Alcoa Foundation
Through a partnership between Alcoa Foundation and Earthwatch, Alcoa employees work alongside Earthwatch scientists on critical environmental research projects around the world – helping to unlock solutions to some of the biggest sustainability challenges of our time.
During this 10-year partnership with Earthwatch, nearly 150 Alcoa employees have contributed almost 9,000 research hours to study climate change, water issues and sustainability all over the world.
Alcoa employees representing its global businesses in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Jamaica, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Suriname, the United Kingdom and the United States are contributing to critical environmental research projects at the Guyrá Farm, Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protected Area, in Brazil, Churchill Northern Studies Center in Canada and Dinghushan Nature Reserve in China.
Meet the 2012 Alcoa Earthwatch Fellows and follow the blog on www.alcoa.com/earthwatch, where they will post videos, photos and stories about their experiences.
For one week, Alcoa Fellows work alongside scientists and participate in facilitated learning sessions to expand their knowledge of how environmental issues relate to their life, communities and Alcoa as a business.
Upon return, they are also expected to share their knowledge and experiences from the field with their colleagues and create an action project to enhance the environment in their local community. In addition to contributing to the knowledge needed to build a sustainable future, this hands-on support for scientific fieldwork provides employees a rich understanding of global environmental challenges and how individual daily behaviours, both at work and at home, can contribute to a more sustainable future.
President of Alcoa Foundation, Paula Davis said “Earthwatch expeditions provide a unique experience for Alcoa employees from around the world to work together with real scientists on meaningful environmental projects in our key regions and then bring their learning’s back to their colleagues and communities. Our partnership with Earthwatch Institute is a compelling way to engage our people and advance our goals around the environment and education.”
CEO and president of Earthwatch, Ed Wilson said “We’re proud to celebrate our ten-year anniversary of partnership with Alcoa Foundation. This upcoming experience will surely enhance the employees’ knowledge and passion for the environment; help them appreciate the need for scientific research so that we can help inform proper environmental management; and instill a strong understanding of, and appreciate for, corporate responsibility.”