Nine conservation projects at Lafarge North America sites across the United States were certified or recertified this year by the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC). Six of these projects fall under WHC’s Wildlife at Work program, which oversees voluntary efforts that go beyond regulatory requirements to restore and conserve wildlife habitats on corporate-owned land. The remaining three projects operate under WHC’s Corporate Lands for Learning certification, which goes a step further by opening up corporate lands to the local community for educational use.
“WHC has been an invaluable partner in helping us fulfill our environmental sustainability goals over the years,” said Craig Campbell, vice president of environment, for Lafarge U.S. “These programs validate our sites’ commitment to operate as integrated, non-disruptive members of the surrounding ecosystem, which is one of the values we hold as stewards of the land. Our commitment to this value and ability to share lessons learned with local students and community groups is a unique opportunity to foster a sustainable cycle of environmental consciousness with long-lasting positive impacts.”
Since 2008, Lafarge has been working with WHC to restore and preserve habitats where they operate through projects that promote the diversity of native plants and animals. The Lafarge programs certified under WHC’s Corporate Lands for Learning also serve as hands-on outdoor classrooms for local schools and community groups.
Examples of these conservation initiatives include planting trees and shrubs to enhance habitats, establishing gardens that attract essential pollinators, mounting bird houses, building brush piles to provide cover for animals, and building and maintaining water supplies. Within Lafarge’s U.S. businesses, we support migratory birds and ecosystems from New Orleans to Upper Michigan and a significant portion of the North East U.S.
WHC works with businesses to translate corporate sustainability goals and objectives into measurable real-world action that address a habitat’s most pressing needs. By building collaboration among corporations, other conservation organizations, government agencies and local residents, WHC conservation programs strive to build healthy ecosystems and connected communities. With the addition of these certified and recertified projects, Lafarge and WHC now operate a total of 25 programs in 10 states across the U.S.
WHC-Certified or Recertified Projects for 2014:
- Alpena Plant and Paxton Quarry, Alpena, Mich.
- Ravena Plant, Ravena, N.Y.
- Whitehall Cement Plant, Whitehall, Pa
- Lordstown Construction Recovery, Warren, Ohio
- Honey Island Aggregates, Pearl River, La.
- Muskegon Terminal, Muskegon, Mich.
- Sun City Aggregates, Sun City, Ariz.