Educational campaigns and incentives to use less polluting transportation encourage sustainable practices among employees
Last week, TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, held a series of internal activities in celebration of Arbor Day (21) and World Car Free Day (22). The actions were aimed at encouraging employees to adopt more sustainable practices, as well as reinforcing the impact that collective actions have on preserving the environment and reducing emissions of polluting gases.
To mark Arbor Day, employees were able to attend the lecture “Connected with Nature: Biodiversity in Everyday Life”, presented by botanical expert Dr. Marcelo Monge Egea, who addressed issues related to the effects of climate change and the importance of preserving the environment. There was also a botanical exhibition, which brought to the Terminal a collection of fruits, seeds, wood samples and exsiccates (plants or algae pressed and dried in a greenhouse) in an interactive display to talk about the biodiversity of plants native to the Atlantic Forest, Mangroves and Restinga.
Kayo Zaiats, TCP’s environmental manager, highlights the importance of these campaigns for the internal public. “These actions are essential to encourage more sustainable practices among our more than 1,600 employees, making them multipliers and, consequently, expanding the positive impact we can have on the entire Parnanguara community.”
In this vein, on World Car Free Day, TCP encouraged its employees to adopt more sustainable means of transport, such as cycling, walking, buses and carpooling to get to the Terminal. Those who took part were entered into a prize draw for a bicycle. In addition, all employees had the chance to play the “Pedal Challenge”, an educational activity that addresses the different ways of reducing environmental impact in everyday life.
These initiatives are in line with TCP’s commitment to translating its principles into concrete actions. Recently, the Terminal has made significant progress in reducing emissions of polluting gases, including the electrification of RTG cranes, the introduction of electric buses for internal employee transportation and the reception of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) powered ships.
Commitment to the community
In addition to internal actions, TCP also has several environmental projects aimed at the community. Every year, it promotes the Environmental Paddle, a project that collects waste from the Itiberê River in Paranaguá. In the most recent edition, almost a ton of waste was collected with the participation of more than 100 people, including Terminal employees and volunteers.
Another 30 socio-environmental actions are also underway, in particular the Solidarity Exchange, which allows residents to exchange recyclable materials for basic food basket products and personal hygiene items. In this way, as the program raises awareness of the practice of separating solid recyclable waste, it also provides a source of income for island communities in the Paranaguá region.
“Our initiatives with the community aim not only to preserve the environment, but also to raise awareness of what we can do as a society to improve our impact on the planet. We want to be an example of good environmental practices, contributing to a more sustainable future, both inside and outside our operations,” concludes Zaiats.
