On the sustainability front, most people think of UPS’s (NYSE: UPS) efforts to reduce fuel consumption, but the company is involved with larger green initiatives too.
It recognizes that no matter how much fuel it’s able to conserve, or how many hybrid-electric vehicles it puts on the road, UPS will still emit greenhouse gases as part of running its business for some time to come.
Thus, its nonprofit arm, The UPS Foundation, is working to address climate change in a variety of ways, ranging, including a brand new initiative to support forestry projects, climate change education and environmental impact measurement. For example, The UPS Foundation awarded $2 million in grants to help manage and protect forests in urban and rural areas in the US, Belgium, Canada, Brazil and China.
"Preserving the world’s forests is critical to reducing carbon, combating climate change and protecting the planet’s atmosphere," says Ken Sternad, UPS Foundation president. "UPS long has sought to be part of the solution when it comes to the environment, and this combination of financial support and local UPS volunteers continues that commitment."
Sternad points to a study in the journal Science regarding the importance of reforestation. Established and young re-growth forests in the Tropics, the study concludes, soak up almost 15 billion tons of carbon dioxide – about half theemissions from industry, transport and related sources each year.
Environmental sustainability is one of The UPS Foundation’s official philanthropic focus areas. In addition to corporate grants, UPS employees recommend local initiatives worthy of grants, which support organizations around the world.
This round of grants supports urban tree planting in the US and Europe, reforestation in Canada, Brazil and China, and also supports efforts to advance international climate standards and methods to measure greenhouse gases.
- The Nature Conservancy: $500,000 for reforestation projects in Brazil and China, forest conservation in Canada and efforts to advance international climate standards;
- World Resources Institute:$300,000 to advance its "Greenhouse Gas Protocol," which is establishing a world standard for measuring and verifying emissions and country’s commitments to reduce them. The funds will also support their New Ventures program, which matches investors with small businesses in emerging markets.
- Earth Day Network: $235,000 to plant trees in urban areas in the US and Europe, and for an education project on sustainable transportation using biodiesel;
- National Arbor Day Foundation: $150,000 to plant 50.000 trees for reforestation in Canada – in Manitoba and the Boreal Forest of northern Alberta;
- The National Park Foundation: $200,000 for tree planting at the Flight 93 Memorial Project, a 2,200-acre national park in Pennsylvania built to commemorate those lost on September 11.
- Keep America Beautiful: $225,000 for continued support of its Community Improvement Grant program in towns and cities across the US.
The UPS Foundation also awarded grants this year to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, World Wildlife Fund, DonorChoose.org, Student Conservation Association and National Council for Science and the Environment.
This year, The UPS Foundation celebrates its 60th anniversary. In 2010, it gave $95 million in grants worldwide at the local and national levels.
Learn more about UPS and sustainability: www.ups.com/sustainability.
International Sustainability Standards: Pros and Cons
Over the past two decades a growing number of voluntary sustainability initiatives and other multi-stakeholder alliances have emerged to improve the livelihoods of the millions of commodity-dependent producers and manufacturers around the world.
Bringing It Home: Is It Greener to Ship or Buy At the Store?
[sorry this link is no longer available] The sound of that diesel lumbering down the street with all that stopping and starting makes me wonder how much fuel these things use.
Loading...