BNSF News

Earth Day Roundup: Celebrating 40 Years

2010-04-29

BNSF employees participated in Earth Day festivities as far west as California and north as Gillette, Wyo.

The 40^th anniversary of Earth Day was April 22. What started out as a "teaching moment" has grown to an international observance that includes nearly every part of the globe.

The rail industry is an environmentally friendly form of transportation, and BNSF is one of the industry's leaders as a good environmental steward.

Here's a roundup of activities.

Gillette, Wyo.

BNSF recently became the first commercial business to feature recycling with the city of Gillette. While recycling has been available to residential citizens and to the local school district, Gillette is piloting the "commercial" business with BNSF.

Employees in the Gillette offices, as well as the Donkey Creek Yard and Wright, are now able to recycle at work. The week prior to Earth Day, recycle dumpsters and cans were brought in for employees to use. Employees can now recycle office paper, phone books, magazines, newspaper, cardboard, some plastics, aluminum and tin cans.

Susie Cooper, division administrator in Gillette, said the first pickup occurred on April 22. Efforts are also under way to help employees understand how to distinguish recyclable materials from those that can't be recycled.

Torrance, Calif.

Mark Stehly, assistant vice president, Technology Research, Development and Environmental, and Trini Jimenez, director, Government Affairs, were invited to return to the Toyota facility to participate in Toyota's Earth Day activities.

Stehly said hundreds of Toyota employees stopped to learn about the railroad as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

Topeka, Kan.

The Topeka Green team hosted an information fair attended by more than 300 people. Participants received an English ivy plant and cookies, as well as information on how they can help save energy. Keep America Beautiful Topeka/Shawnee County provided $10 off coupons to be distributed to participants.

The fair gave employees a chance to learn more about what BNSF is recycling in the building, which ranges from paper, aluminum cans and plastics to non-traditional items, such as eyeglasses, hotel toiletries and cell phones. Employees also learned how they could participate in community recycling activities, such as where and when they could take their household items to be recycled, and how to keep a healthy and eco-friendly lawn.

The Earth Day Celebration was a success and spurred many phone calls to Green Team members as employees asked how they could get involved in saving energy.

Fort Worth

In Fort Worth, about 500 employees visited information booths and took advantage of a $5 "picnic" lunch rather than driving out for a meal.

Master gardeners were on hand to discuss native plants and composting, and information about local mass transportation options was available. A number of other informational booths were also set up for employees, including a booth on updating homes with more energy-efficient lighting.

The day following Earth Day, three BNSF executives led a panel discussion on BNSF's environmental positioning. Mark Schulze, vice president, Safety, Training and Operations Support; Jo-ann Olsovsky, vice president and chief information officer, Technology Services; and Paul Bischler, vice president and chief sourcing officer, Strategic Sourcing, briefed employees and answered questions.

BNSF Headquarters

BNSF Railway Company
2650 Lou Menk Dr. 2nd Floor
P.O. Box 961057
Fort Worth, TX 76161-0057
Phone: (817) 352-1000

For more information on the company and its transportation solutions, visit the BNSF Web site at www.bnsf.com