A unique partnership between Alcoa and a Texas facility for special-needs adults provides trees for mine reclamation efforts and gainful employment for the facility's residents.
Alcoa's Sandow and Three Oaks mines produce lignite coal for the generating station that provides power to Alcoa's aluminum smelting plant in Rockdale, Texas. The mines have ongoing reclamation efforts, and Sandow Mine has planted more than a half million trees since the early 1980s. In 1998, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining recognized the mine as the best in the United States for mining reclamation.
In November 2002, Alcoa began purchasing more than 50,000 seedlings annually from Down Home Ranch for use in its reclamation efforts at Sandow and Three Oaks mines. The facility has an established greenhouse operation, called DHR Gardens, and the Alcoa project will provide employment opportunities for the ranch's growing resident population. In addition, the ranch plans to grow additional trees and shrubs for sale to landscapers.
"We have wanted to go into the tree and shrub business, and the agreement with Alcoa has facilitated this," said Dr. Jerry Horton, founder and director of Down Home Ranch. "One of the things we're learning about partnerships with industry is that they can go beyond just talk and become working relationships that provide jobs and income. With Alcoa, we're providing high-quality products that will be used for the betterment of the community. It's a good collaboration."
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Sandow Mine
The Alcoa Sandow Mine is nationally recognized for its commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, and land reclamation.
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Down Home Ranch
Down Home Ranch is a rural, self-reliant community for special-needs adults.
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