G r eat A m er ica n Cle a nu p // 201 2 Re p ort
Dow Commits to Corporate Volunteerism
partn e r p rofile
Employee Volunteerism Nearly Doubles in 2012
The Dow Chemical Company demonstrated once again its commitment to making a difference in communities where it has a presence by nearly doubling the number of employee volunteers engaged in Great American Cleanup initiatives in 2012.
In total, more than 1,000 Dow employees volunteered in 59 GAC events across 18 states. Events varied from cleanups to recycling initiatives to beautification and education activities. Moreover, in recognizing the importance of engaging and developing young people as environmental stewards, the company launched a pilot Dow College Cleanup Pilot Program. (See page 36.) Dow employees appreciated the expanded number and timing of the GAC projects, and felt that directing dollars to local events had a catalytic effect in participating communities. The City of Hayward, Calif., sponsored a citywide Keep Hayward Clean and Green event with the help of Dow employee Denise Berube. After Dow volunteers cleaned up South Hayward, they enjoyed a city-sponsored barbeque for the more than 400 volunteers who participated.
Dow AgroSciences in Kaumakani, Hawaii, partnered with The Friends of Kamalani and Lydgate Park to clean up two sections of Ke Ala Hele Makalae in Lydgate Park. Volunteers cleared ironwood needles and 340 pounds of waterlogged driftwood from the Keiki Pond. Dow Chemical volunteers from the Ringwood, Ill., site, led by Cheryl Dawson and Karen Wilkins, worked in conjunction with the Fox Waterway Agency (FWA) to collect 500 pounds of trash and debris for the second year in a row. Volunteers worked along the roadway crossing the channel as well as from a barge provided by the FWA. Several people collected trash from small islands and wetlands in the lake area as well as along the shores of the channel between Petite Lake and Bluff Lake.
NEWARK, DE
Also in California, Dow Pittsburg Operations partnered with Keep Pittsburg (Calif.) Beautiful to clean up Kirker Creek, which runs along the Pittsburg-Antioch Highway. Volunteers removed three truckloads of trash from an illegal dump site and an additional two truckloads of trash from the creek bed. The majority of volunteers were students from Pittsburg High School. The Christina Conservancy partnered with Dow Electronic Materials’ employees from Newark, Del., to volunteer at the Christina River Watershed Cleanup. Approximately 800 community and corporate volunteers cleaned up nearly 20 tons of trash and other debris from along the Christina River and its tributaries.
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