SKOKIE, Ill– The Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Cement Americas magazine acknowledged the CEMEX US cement plant in Demopolis, Alabama, as part of the 2014 Cement Industry Energy & Environmental Awards, honoring sustainable manufacturing practices. The plant was a finalist in the Land Stewardship category. The Land Stewardship category recognizes efforts to protect and enhance the surrounding land.
CEMEX Demopolis actively manages approximately 1,620 acres for wildlife conservation. The mission of the CEMEX’s Wildlife at Work Program is to responsibly manage the land within their operations to protect and enhance ecosystems and biodiversity. The mission is achieved through a comprehensive set of projects, including their nest box program. This project provides the four characteristics of quality habitat; food, water, cover, and a place to safely raise their young. Partnering with Demopolis High School’s Industrial Arts class, nest boxes were built and installed for wood ducks and song birds to provide supplemental nesting habitat along the quarry pond and open grassy areas of the property. The CEMEX Demopolis wildlife team is monitoring the seven wood duck boxes and sixteen songbird boxes to ensure that they are successful, with many years of successful clutch hatches as of spring 2014. All of the wood duck boxes have been utilized by wood ducks, and approximately half of the songbird boxes have also been utilized.
In November 2013, the Demopolis plant was awarded the Wildlife Habitat Council’s Wildlife at Work certification for their voluntary, employee-based wildlife habitat enhancement efforts that exceed regulatory requirements. The Cement Industry Energy & Environmental Awards honor individual cement facilities that exemplify the spirit of continuous environmental improvement and support this spirit with action. These plants go beyond government regulations and local laws to ensure that their processes contributed to making their communities better places to live and work. Five categories are recognized: outreach, environmental performance, land stewardship, innovation, and energy efficiency. Additionally a special honor is presented to plants demonstrating excellence in multiple categories.
The award program was created in 2000 by the PCA as part of its environment and energy strategic plan for the U.S. cement industry. The awards honor activities conducted during the previous calendar year, and the program is open to any cement manufacturing plant in North America. Judges for the 2014 awards Program included representatives from U.S. EPA-ENERGY STAR, Wildlife Habitat Council, U.S. Geological Survey, World Wildlife Fund, and Cement Americas.
About PCA
Based in Washington, D.C., with offices in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs. More information on PCA programs is available at www.cement.org.