CSX 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Highlights: Investing in Communities

Nearly 190 years of operations have informed, and transformed, CSX’s approach to citizenship. Today, the company holds a high standard of care in the communities we serve along both sides of our network’s 21,000 miles. CSX focuses its outreach efforts in four key areas that align with the business while also meeting real societal needs: safety, community, environment, and health and wellness.

In 2014, CSX invested a total of $18 million in community organizations across those focus areas, which included more than $15 million in grants, sponsorships, and matching programs and more than $2 million in real estate. CSX employees also live out personal commitments to giving back. In 2014, CSX employees logged 24,971 volunteer hours through independent volunteering and 19 company organized service events. More than 70 CSX leaders serve on non-profit boards throughout the network.

Focus on: Safety

Because of the nature of our business, safety is at the core of our community programs. As urbanization trends continue, the importance of rail safety increases with a greater numbers of people living near active railroad operations. CSX works to prevent injuries and accidents through education, programming and advocacy at all levels. CSX’s “Play It Safe” campaign uses a partnership with NASCAR to raise awareness of safety around railroads. Ultimately the safest crossing is a closed crossing, and last year CSX closed 247 crossings throughout the network.

Focus on: Community

The CSX network serves nearly two-thirds of the American population, with track stretching across 23 states. We have a responsibility to help improve issues important to the success of the communities we serve, beyond our rails. Major issues that affect communities across the network include the need for promoting youth leadership development.  For the past 20 years, CSX and national youth service organization City Year have partnered to support education-focused efforts to help reduce student drop-out rates in our nation’s schools. Beyond work with national partners, CSX provides funding to local organizations through an online grant program. Local councils of employees who live and work in the community evaluate the opportunities as they are able to bring a personal, hyper-local understanding of the critical issues facing their communities.

Focus on: Environment

CSX recognizes the importance of preserving and protecting the environment, now and for the generations that follow; as such, we are committed to continually improving our environmental impact. As part of this commitment, CSX’s Trees for Tracks program – in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation – aimed to plant a tree for every mile of track by 2018 through tree planting events that activate CSX employees. This goal was achieved sooner than expected and Trees for Tracks is now working to achieve a new goal of planting an additional 21,000 trees by the end of 2018.

Focus on: Wellness

The CSX commitment to wellness extends well past the rails and into the community. The CSX wellness program strives to make the lives of employees and the people around them healthier.  Within communities, CSX believes that creating healthier school environments will nurture a stronger cohort of kids with better eating and fitness habits. Through work with Action for Healthy Kids, 287 schools across 12 states were awarded School Grants for Healthy Kids in the 2014-2015 school year through the support of CSX funding. In addition, a longstanding partnership with the Conservation Fund has enabled work to address the food gap by offering grants to distribute healthy and fresh food to CSX communities. These efforts draw on our partner’s access to local community organizations and leverage CSX capabilities to deliver food where it’s needed.

Read more at www.CSXCSR.com.