Earth Day 2023: Weir ESCO Colleagues Step Up for Their Communities
Celebrating Earth Day by honoring community partnerships and giving back for a better tomorrow
2 May 2023
Geared up with reflective vests and mud-caked hiking boots, Weir ESCO colleagues in Frameries, Vancouver, B.C., and Portland, did not let the wide-array of unpredictable weather stop them from giving back to the environment in honor of Earth Day 2023.
Throughout April, the three teams rolled up their sleeves alongside local community partners to clean up the environment.
Fourteen Frameries colleagues joined in for the site’s 2nd annual clean-up day in partnership with BeWaPP, a local non-profit association dedicated to reducing public waste and debris in the Wallonia region, the French-speaking southern region of Belgium.
Despite the gloomy weather, participants’ spirits were bright as they ventured into local neighborhoods and industrial areas near the site, clearing several bags of waste in a few hours. Returning volunteer and Data Analyst, Guillaume Cestaro, said he was “glad to work alongside colleagues and give back while supporting Weir’s sustainability commitments.”
Like Guillaume, event organizer, Orlando Boscariol, is passionate about sustainability and regularly participates in BeWaPP events on his own time. And, while Orlando is proud to volunteer with his colleagues, he said the event represents more than just a group of people clearing debris.
“In every part of the world, ESCO is engaging with their local communities,” said the European account manager. “Here in Belgium, we are seeing the impact these events have, and it shows our local community that ESCO wants to work together and make a difference.”
PHOTO LEFT: Fourteen Weir ESCO Frameries colleagues cleared several bags of waste and debris from local neighborhoods and industrial zones.
WATCH: Dziugas Radzius, engineering team leader, chats with Kalium Yazzie, conservation tech for Forest Park Conservancy, about Weir Portland’s annual Earth Day trail repair event.
That sentiment is proudly shared by Weir Portland and the Forest Park Conservancy (FPC), now in their 10th year of partnership. The pair have been neighbors for a lot longer than that. Just a few short miles from Weir ESCO Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, Forest Park spans over 5,200 acres, making it one of the largest urban forests in the U.S. and one big backyard for Portland employees. For the eighth time since the partnership was formed, volunteers pulled ivy for a few hours for their Earth Day event.
“Partnerships like the one we have with FPC show our commitment to being good neighbors, whether through monetary donations or hands-in-the-dirt volunteerism,” said Dziugas Radzius, construction engineering team leader and FPC program lead. “The park is part of Portland, it is part of the community—and so are we. So, we will continue to support it.”
PHOTO RIGHT: Weir Portland colleagues braved liquid sunshine to help clear ivy in an effort to create healthy vegetation ecosystems during their Earth Day event in Forest Park on 20 April 2023
While the Portland team had more rain than shine, the Weir Motion Metrics team enjoyed a sun-filled day of camaraderie as they set out for a trash clean-up in Lighthouse Park in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. And, though they did not find much trash, Executive Assistant and event organizer, JiEun Kwon, said the team is excited to participate in more volunteer events and for the opportunity to give back.
PHOTO ABOVE: Twenty colleagues from Weir Motion Metrics in Vancouver, BC, Canada came together for a trash clean-up in a local nature area.
“Many of us on the team, myself included, are immigrants to Vancouver,” JiEun said. “Since joining Weir ESCO, we are doing more to create a sense of belonging amongst our teams. We are dedicated to building community partnerships to help foster that environment and bring us closer together.”
From the Pacific Northwest to Europe and beyond, Weir ESCO has a long history of supporting charitable partners and the causes employees care about. The compassionate contributions made by colleagues around the globe continue to help us realize our sustainability goals and make the world a better place.
Special thanks and appreciation to all of our colleagues who participated in events this Earth Day, for our event coordinators, and to our non-profit partners who help make these events possible.
