Sustainable Partnerships Go Beyond the Walls

In April, I wrote about the potential value there exists in working with our business partners to advance greening efforts. In that blog, I used LexisNexis® as an example of a company that has taken steps to green its operation. LexisNexis is a company that is committed to community service, also, through its LexisNexis Cares program. Last week, I attended the annual meeting of the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Attendees often are joined by family members who can participate in local activities. LexisNexis, a sponsor, teamed up with WildEarth Guardians, an organization with a mission to protect and restore wildlife, wild rivers, and wild places in the American West, and CWAG to sponsor a morning of tree planting along the Santa Fe River. 

About 15 of us, including several youngsters who came along to help and do some prairie dog watching, planted willows and cottonwoods along a stretch of the river bed. The effort contributed to the greening of the riverbanks which will provide much needed stability and shade and helps to restore the habitat. Carol Norton, Associate Director of Wild Earth Guardians reports that , “During the 2010 planting season, we planted on five rivers in New Mexico 6,000 cottonwoods, 2,500 gooding willow, 500 pacific willow, 100,000+ coyote willow, 100 boxelder maple, and 600 riparian forage species (chokecherry, golden currant, netleaf hackberry, New Mexico olive (stretchberry), skunkbush sumac, bluestem willow,  false indigo bush, and american plum). Also, 300 lbs. of native grass seed were dispersed and raked into the project areas.” 

In one morning, we planted 34 trees and saw an equal number of prairie dogs scurrying along the parkway by the river. The big take away for me from this project was the knowledge that through our network of work relationships, we can reach beyond the walls of our offices and apply our energies together to improve the environment.   There are numerous opportunities in our neighborhoods and communities during the year that we can take to mobilize volunteers from our offices and business partners to help environmental groups and organizations like WildEarth Guardians.  By doing so, it fosters increased interest and enthusiasm for our internal greening efforts and builds our working relationships with our business partners, too. Kudos to LexisNexis, WildEarth Guardians and the volunteers who took up shovels and post-hole diggers to make a difference.