Building a better planet towels are given to a local animal shelter. In addition to a monthly newsletter, the team has an internal website and a network of “champions” in nearly every building who monitor recycling containers and serve as employee contacts. But good communications is only one part of the picture, said Alyssa Duarte-Reinagel, a systems manager with Defense, Space & Security who helped launch the site’s broader recycling efforts in 2003. “You need to come with ideas, suggestions and solutions for what needs to be done; you can’t just complain about something,” she said. Duarte-Reinagel and other team members say BEEP is an example of how one employee, with persistence and commitment, can make a difference. “When I hear people say, ‘We can’t change things,’ ” she said, “I point to the blue recycling containers all around the site and say, ‘Actually, you can.’ ” n patrick.a.summers@boeing.com The passion and commitment of employees around the company will continue to play a critical role as Boeing implements plans and strategies to meet aggressive new environmental goals, according to leaders of the company’s environmental activities. Boeing is committed to zero growth in the environmental footprint of its operations during a time when much of the company’s core business is expected to experience continued strong growth and expansion, said Terry Mutter, Boeing’s environmental strategy leader. “Zero footprint growth doesn’t mean we stay where we are—far from it,” he said. Indeed, to achieve zero growth in greenhouse gas emissions and other key environmental measures, such as water use and the amount of nonhazardous waste sent to landfills, “We will need double-digit improvements in efficiency across all of our operations,” Mutter said. Last year, Boeing successfully met its first five-year environmental targets, which included reductions of 9 percent in carbon dioxide emissions, 2 percent in water use, 3 percent in energy use, 36 percent in waste sent to landfills and 18 percent in hazardous waste generation. Employee-led projects were critical to this success, Mutter said. “We all have an opportunity to make a measurable difference,” he said. “Every day, Boeing employees build a better planet by identifying ways to reduce waste, improve processes and drive environmental considerations into their daily work.” n PHOTOS: Clayton Maxwell (top left) recycles bubble wrap at the St. Louis site, where employees have led efforts to collect many items for recycling, including old personal videotapes (top middle) and plastic bottles—even old athletic shoes (near left), which are recycled into a surface material used on playgrounds and athletic fields. BY THE NUMBERS The story of Boeing’s environmental improvements in its operations over the past five years, told in part through reductions in categories such as these: 36% less waste sent to landfills 18% less hazardous waste generation 9% fewer carbon dioxide emissions 3% less energy use 2% less water use Frontiers February 2014 33
Frontiers February 2014 Issue
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