In 3 Words
Make an Impact, a program to help you save energy, save money, and save the planet, is coming to an area near you! We'd love your help to kick things off by showing what individuals in the community are doing to live sustainably and conserve energy.
Take a fun photo or video of yourself (or with your friends, family, pets, anyone!) making a positive environmental impact and send it to MakeAnImpact@c2es.org. We’ll email you back to confirm your details and get your permission to use your submission.
The photo should feature a white page with three words that help tell your story. Be creative!
Saving Trees
Save your documents electronically; don't print unless you have to. If everyone practiced this, it would help lessen the impact of cutting down trees and destroying part of the environment’s natural eco-system. We are beginning to implement a new paperless on-line gauging system for our operation sketches to save on paper waste. I also avoid printing my e-mails at home to try to stay as paperless as possible. Taking these steps to reduce paper waste is just one way we can all have make a positive impact on the environment.
Paul Calabrese, Process Engineer, Alcoa Howmet - Winsted
Helping the Community
Recycle toner cartridges whenever possible. I feel it’s both easy and important to recycle toner cartridges to keep the environment clean. At home, I donate used ink cartridges from my printer to my daughter’s daycare. They recycle the old cartridges for money that is used for families who cannot afford childcare in our community.
Ron Breen, Coolant Coordinator, Alcoa Howmet - Winsted
Save Green
Use one apron a day and reuse when you can. I reuse my apron to save the Company money. I feel it’s important in these tough economic times to save money where you can. Reusing aprons also means less non bio-degradables in our landfills. At home I reuse and recycle as much as I can to try to do my part in helping out the environment.
Darren Paine, Machine Operator, Alcoa Howmet - Winsted
Light the Way
We have been lighting the way by replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. The incandescent light bulb has changed very little since its invention. Fluorescent lighting consumes less energy, and produces less wasteful heat; that equals a savings in energy cost. Although household lighting is a small portion of overall energy consumption, the availability of efficient lighting is still a good idea, and does equal to cost savings when combined with other energy saving efforts.
Robert A. Moses, Alcoa Tennessee Operations
Together We Can Make An Impact
“'Make an Impact' provides the tools for Alcoa’s employees and the local community to manage their individual carbon footprint, reduce their energy costs, and become part of the solution to global climate change. It is a great example of what can be achieved by individuals.
I know that individually we can make a difference, and together we can make an impact."
Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa CEO and President, New York
Dare to Recycle
Recycling is very important for Chiya and me. We feel it is the least we can do to “Make An Impact” and reduce our carbon footprint. Every Saturday we make our weekly trip to the local dump and separate all of our trash and recyclables. Chiya is very well known and gets many treats from all the workers.
Gina Lestage, Payroll/Administrative Assistant, Alcoa Howmet - Winsted
Impact with Compact
With our economy at risk, our planet at stake, and our power rates increasing by 20%, it only made sense to find ways to help in our own household. Not only did we want to help the energy crisis, we wanted to teach our daughter how to be responsible with energy for her future. We made a trip to Home Depot to buy compact fluorescent bulbs, and worked together to change every light in the house. Our home is now brighter, cooler, and our energy bill costs less each month! Let’s all make an impact and teach our children to be smart with energy.
Jeremie Weiss, Alcoa Tennessee Operations, Electrical Apprentice
Hybrids Help Humanity
We have a hybrid vehicle and use it as much as possible. A more fuel-efficient vehicle will generate fewer greenhouse gases over the same travel distance and this allows people to reduce total emissions even further. Our other vehicle is not a hybrid but we plan to replace it with a hybrid when needed. When we got our Toyota Prius a few years ago, we had to wait many months for it to be available to us. I am glad to now know that they are more readily available to all customers.
Barb Grabowski, GBS-NAIS, ABSC
Simply Sunny Solutions
We installed a 15W solar panel, a deep cycle battery and an inverter to 'experiment' with solar power. It has worked so well that it has been powering the lights (CFL) in our family room where we spend most of our time. Our plan is to get a DC power heater to help supplement our natural gas heating this winter. This will save us some money while maintaining our comfort!
Mark Lasich, Alcoa Technical Center (ATC)
Plastic Bags Gonzo!
Lisa Pepka of EBS Business Operations is making an impact by recycling, reducing and reusing. “I have always recycled, reduced and reused as much as I could. All of our household plastic, metal, glass, cardboard, batteries, CDs, printer cartridges, light bulbs and paper is recycled. This year (2008) we made a New Years Resolution to stop using plastic grocery bags and take with us our reusable grocery bags. Even during shopping trips we make the extra effort to go back to the car to get our reusable bags if we have forgot to bring them in with us to the store. I have even requested that Giant Eagle post some signs in the parking lot to remind shoppers to bring them in with them.
My children love the recycling concept and my son even started to get his class to recycle their paper because he noticed the paper recycling bin in the school parking lot placed there by the municipality. I also take the kids and the wagon up and down our street a few times a year and collect the trash and bottles and cans thrown out by others and we happily recycle them! Our neighbors stop and thank us as they drive by.
So far we have converted friends and family into using green bags for grocery shopping. I buy the bags for them and ask if they will use them. It has worked!”
Pictured: Nolan and Meredith Pepka
Lisa Pepka, EBS Business Operations
