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The initiative is held simultaneously in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico and Brazil

28.09.2018

Iberdrola brings together more than 1,800 volunteers on International Volunteer Day

  • In Spain, in collaboration with 30 local organisations, it will develop initiatives in 23 cities of 12 Autonomous Communities
  • The actions are directed at caring for the environment, fighting against climate change and promoting inclusion and diversity
  • Iberdrola, recently gaining an award from IMPACT2030 for its Corporate Volunteer programme at the United Nations headquarters in New York, sees this solidarity event along the same lines as contributing to Sustainable Development Goals

Iberdrola will bring over 1,800 volunteers together on its International Volunteer Day in different initiatives, which it will carry out in the main countries where it is active: Spain, the UK, the USA, Mexico and Brazil.

Under the slogan "Together we build the world we want!", this year the company wanted to dedicate this solidarity event to the fight against climate change and has directed its volunteer activities at caring for the environment, as well as at the inclusion of vulnerable groups and raising awareness regarding diversity.

Iberdrola International Volunteer Day is an opportunity for Group employees to channel their spirit of solidarity. This is to be done through participation in social projects aligned with the company’s values and through making a contribution towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In Spain, initiatives will be carried out simultaneously, with 30 organisations, in 23 cities or municipalities of 12 Autonomous Communities: The Community of Madrid, the Basque Country, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Galicia, Castile and León, Murcia, Navarre, La Rioja, Andalusia and Extremadura.

Employees will be able to take part in different activities which rehabilitate natural spaces, increase awareness of cultural diversity, raise awareness about the fight against climate change and environmental activities.

They will work on environmental activities, among which stand out:

  • the restoration of Butarque Park (Madrid);
  • the construction of vertical gardens in Bilbao;
  • the removal of invasive species in Monte Ulía (San Sebastián);
  • the cleaning and reforestation of the Dunes of Gavá (Barcelona);
  • the replanting of areas affected by fires in Parada do Sil (Orense)
  • or the maintenance and adaptation of the Albufera Natural Park, in Valencia.

Likewise, activities will be encouraged to promote the autonomy and environmental awareness of groups with intellectual disabilities in Valencia, Valladolid and Galicia. In Toledo, micro-climate gardens will be created with the help of senior citizens; in Soria, group employees will help to prepare a Children's Forest and, in Zamora, days of sports and environmental action will be held with people at risk of social exclusion.
 

 

A joint action carried out in 5 countries

Iberdrola promotes this initiative simultaneously in the five main countries where it operates: Spain, the UK, the USA, Mexico and Brazil.

Employees of AVANGRID, the Group’s US subsidiary, will be able to choose between different activities in the states of Connecticut, New York and Maine. In Connecticut, for example, they will help by cleaning weeds and rubbish from the roads in East Rock Park, one of the State’s most emblematic natural spaces. They will also clean the river bank and work on preparing the difficult access roads to the sanctuary at Fairfield. In New York, they will work to repair stretches of the Penfield hiking trails and on releasing sturgeons in Rochester.

In the United Kingdom, professionals from the subsidiary ScottishPowerwill be involved in activities, which, among others, include the cleaning of riverbanks to regenerate the green space along the Carron River or the creation of a sensory garden in a centre for young people with serious learning difficulties. In Sussex, employees will assist with traditional sustainable methods that allow the use of wood without harming the growth of forests.

Iberdrola México employees, meanwhile, will carry out various activities such as picking up solid waste from the banks of the Moctezuma River (Tamazunchale, San Luis Potosi), freeing up its channel and encouraging its restoration and care. They will also help the rehabilitation and reforestation of La Blanca (Oaxaca) with 230 fruit and forest species, or help to clean and prune trails to prevent pests in the San Lorenzo Canyon in Saltillo.

In Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, the professionals from our subsidiary Neoenergia take part in the planting of trees, plants and vegetables in a plaza in the Campo Grande neighbourhood, which due to population density and growth is running out of green areas. In Ilha de Deus, Recife, they will breathe new life into the quarries on the edges of the mangrove which serve the community as recreational areas. In Natal, an environmental protection zone will be recovered by planting Atlantic Forest in a degraded area of ​​Parque da Cidade

 

Over 8,000 opportunities for volunteers

The company annually makes available to its employees more than 8,000 volunteer opportunities, through its multi-country volunteer portal created specifically to mobilise the talent, time and energy of its professionals

Through this global, trilingual tool - Spanish, English and Portuguese - a global volunteer community has been consolidated, open to all Iberdrola Group employees, which contributes to the improvement of our environment and the quality of life of the most vulnerable people.

International Volunteer Day allows Iberdrola to publicise the Corporate Volunteer Programme launched in 2006, within the framework of its commitment to the promotion of initiatives that encourage the involvement of its teams in the realities of the most disadvantaged in society; a purpose aligned with the United Nations’ SDGs.

In line with the company’s activity, this programme focuses efforts on fulfilling goals number 7 (affordable and non-polluting energy), number 13 (climate action), number 3 (health and well being), number 4 (quality education) and number 10 (reducing inequality).

Iberdrola’s Corporate Volunteer Programme has received several awards. Recently, Iberdrola won the Innovation Award (Premio a la Innovación) 2018 in the Private Sector category. A prize awarded by the IMPACT2030 network (a private sector and UN initiative), in recognition of Iberdrola's corporate volunteer programme.

In 2016, the company received a Special Mention by the King of Spain, on the occasion of the celebration of the first decade of its International Programme. And in 2015, it was awarded the prize for the most Caring Company (Empresa Solidaria) of the year on the part of International Cooperation.

 

About Iberdrola

Iberdrola is a global energy leader, the number one producer of wind power, and one of the world’s biggest electricity utilities by market capitalisation. The group is present in numerous countries and supplies energy to over 100 million people mainly in Spain, the United Kingdom (Scottish Power), the USA (AVANGRID), Brazil (Neoenergia) and Mexico. With a workforce of 34,000 and assets in excess of €110 billion, it posted revenues of €31.26 billion and a net profit of €2.8 billion in 2017.

Iberdrola is leading the energy transition towards a sustainable model through its investments in energy from renewable sources, smart grids, large-scale energy storage and digital transformation in order to offer its customers the most advanced products and services. Thanks to its commitment to clean energy, Iberdrola is one of the companies with the lowest emissions and an international benchmark for its contribution to the fight against climate change and for the sustainability of the planet. Iberdrola is listed on numerous international sustainability indices, among them the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good, and it is considered one of the most sustainable electricity utilities in the world.