Global Month of Service gets green
Global Month of Service gets green
In honor of Earth Day 2021, Collins Aerospace employees around the world found creative ways to come together to care for the environment. Earth Day activities were part of a larger volunteer campaign for April’s Global Month of Service organized by our parent company, Raytheon Technologies.
We’ve been busy on a number of fronts:
Beach time
In China, we teamed up with sister company Pratt & Whitney and our community partner Shanghai Rendu Ocean to help keep beach debris from drifting out to sea. Volunteers, including employee family members of all ages, collected, sifted and sorted through more than 225 kilograms (nearly 500 pounds) of debris along Nanhuizui beach in Lingang, Shanghai.
Collins volunteer Qunhua Qi was surprised to learn how much litter can end up in the ocean and threaten sea life: “I am glad to participate in the beach cleanup activity and make my contribution to protect our planet,” said Qi. “More people can help, too, starting with [simple things] like not littering and … following garbage classification rules.”
Clearing a path
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, our volunteers recently visited the Indian Creek Nature Center to help remove damaged structures, including a vacant butterfly hoop house, hit hard by the “derecho” storms of 2020. Clearing the structures makes way for new plant growth, something that’s sure to bring back the butterflies, bees and other resident wildlife.
"It is crucial to preserve these parks, resources, and programs not only to educate future generations but also to protect and help nurture the animal and insect species that call this their home."
Ashley Shipp, engineering project assistant
Waste not
At our site in Bangalore, India, we held a virtual “Be a WASTE Warrior” event to promote eco-friendly ways to manage everyday household waste – an ongoing initiative we’re working on with NGO partner Saahas at nearby Bannerghatta Biological Park.
Amit Sawarkar, who manages CSR programs for Collins in the region, says managing household waste is a common problem for many municipalities, but creating awareness is key. “The majority of solutions start with us. By educating our employees about the importance of this issue and sharing strategies they can use in their own homes, we’re able to make a real difference.”
More trees, please
Our Jeffersonville, Indiana, site supported the Arbor Day Foundation’s reforestation efforts to plant 5,000 new trees along the Econfina Creek and Chipola River watersheds in northwestern Florida – two areas devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
These events were part of our company’s overall work in social responsibility, which includes initiatives to improve food security, STEM education, donating school supplies and helping with community vaccination drives.
