Goin' Green Apple

Two years ago, I never would have considered myself an environmentalist. I took long showers, threw most everything in the trash and found fuel efficiency to be secondary to speed. Now I haven't given up red meet or bought a Terra Pass, but I do make a more conscious effort to be good to my planet. Since I have moved to New York City, I ride public transit almost 95% of the time, recycle half of my trash and have shortened my showers. All small steps to lessen my impact. But, is there more I can do?

As a FedEx team member, I have been inspired by the efforts of the company to become more efficient and environmentally-conscious. Every day, as I hear about more solar panels, hybrid trucks, green server farms and forest certified papers, I see a corporation looking for ways to save money and reduce our impact on the globe. Team members are catching on, too, switching from Styrofoam cups from break rooms, carpooling to work and double-printing presentations. But they are asking the same question I am: "What more can we do?"

FedEx has been a leader in community service since the day the company began, giving of its resources and people to support the communities where we live and work. More recently, FedEx team members in markets around the globe have been using their time and money to improve the planet, investing in groups such as the Wolf River Conservancy in Memphis, the Conservation Corps in Los Angeles, and the City Parks Foundation in New York City. Globally, operations in Canada, China and Mexico have also been finding ways to educate students about the environment, clean up parks and plant trees, all in the name of a healthier planet.

This weekend, I'll be joining those efforts through the Green Apple Festival in New York City, building a rainwater harvesting system and schoolyard garden in Brooklyn on Friday and then installing a green roof in Red Hook on Saturday. As a sponsor of the Green Apple Festival, FedEx is engaging hundreds of team members in Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to make a positive impact on their planet. It's helping each of us take the next step to do more for our planet.

FedEx has long been committed to connecting the world in responsible and resourceful ways. Our participation in environmental initiatives like the Green Apple Festival demonstrates our commitment to our team members and our communities, inspiring all of us to do our best for the planet we share. Sure, we'll continue to build solar panels, expand our hybrid fleets and buy more fuel-efficient planes, all in our effort to reduce our carbon emissions 20% by 2020. But we also believe it's important to empower our employees to make the planet more sustainable, giving all of us the change to "do more" and leave this world a little better than we found it.