At Heartland, we are committed to being better in how we live and connect with our neighbours just as much as how we work. This spring, many of our team members did just that as we participated in a series of community clean-ups known as Clean4Change.
On June 12, more than 40 Heartland employees volunteered their day to beautifying Paul First Nation’s Powwow Arbour, just outside Edmonton Alberta. Heartlanders partnered with Paul First Nation community members to paint areas of the Powwow Arbour and clean up waste and litter in preparation for their community powwow happening August 16 to 18.
Lydia Blais, Advisor, Management Framework and Assurance, and team captain of the Paul First Nation Clean4Change event says, “Participating in the Arbour Beautification and Clean4Change event at Paul First Nation was an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone. June is National Indigenous History Month, and it’s especially meaningful to support our neighbours and contribute to preserving the cultural heritage of Indigenous Peoples and communities. By painting the powwow arbour and cleaning up the space, we hope to honour and celebrate the rich history and traditions that make our community vibrant.”
Joanne Martineau, Manager, Indigenous Relations adds, “Events like this matter a lot. We hear a lot about truth and reconciliation and Indigenous culture, but I feel like people don’t know where to look to learn more or they don’t know who to ask. Opportunities like these provide our employees with in-person experiences to learn about the culture and traditions of Indigenous peoples and communities.”
“Events like this matter a lot.”Joanne Martineau, Manager, Indigenous Relations
Clean4Change is an initiative started by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), to clean our communities through learning, understanding, and acting. To date, the initiative has collectively picked up more that 1.5 million pieces of litter around the world.
Heartland’s parent company, Inter Pipeline, partnered with AEPW in March 2021 – the first Canadian company to join. Since then, we have participated in over 40 clean ups across our locations in Alberta, Canada.
“We believe in zero plastic waste,” says Brendan Curley, vice-president of Heartland Petrochemical Complex, “and that requires real action and investment. Through Heartland’s partnership with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Plastic Research in Action (PRIA) is making significant gains in understanding how we can reduce waste and transform post-consumer recycled plastic into innovative products.”
In addition to the Paul First Nation event, Heartland employees participated in another Clean4Change initiative in Fort Saskatchewan around the community of West Rivers Edge.
If you or your organization would like to get involved in this great initiative, please connect with: https://clean4change.org/?s=get-involved-form