CannedWater4Kids (CW4K) and INX International Ink Co. have joined forces to send a rush delivery of drinking water to help in the Hurricane Harvey disaster relief efforts. A truckload of 52,800, 12-ounce cans of fresh, purified water is scheduled to arrive today at a Red Cross Distribution Center near Houston.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall for the first time on August 25 and landed a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast of Texas. A multiple-day event, the Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds was the most powerful hurricane to hit the US in more than a decade. Damage caused by the high winds, torrential rains and record flooding displaced more than 30,000 people and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.
The effects of Hurricane Harvey will impact southeast Texas for a long time. Fortunately, humanitarian efforts from companies including CW4K and INX are helping the efforts in Texas.
“This is the first of many truckloads we hope to send,” said Greg Stromberg, CannedWater4Kids water charity CEO. “Without hesitation, we helped. It was the right thing to do because clean, safe drinking water is a valuable resource. One doesn’t realize how valuable until it is gone.”
“We are doing our part as good corporate citizens,” remarked Renee Schouten, director of marketing for INX. “It is important to be there for people, in good times and in bad. Providing clean water to communities enduring a crisis will aid in recovery and hopefully give some sense of comfort to those in need.”
Added Stromberg, “Coordinating and financing the water delivery was a team effort. We couldn’t have done it without the help of INX International and the Red Cross organization. Their help and support was incredible.”
CW4K is no stranger to disaster relief. Whether it was the earthquakes in Japan and Haiti, Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey in 2012, or help for the lead-contaminated municipal water supply in Flint, MI, the 501c3 charity was there with clean, safe drinking water packaged in 12-ounce aluminum beverage cans.
"This is a major step forward in our environmental efforts to reduce CO?emissions and make us less dependent on fossil fuels," says Johan Jonsson, Head of Södra Skogsplantor.
The process to changeover Södra's nursery in Flåboda to fossil-free operation commenced three years ago. The goal has now been achieved, with boilers fuelled with vegetable oils, greenhouses heated by four pellet boilers, green electricity generated by Södra's pulp mills and vehicles that run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
When one thinks of leaders in sustainability, it’s unlikely thoughts would turn to a 200-year-old company. But a company’s age doesn’t always mean “old-school.” Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States, is a gold standard example of a company that has built sustainability into the DNA of its business. With a passion for the environment and ingenuity, Monadnock has developed a portfolio of award-winning and sustainably advantaged fine printing, packaging and technical papers. All Monadnock printing and packaging papers are FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified (FSC C018866) and manufactured using 100% renewable, carbon neutral Green-e certified wind-powered electricity, all under a third-party certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. “We’re proud that our commitment to sustainability has yielded appreciable, measurable and verified environmental impact reductions,” says Monadnock Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard G. Verney. “Monadnock’s ISO 14001 certification demonstrates our holistic approach to educate the marketplace and supply the world’s leading brands with sustainable materials.”
By giving economic value to forests, we can enhance our sustainability efforts as well as our business. That was Domtar CEO John D. Williams’ message at a New York University Stern School of Business event in March. NYU’s Center for Sustainable Business hosted leading academics, investors, corporate sustainability executives and nonprofit leaders to discuss how companies assess sustainability ROI (return on investment). “If we don’t have sustainable forests, we have no business,” Williams says. Domtar recognized this years ago, and we were early adopters of sustainability standards and third-party certification. At the event, Emily Chasan, sustainable finance editor at Bloomberg News, asked Williams several questions about how companies can identify, track and monetize sustainability returns driven by innovation, operational efficiency, employee engagement, brand enhancement and risk mitigation, and how those efforts can lead to better decision-making by the C-suite and investors. Click Read More below for additional detail.