CSX Celebrates Continued Emphasis on Environmental Stewardship
Jacksonville, Fla. – April 17, 2009 – CSX Corporation (CSX), a leader in environmental advocacy and action, will celebrate Earth Day 2009 at its headquarters and across its rail system with tree plantings, cleanups and educational events that increase environmental awareness and improve the environment.
“While CSX and its 30,000 employees respect the environment every day, Earth Day offers us an annual opportunity to acknowledge our accomplishments, learn something new and renew our commitment to continually increasing our role and responsibility as an environmental steward,” said Skip Elliott, CSX vice president for public safety and environment.
CSX’s Earth Day programs emphasize the environmental stewardship that is consistently practiced and recognized at CSX.
The railroad will kick off the celebration on April 18th by continuing its fifteen-year sponsorship of and participation in the 2009 Earth Day & Ecology Fair in Jacksonville, Florida, its headquarters city.
Next week, employees in Waycross, Georgia; Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; Selkirk, New York; and Nashville, Tennessee will spend a day at their facilities planting trees, cleaning up nearby debris and celebrating the importance of environmental stewardship.
The railroad will also recognize other companies that demonstrate environmental leadership. On April 23, CSX will present its first annual Environmental Awards to customers who have reduced their carbon emissions, alleviated traffic on highways and conserved fossil fuels by shipping freight with CSX.
In addition to the work being done along the network, CSX will sponsor three concurrent lunchtime presentations at its headquarters on native gardening; the work of the St. Johns Riverkeeper, a private, non-profit organization sponsored in part by the railroad; and the City of Jacksonville’s sustainability program.
CSX will cap its Earth Day celebrations with a City Year Service Day in Worcester, Massachusetts on April 25. CSX and City Year will help the City of Worcester kick off a tree planting campaign that will provide long-lasting enjoyment and environmental benefits to the community.
Beyond these annual Earth Day events, CSX’s environmental stewardship and leadership extend across virtually all of its operations.
CSX was the first railroad to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Leaders Program, working closely with the agency to annually inventory and publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions and future emissions reduction plans. CSX was also the charter railroad member of EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which promotes voluntary reductions in fuel consumption and emissions. In 2007, EPA presented CSX with its SmartWay Excellence Award, which recognizes freight carriers that have made significant contributions to protecting the environment.
Since 2000, CSX has invested more than $1 billion to purchase new Tier I and II clean air locomotives, and has upgraded another 1,200 locomotives to further reduce emissions and fuel consumption. Additionally, CSX has entered into innovative public-private partnerships to fund deployment of new GenSet locomotives that dramatically reduce emissions and meet stringent noise level requirements. These actions have helped CSX reduce carbon production by more than 80 percent since 1980.
CSX also has a comprehensive recycling program, reclaiming old equipment and rail for steel content, reusing cross ties as landscape timber, and repurposing a portion of locomotive lube oil for use as an alternative fuel source.
Media interested in covering any of the events may contact TellCSX (1-877-835-5279) for more information.
The calendar of events follows:
Earth Week Calendar of Events
April 18 – Earth Day Celebration Fair
Location: Jacksonville Landing
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The City of Jacksonville, FL will be celebrating its annual Earth Day Celebration Fair at the Jacksonville Landing April 18th from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This event provides an opportunity for North Florida communities to connect with environmental learning opportunities. Businesses, environmental protection groups and other interested parties share a common theme of celebrating and appreciating Earth Day. Free entertainment is also offered throughout the day.
CSX is a corporate sponsor of this year’s Earth Day event at the Landing for the fifteenth consecutive year. CSX Transportation’s (CSXT) Public Safety and Environmental Department will set up and provide information and materials to the public regarding the notable environmental success the company has experienced over the last few years. The CSX information booth will be located west of the main stage.
April 21 – Waycross Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Recycling program kick-off
-- Celebration lunch
April 21-22 – Indianapolis Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Recycling program kick-off
-- Celebration lunch
April 22 – Cincinnati Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Tree planting at entrance of yard
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Recycling program kick-off
-- Celebration lunch
April 22 - Cleveland Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Recycling program kick-off
-- Celebration lunch
April 22 - Selkirk Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Health walk
-- Tree planting
-- Celebration lunch
-- Wildlife, ecological and alternative energy exhibits
April 23 - Nashville Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day Celebration activities include:
-- Clean sweep of the yard
-- Recycling program kick-off
-- Celebration lunch
April 23 – CSX Environmental Awards
The CSX Environmental Awards recognize customers that demonstrate leadership in managing their supply chain in an environmentally responsible manner. These companies are reducing their carbon emissions by shipping via rail with CSX rather than on the highway. Shipping freight by rail is three times more fuel efficient than moving freight on the highway. According to the EPA, freight railroads account for just 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources.
CSX is recognizing 19 customers who together in 2008 avoided over 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions by shipping with CSX. These 19 customers are being recognized because they either led their industry by improving their emissions efficiency in 2008 from the previous year or led their industry in using CSX to reduce their freight emissions.
Today, our nation is focused on leading the global economy back to prosperity and protecting the environment for future generations. The collaborative efforts of CSX and its customers play a key role in both efforts by reducing highway congestion, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining a system of commerce that drives economic growth and provides competitive advantages to American businesses.
April 24 – Earth Day Lunch and Learns
Native Gardener Session
Speaker: Barbara Jackson
Location: CSX Headquarters, Jacksonville, Florida
A native gardener, Ms. Barbara Jackson specializes in natural plantings within the North Florida area. She will present a 45 minute learning awareness seminar on the following:
-- The importance of natural plantings in North Florida
-- The environmental benefits of natural plantings
-- How to plant native species
-- The care required for these plants
Ms. Jackson will have several native plants on display. Each attendee will receive a 4 inch native plant to start a natural garden at home.
St. Johns River Keeper Session
Speaker: Danielle Victoria Dolan
Location: CSX Headquarters, Jacksonville, Florida
St. Johns Riverkeeper is a private, non-profit organization sponsored in part by CSX. St. Johns Riverkeeper works to improve water quality in the St. Johns River and its tributaries, protect critical habitats in the St. Johns River watershed, provide meaningful public access to our waterways, and educate our members and the public about the river and the issues that impact its health.
In a 45 minute presentation, education director Ms. Danielle Victoria Dolan will share a portion of a new video on the St. Johns River and also cover a summary of the new science curriculum about the river being offered this year in North Florida’s community schools.
City of Jacksonville Sustainability Session
Speaker: Derek Igou
Location: CSX Headquarters, Jacksonville, Florida
Mr. Derek Igou has been employed by the City of Jacksonville since 1988 when he was hired as an Engineering Technician with the Regulatory and Environmental Services Department (now Environmental and Compliance Department). He has held several positions with the City including Public Relations Manager, Cable Franchise Manager, Division Chief of the Public Parking Division, and Division Chief of the Property Safety Division. He now serves as the Deputy Director of the Environmental and Compliance Department.
Mr. Igou has been appointed by Mayor John Peyton as the city’s Sustainability Officer and will be speaking on five elements related to Jacksonville’s focus on sustainability:
-- Green Building and Energy Conservation
-- Vehicle Replacement and Operation
-- Materials and Waste Management
-- Water Conservation
-- Sustainable Maintenance Practices (to include education)
April 25 – City Year Service Day
Location: Worcester, MA
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
In one day, you can change a city. CSX and City Year help the City of Worcester kick off the Worcester tree planting campaign.
CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is a leading transportation company providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles with service to 23 eastern states and the District of Columbia, and connects to more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at the Company's web site, www.csx.com.