FedEx Corp. and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announce 2013 Urban Conservation Projects
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2013 /3BL Media/ — FedEx Corp. and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced today the urban conservation projects that will take place in 14 major cities across the U.S. this spring and summer. This is the fourth year of this unique collaboration to address pressing urban environmental challenges and continues the FedEx commitment to making communities healthier and cleaner places to live and work. More than 600 team members are expected to volunteer alongside local nonprofits on community conservation projects, chosen and funded by grants from FedEx and NFWF.
“This collaboration between FedEx and NFWF supports the FedEx commitment to connecting the world in responsible and resourceful ways,” said Mitch Jackson, vice president, environmental affairs and sustainability, FedEx Corp. “These EarthSmart Outreach projects empower FedEx team members to contribute to and help improve the communities where they live and work in environmentally-focused, more sustainable ways.”
The FedEx and NFWF grants, totaling more than $550,000 in 2013, will be matched with grants from local municipalities and agencies to yield more than $1 million in support for these critical environmental projects.
“Our ongoing collaboration with FedEx supports vital conservation projects in cities across the nation,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and chief executive officer of NFWF. “Over the last four years, EarthSmart Outreach has continued to lead the way in encouraging hands-on restoration actions that benefit the entire community.”
The conservation projects coincide with FedEx’s Global Month of Service, commemorating the company’s 40th anniversary. FedEx team members around the world will participate in volunteer activities in communities throughout the month of April, underscoring the company’s long-standing tradition of service. The collaboration between FedEx and NFWF is part of the EarthSmart Outreach initiative, a FedEx commitment to environmental and volunteer efforts that focus on environmental sustainability.
The organizations participating in the FedEx EarthSmart Outreach projects for 2013 are:
Indianapolis
Grantee: Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
FedEx Grant Award: $24,999 / Match: $ 93,510
Project Date: April 15, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will plant an estimated 65 trees and remove invasive plant species along lower Fall Creek watershed.
http://www.kibi.org/
Memphis
Grantee: Wolf River Conservancy, Inc.
FedEx Grant Award: $25,020 / Match: $45,000
Project Date: April 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will restore three key properties within the Wolf River watershed by removing litter and invasive plants and planting approximately 500 native trees and plants.
http://www.wolfriver.org/
Philadelphia
Grantee: Friends of the Wissahickon
FedEx Grant Award: $30,500 / NFWF Award: $9,500 / Match: $388,500
Project Date: April 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will improve water quality in the Wissahickon Creek by restoring a highly eroded tributary to the creek and its adjacent parking area. Volunteers will also participate in site clean-up, removal of invasive plants and planting of native species.
http://www.fow.org/
Pittsburgh
Grantee: Friends of the Riverfront
FedEx Grant Award: $25,000 / Match: $70,500
Project Date: April 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will be educated on and engage in the proper removal and planting techniques of native species and the removal of invasive species along Three Rivers Water Trail.
http://www.friendsoftheriverfront.org/
Seattle
Grantee: Forterra
FedEx Grant Award: $24,988 / Match: $75,153
Project Date: April 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will participate in restoration efforts along the degraded Duwamish River shoreline by helping to maintain plantings from the previous winter, sheet mulching areas recently cleared of invasive plant species and installing native plants.
http://www.forterra.org/
San Francisco
Grantee: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
FedEx Grant Award: $22,074 / NFWF Award: $29,626 / Match: $68,465
Project Date: April 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will assist in restoration efforts for the Presidio Bluff site by native plantings and invasive species removal.
http://www.parksconservancy.org/
Los Angeles
Grantee: Mountains Restoration Trust
FedEx Grant Award: $27,995 / NFWF Award: $10,000 / Match: $86,728
Project Date: April 24, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will engage in non-native invasive plant removal, planting native plants, removing trash and emptying crayfish traps to protect the natural ecosystem of the Santa Monica Bay watershed.
http://www.mountainstrust.org/
Dallas
Grantee: REAL School Gardens
FedEx Grant Award: $26,555 / Match: $88,000
Project Date: April 27, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will assist in the installation of an outdoor classroom from start to finish, concluding the day with a ribbon cutting ceremony to pronounce the classroom complete.
http://www.realschoolgardens.org/
Colorado Springs
Grantee: Rocky Mountain Field Institute
FedEx Grant Award: $25,000 / Match: $159,209
Project Date: May 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will be building erosion control and landscape stabilization structures in the burn area within Blodgett Peak Open Space. Work crews will also be spreading native seed. Participants will be filling and carrying buckets of dirt, swinging picks, shoveling dirt, carrying rocks, and other tasks.
http://www.rmfi.org/
Chicago
Grantee: Alliance for the Great Lakes
FedEx Grant Award: $20,203 / Match: $15,277
Project Date: May 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will 1) collect and record valuable data regarding beach health and 2) remove and record litter. The impact will be cleaner beaches and vital data, which will be used for beach health improvement projects. In addition, volunteers may have the opportunity to engage in coastal restoration at the South Shore Nature Sanctuary.
http://www.greatlakes.org/
Miami
Grantee: Museum of Science, Inc. dba Miami Science Museum
FedEx Grant Award: $27,116 / Match: $42,050
Project Date: May 18, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will work with the Miami Science Museum to participate in a tree and shrub planting at the Oleta River State Park.
http://www.miamisci.org/
Newark
Grantee: Schiff Natural Lands Trust, Inc.
FedEx Grant Award: $12,295 / Match: $1,726,000
Project Date: May 24, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will work to build interpretive trails throughout the Shale Valley Wetland.
http://www.schiffnaturepreserve.org/
Washington D.C.
Grantee: DC Greenworks
FedEx Grant Award: $60,000 / NFWF Match: 140,000 / Match: $52,864
Project Description: Volunteers will participate in a “planting day” and restoring vegetation at one of the program’s three locations.
http://dcgreenworks.org/
Boston
Grantee: Mystic River Watershed Association
FedEx Grant Award: $30,500 / NFWF Award: $9,500 / Match: $95,000
Project Date: July 17, 2013
Project Description: Volunteers will use canoes to remove invasive water chestnut plants from the Mystic River.
http://mysticriver.org/
About FedEx Sustainability
FedEx is committed to connecting the world responsibly and resourcefully. We set long-term goals to reduce aircraft emissions intensity 30 percent by 2020, increase FedEx Express vehicle efficiency by 30 percent by 2020, and expand on-site renewable energy generation and procurement of renewable energy credits. FedEx works to achieve these ambitious goals through EarthSmart—a FedEx commitment to minimize our impact on the environment. EarthSmart is designed to encourage innovation that makes our business—the way we work and the services we offer—more sustainable, both economically and environmentally.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $44 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.
About NFWF
Established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) sustains, restores and enhances the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,000 organizations and committed more than $2.1 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.
