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Amazon employees donate over $12K to Delta’s Earthwise Society

Delta’s YVR4 fulfillment center Canadian winner of Amazon’s global Earth Month volunteer competition
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Amazon associates Carsten Mitchell and Shyam Jaya Sai Kumar help plant some perennials at Earthwise Society’s farm in Tsawwassen on July 6, 2022. (submitted photo)

Workers at Amazon’s YVR4 fulfillment center in Delta donated over $12,000 to Earthwise Society and helped plant trees and other greenery at the society’s Boundary Bay farm last week.

Throughout the month of April, thousands of Amazon employees around the world stepped up to support clean-up efforts, tree plantings and other “green” activities as part of the company’s global Earth Month volunteer competition. At the end of the month, the teams with the highest number of volunteers received a US$10,000 grant to donate to an environmental charity of their choice.

YVR4 was Canada’s volunteer challenge winner. Employees from the site engaged in clean-ups at the Wellington Place Park along the Fraser River — successfully clearing over 150 kilograms of waste from the beach — and conducted an invasive plant pull at Ladner Harbour Park, removing nearly 70 kilos of English Ivy impacting the local eco-system.

“We are always very proud to support our operations employees in taking actions which contribute to the communities we work in, and Earth Month was an excellent example of this. We had an immediate impact on the environment with our clean-up activities, and the funds donated to Earthwise will go a long way towards environmental sustainability here in Vancouver,” Shailesh Kumar, senior operations manager at YVR4, said in a press release.

SEE ALSO: Annual Cheers for Children concert raises over $35,000 for Delta’s Reach Society

The team chose to donate the grant to Earthwise Society because of the organization’s long history of environmental stewardship and making a positive impact in the communities where Amazon employees live and work.

“I remember my daughter mentioning the Earthwise Farm that she had gone to with the kids a few years back and how amazing it had been and an experience for the kids,” Ellen Girouard, workplace health and safety specialist at YVR4, said in a press release. Girouard was the one who nominated Earthwise to receive the team’s grant.

“The importance they had placed on the future — such as recycling, sustainability, planting without pesticides, using compost that is recycled — is the key to their story, dream and continued praise, and it’s why I nominated them.”

Volunteers from YVR4 delivered Earthwise a cheque for $12,810 last Wednesday afternoon (July 6), before taking a tour of the farm and spending an hour planting trees, perennials and other greenery.

Earthwise executive director Patricia Fleming said the society is honoured to have been chosen to receive such a generous donation.

“The contribution will make a real difference to our organization and to our community by helping to fund our ongoing environmental stewardship, education and food security initiatives,” Fleming said in a press release. “Thank you for recognizing Earthwise Society and helping us continue to have a positive impact on our community.”

SEE ALSO: Delta Community Foundation grants $5K to Moving Forward Family Services

SEE ALSO: PHOTOS: Virtual North Delta garden show winners announced



editor@northdeltareporter.com

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Amazon associates Gunpreet Ahluwalia and Odepeju Koledade plant a red fox katsura tree help at Earthwise Society’s farm in Tsawwassen on July 6, 2022. (submitted photo)
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Amazon associate Chelsea Geng helps plant a perennial at Earthwise Society’s farm in Tsawwassen on July 6, 2022. (submitted photo)
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Amazon employees from the YVR4 fulfillment center in Delta donated US$10,000 to Earthwise Society on July 6, 2022 and volunteered to help plant trees and other greenery at the organization’s Tsawwassen farm. The donation is the culmination of Amazon’s global Earth Month volunteer competition, which took place in April. (submitted photo)


James Smith

About the Author: James Smith

James Smith is the founding editor of the North Delta Reporter.
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