Environment

Employees, Communities Join Forces to Celebrate Earth Month

Apr 15, 2013 12:00 PM ET

Jacksonville, Fla., April 15, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Thousands of CSX employees will join community partners and non-profit organizations this week to kick off Earth Month celebration with events ranging from cleanup blitzes to tree planting.

“CSX’s activities now and all year long reflect our longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability,” said Skip Elliott, vice president-public safety, health and environment. “CSX’s environmental and business goals are aligned, and that means that we work to reduce our environmental footprint and operate in a responsible way to benefit our customers, employees, shareholders and the communities in which we operate.”

Through this week, CSX will host a series of employee environmental education sessions and an expo. Other activities are planned in Jacksonville and elsewhere on the company’s eastern network:

  • April 20 – Jacksonville, Fla.: CSX employees will volunteer at the 2013 Earth Day & Ecology Fair at the Jacksonville Landing, along with other area businesses. The company will also sponsor the City of Jacksonville’s Earth Day poster contest for children to help raise environmental awareness among these future leaders.
  • April 20 -- Washington, D.C., and Maryland: CSX will again partner with the Anacostia Watershed Society’s annual Earth Day Cleanup & Celebration. More than 2,000 volunteers plan to remove thousands of pounds of trash from 20 sites around the Anacostia Watershed in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
  • Week of April 15, Various Locations: More than 5,000 CSX employees will conduct cleanup blitzes and other beautification across its network including Atlanta, Ga.; Avon, Ind.; Baltimore; Cumberland, Md.; East St. Louis, Ill.; Erwin, Tenn.; Hamlet, N.C.; Hilliard, Ohio; Huntington, W.Va.; Louisville, Ky.; Mobile, Ala.: Nashville, Tenn.; Riverdale, Ill.; Selkirk, N.Y.; Tampa, Fla.; Walbridge, Ohio; and Waycross, Ga.

In conjunction with these cleanups, CSX is partnering with local environmental non-profit organizations to plant trees as part of its “Trees for Tracks” initiative to plant one tree for every one of the 21,000 miles of CSX railroad track.

“Earth Day provides an opportunity for CSX to partner with our communities to demonstrate our collective dedication to the environment by working together on cleanup days and beautification projects,” said Tori Kaplan, assistant vice president, corporate social responsibility. “Throughout the year we continue to promote environmental sustainability with our community programs, volunteer efforts and operational decisions.”

For example, since 1980, CSX has improved its locomotive fleet fuel efficiency more than 90 percent through the use of technology such as ultra-low emission locomotives. The company has invested more than $1.75 billion over the last decade to improve its locomotive fleet fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

After reaching in 2011 its voluntary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions intensity by eight percent – one year ahead of schedule – CSX renewed its goal last year to reduce GHG emissions intensity by an additional six to eight percent by 2020.

CSX has been recognized for its leadership in environmental performance. In 2012, CSX was ranked highly among the following: Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Carbon Disclosure Project Global 500 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, S&P 500 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, and Maplecroft Climate Innovation Leader Index.

For more information on CSX’s commitment to environmental sustainability or to learn how to get involved in local Earth Day activities, visit www.csx.com or www.beyondourrails.com.

About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. CSX’s network connects more than 240 short line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river, and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

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