Dubai, UAE; April 3, 2013: Underlining its commitment to the community, 60 employees of GE (NYSE: GE) teamed up with volunteers from averda, the largest environmental solutions providers in the Middle East and North Africa region and Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Ltd (GASCO) to clean up a section of desert farmland in the United Arab Emirates.
The teams collected almost one ton of litter from a site, selected by a not-for-profit organization, located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in East Samha. A total of 930 kgs of waste was collected by the volunteers, who invested three hours each at the site which is on active farmland.
Khozema Shipchandler, GE's Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said: "Environmental sustainability is a big focus area for GE and our ecomagination drive exemplifies it. We strive to innovate and build solutions to solve today's and anticipate tomorrow's environmental challenges. This benefits customers and helps our communities at large. The clean-up project was a great example of the commitment our employees have to these efforts, not to mention that it was a lot of fun too."
Held under GE's Volunteer initiative, the internal organization of GE that promotes the spirit of volunteerism worldwide, collections from the desert clean-up will be recycled by averda, promoting environment conservation and sustainable development. Items including plastic, cans, and cardboard will be further processed & recycled.
GE Volunteers have undertaken a number of projects world-wide, and are actively involved in supporting community activities, aimed at strengthening environmental awareness in the Middle East, especially in the UAE.
GE coordinates volunteer efforts company-wide by keeping a close eye on societal needs and inviting all employees to build stronger communities where the company serves in. GE's employees volunteer over one million hours of community service every year.
averda encourages a culture of care for the environment through initiatives of this nature. The Company strives to raise environmental awareness through employee training and interactive public awareness campaigns as well as implementing sustainable systems to safeguard the environment and keep waste to a minimum.
Kelly Home
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600
Nivine William
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
[email protected]
+971 4 4507 600
Caroline Wehbeh
GE Communications Leader, North Africa
[email protected]
+971 4 429 6318