CEMEX USA marks Earth Day with month of sustainability activities and celebrations

May 7, 2019

For Earth Day and throughout April, CEMEX USA employees participated in a wide range of conservation and education projects across the U.S., showcasing the company’s continuing commitment to sustainability and illustrating how CEMEX is a place where industry, nature and education come together.

In Sumter County, Fla., CEMEX USA’s Center Hill Mine, through long-standing partnerships with the Sumter School District and other community organizations, hosted its 12th Annual Earth Day Celebration on April 22. More than 1,000 people participated in educational booths, tree-plantings, mine tours, a fossil dig and other family-friendly activities. The site’s annual Earth Day event included more than 35 educational booths focused on habitat and the environment. Employees at Center Hill Mine also provide year-round one-of-a-kind education for students in and around Sumter County, Fla. In addition, CEMEX USA’s Tampa team volunteered for the Hernando County Coastal Clean-up in Hernando County, FL.

CEMEX USA’s Earth Day efforts also spread through the company’s ready mix operations. In Birmingham, Ala, colleagues with Ready Mix USA collaborated with Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve to plant 150 native trees at a local park and on their regional office campus, with the goal of delivering environmental benefits for decades to come. In Knoxville, Tenn., Ready Mix USA employees planted native, pollinator-friendly flora in alignment with their Wildlife Habitat Council Conservation Program. CEMEX USA ready-mix facilities in and around Atlanta, Ga., focused on increasing their water conservation and awareness at homes and workplaces, contributing to the betterment of their communities through the environmentally-responsible use of water.

The commitment to the environment and sustainability was also displayed at the company’s cement plants, including the ones in Victorville, Calif., Clinchfield, Ga. And Lyons, Colo. In Victorville, employees planted pollinator-friendly flowers and bushes at their river and quarry facilities to create a butterfly habitat. More than 100 area students released butterflies into the habitats in early May. In addition, employees at the Clinchfield, Ga., cement plant distributed hundreds of milkweed seeds to expand a monarch habitat in the community, a plant crucial for the butterflies. At CEMEX USA’s Lyons Cement Plant, employees continued their well-developed partnership with a local ecological restoration firm, increasing the willow tree population along the St. Vrain River. They planted 750 trees to support stream bank stabilization, wildlife habitat, and flood resilience on the property of neighboring homeowners. The Lyons team also worked with Longmont Parks & Recreation, providing volunteers to restore and improve the community’s nature trail at Roger’s Grove Arboretum & Outdoor Learning Center, the department’s first volunteer-driven project.

“We look for conservation and education projects year-round that align with the important needs and priorities in our communities,” said Jerae Carlson, CEMEX USA’s Vice President of Sustainability and Public Affairs. “Working closely with our communities results in a more meaningful and greater impact.”

CEMEX’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond Earth Day with programs and initiatives at operations across the United States. Earlier this year, CEMEX USA was named 2019 EPA ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in recognition of its sustainability efforts. At CEMEX USA’s Balcones Quarry in New Braunfels, Texas, the company recently opened its Wildlife Habitat Center with roughly 17 acres of restored prairie, pollinator gardens and meadows planted with native vegetation. The quarry operation also utilizes a state-of-the-art water recycling system that reduces the use of local water at the wash plant by 90 percent.

To read more on CEMEX’s commitment to the communities in which it operates and efforts to build a better and more sustainable future, visit www.cemexnature.com.