Environment

The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery recently received the Industry Award at the 15th annual Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Awards Banquet at the American Bank Center. The Coastal Bend Bays Foundation presented the award to CITGO in recognition of the refinery’s efforts to reduce waste generation and air emissions.

How about today? Is it still true that the natural world exists independently from human influence? Or, on the other hand, maybe human constructs have become so pervasive that our impacts are seen in every corner of the globe.

The final conservation piece is in place to permanently protect Fairlawn Plantation in north Mount Pleasant, closing the door on development there and allowing the land to be added to the Francis Marion National Forest.

Boeing, Mercedes-Benz Vans, the S.C. State Ports Authority, and now the state Commerce Department all played a role in conserving the site as part of their mitigation plans.

Consumers Energy is taking input from the public as it develops a long-range plan that will help ensure Michigan continues to be powered by affordable, reliable and clean energy. Consumers Energy is developing an Integrated Resource Plan that will serve as a valuable guide for actions for the next 15 years.

The town of Cabeza de Toro sits about five hours south of Lima, in the agricultural heart of Peru. For the past decade, this agricultural center has been home to the Manantial de Vida (Spring of Life) Dairy Services Cooperative. Today, this farmer-owned cooperative produces and collects milk to feed Peru’s growing population, while simultaneously providing dairy farmers in the region with a viable income.

Sustainability —doing the right thing for people, planet and our own long-term business viability— is part of who we are at Avery Dennison. It’s an ethic that stems from our founder Stan Avery himself, who set the course and tone for our company more than eight decades ago.

Look inside the Kohler Waste Lab, where we’re asking how industrial waste can be kept out of landfills and transformed into something of value. The Waste Lab’s sole purpose is to imagine and create new uses for clean manufacturing waste. Currently we’re working with foundry dust and sand, green cull, and enamel powder to make kitchen and bathroom tile. But that’s just the beginning. Explore the lab and see what we’re working on at wastelab.kohler.com.

In Weledi, a town located 330 km from the capital city of Addis Ababa, Bechtel experts in partnership with the local government, NGOs, and community; and Engineers Without Borders, worked together to strengthen the resilience of the community against future health hazards that arose from water contamination.

In this issue: World Agroforestry Centre's scientists presented their research findings on the impact of agriculture on climate at COP23; Tony Bartlett discusses the effects agroforestry has had on Northwest Viet Nam; and ICRAF works with Indonesian farmers to cultivate sandalwood as part of the Indonesia Rural Economic Development project. Plus, upcoming events, new videos and publications, and more.

The days of the linear economy are numbered. Businesses the world over are finding innovation and growth by striking out in a circular direction. More than simply doing “less bad,” we are seeing the advent of regenerative practices and net positive solutions – and that gives me hope.