Improving the environment in Argentina, Brazil and India

Get inspired by the variety of projects, supported by the Seasonal gift 2017, that engage colleagues around the world to drive prosperity. This postcard is from three countries; In Argentina, young people with intellectual disabilities are trained to be environmental guides. In Brazil, the Casa Verde organization creates environmental awareness through workshops. In India, the Volvo Group is leading the way to install clean drinking water systems.
Improving the environment in Argentina, Brazil and India

Cascos Verdes (Green Helmets) brings inclusiveness and environmental training to the Volvo Group in Argentina

In addition to the lack of resources, the economic and political context of the last decades has fostered a short-term thinking in the population that results in a culture lacking of environmental care in Argentina.

Volvo Argentina decided to raise awareness on consciousness of waste separation and responsible consumption among its employees and dealer network through a training program. By involving the non-governmental organization Cascos Verdes, inclusiveness is also promoted.

Cascos Verdes works with social inclusion of persons with different intellectual abilities through environmental education. This is achieved during a four years program hosted and certified by the main Argentinian universities and where 50% of the graduates actually have gotten formal jobs.

In this project, ten graduates visited the 20 Volvo Group locations in Argentina.  Lucas Puente, Executive Director of the Cascos Verdes said:

"Thanks to the support from the Volvo Group, our Environmental Educators are living a wonderful experience that generates a tremendous impact on their personal, family and work life. Having the opportunity to travel throughout our country providing training on environmental care promotes the autonomy and independence of our educators while allowing us to carry the double message of inclusion and environmental care that we promote from Cascos Verdes."

Some 500 persons from the Volvo Group network will receive the training by end-October. All participants receive useful materials to be able to cascade and to put the information into practice at home.

Casa Verde (Green house) offers environmental and cultural workshops for the community in Brazil

Casa Verde is a non-governmental organization focusing on environmental preservation. It was established in 2007 and is located in a native vegetation area next to Volvo Group's plant in Curitiba, Brazil.

Casa Verde is open to the surrounding community as well as to society in general. Environmental preservation is the foundation for its activities such as ecology trail walks, education and environmental research projects. They also arrange cultural classes including theater and music. 

The Casa Verde has been active for 11 years and is sponsored by Volvo do Brasil through the Federal Law of Incentive to Culture and is a part of the Volvo Group's Volunteer Program in Brazil, providing many opportunities for employees to engage in environmental, cultural and social activities.

Clean water improves quality of life in India

With 700 million people residing in rural India over a large and diverse topography, providing access to safe drinking water is a significant challenge. The government is playing a key role in financing and implementing drinking water schemes. However, about 30% of urban, and 90% of rural households, still depend completely on untreated surface or groundwater.

Volvo Group India aims to cater to this need by setting up clean drinking water systems across truck and bus stops and areas where the Group's equipment operates.

Kamal Bali, Managing Director & President, Volvo Group India: "Our customer vehicles and equipment operate across various locations amidst communities where access to clear water may be limited.

Providing clean drinking water to these underprivileged communities will not only help support better health of the communities but has a direct bearing on the education, employability and quality of life of the people living in the world we operate within."

However, in order to ensure a sustainable solution with a true ownership, the plants must cater to a larger community. Most importantly, the larger base helps make the cost of water become very affordable and the entire distribution system better managed.

When fully implemented, there will be plants catering to 5,000-10,000 rural inhabitants across different locations installed.

The installations will be carried out together with a non-governmental organization. The villagers will pay a small fee for typical 20-liter water jars as part of a local revenue model.

Parallel to this will be an important activity of carrying out impact studies. The expectation is that if continued and expanded, the utilization of such plants will enhance long-term economic and health development outcomes for disadvantaged populations in the selected regions.

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