and has been named one of the top three most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.
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