“Play It Safe” part of CSX’s broader corporate citizenship program
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
CSX’s “Play It Safe Around Railroad Tracks” public safety program and its sponsorship of Regan Smith and Furniture Row Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are part of the company’s Beyond Our Rails corporate citizenship program.
For more details on Play It Safe, click HERE.
CSX describes Beyond Our Rails as “an extension of CSX—a pathway for sharing our vision, purpose, and core values with the people in communities where we live and work. Beyond Our Rails encompasses four key areas: Safety, Community, the Environment, and Wellness, “actively engaging employees and non-profit organizations in programs and initiatives designed to make the world a better place.”
For example, to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 and Earth Month during the entire month of April, CSX noted that it “continued its long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability by organizing a series of local events across its network and remained focused on environmentally friendly business practices.”
“We look forward to volunteering our time and resources each year to celebrate Earth Day, but our commitment to the environment is much more than a one-day event,” said Skip Elliott, vice president, public safety and environment. “CSX works to make every day Earth Day by reducing the company’s environmental footprint and supporting sustainable development.”
Throughout April, the environmental field service managers in many of CSX’s field locations hosted the company’s fourth-annual city cleanups. Employees and volunteers picked up trash and conducted other beautification efforts in Montgomery, Ala.; Waycross and Savannah, Ga.; Riverdale, Ill.; Avon, Ind.; Corbin, Ky.; Hamlet, N.C.; Selkirk, N.Y.; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; and Philadelphia.
In addition, on Earth Day, CSX sponsored the Anacostia Watershed Earth Day Cleanup & Celebration in Washington, D.C., where more than 2,000 volunteers removed trash at more than 40 sites along the watershed. That same day, in its headquarters city of Jacksonville, CSX employees staffed booths at the city’s Ecology Fair at the Jacksonville Landing and sponsored the City of Jacksonville’s Earth Day poster contest for children.
“These activities are just some of the ways in which CSX contributes to environmental stewardship throughout the year, both through volunteering efforts and operational decisions,” said Tori Kaplan, assistant vice president, corporate social responsibility.
CSX cites that, since 1980, the company has improved its fuel efficiency by more than 90%. In the past five years, CSX has invested more than $1.75 billion to upgrade its fleet of fuel efficient locomotives.
Last year, CSX introduced an updated online carbon calculator “that makes it easy for customers and consumers to understand the emissions savings that freight rail can deliver.” Located on CSX’s website, this tool “helps customers and consumers optimize supply chains and bring goods to market more sustainably than ever before.”
Across its 21,000-mile network, CSX protects local ecosystems through its Trees for Tracks program, the company’s pledge to plant one tree for every mile of its system. To date, CSX has planted nearly 17,000 trees. These new trees “improve air quality, offset carbon emissions, improve wildlife habitats and add beauty to the communities CSX serves.”
CSX annually recognizes its customers who demonstrate continued dedication to safety in the transportation of hazardous materials through its Chemical Safety Excellence Award. This year, CSX named 61 winners, who had each shipped more than 600 carloads of hazardous materials during the year without a NAR (non-accidental release).
CSX’s Earth Month celebration has also moved online. Participants can enter an Environmental Pursuit contest by “liking” the official CSX Facebook page and testing their environmental knowledge through a weekly interactive quiz by 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 30. In addition to the weekly prize winners, three grand prize winners will also each receive $1,000 from CSX, with a $1,000 matching donation provided to a charitable organization selected by each winner.
“I Brake For Trains” microsite sponsored by PTMW, Inc. (www.ptmw.com).
