Local Corporate Responsibility project lead and co- contributor to Cargill global article. Original article here.
Trees are powerful. In a single year, 100 mature trees alone can remove the equivalent of 50 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Wonder what over 2.1 million more trees could do for our environment? Look no further than Living Lands & Waters.
Since 1998, the environmental organization has worked to plant an estimated 150,000 native hardwood trees across the Mississippi River watershed in the U.S. each year. Living Lands & Waters also aims to collect 500,000 pounds of trash per year from U.S. riverways and hosts education programs for students.
For the past 25 years, Cargill — and our employee volunteers — have helped Living Lands & Waters achieve those goals.
“We have been so fortunate to have Cargill’s support since 1999!” says Chad Pregracke, Living Lands & Waters president and founder. “In that time, we have removed over 13 million pounds of garbage from 25 rivers in 21 states, planted and distributed 2.1 million native hardwood trees across the country and provided free workshops to over 27,000 students. That wouldn’t have been possible without the support of thousands of Cargill employees and their families.”
Our partnership with Living Lands & Water is just one example of the many partners Cargill employees can volunteer with to bring our sustainability priorities to life. These include a focus on climate, land, water and people.
“I’m proud of the work our global teams are doing every day to help the planet thrive,” says Pilar Cruz, Cargill’s chief sustainability officer. “Through our Cargill Cares Councils, our colleagues around the world are volunteering their time and energy to initiatives like planting trees and community clean-ups. Working closely with our global partners, we’re committed to nourishing the world in a sustainable way.”
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22) and World Environment Day (June 5), colleagues around the world came together for community and joined their local Cargill Cares Council — employee-led groups that work to make a positive impact where we live and work — to help protect the planet.
Here are a few of their stories.
Restoring a legacy of water
For centuries, long before they had running water in their homes, Bulgarians built village fountains in their communities. Known as “chesmas,” the fountains captured water from natural springs for public use and were particularly valuable in karst regions. Some chesma remain active, but many have been abandoned.
Embedded in Bulgarian history and folklore, chesmas are places for social gatherings, but also for nurturing cattle and local agriculture — vital for the livelihood of communities in rural areas in the country.
Today, our employees are volunteering their time to help restore six of these public water fountains — along with surrounding micro wetlands — in an effort to promote clean water awareness in local communities. Launched in April 2024, this is our first project in Europe with Global Water Challenge, a cross-sector coalition that works for community improvement and climate resilience-building activities. The project is being implemented by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and is expected to conclude in 2025.
Our volunteers’ work is already helping 16 communities in Bulgaria, where they also planted 200 trees that can grow in wet soil to help mitigate flood risks. Additionally, our Bulgarian colleagues will hold clean water awareness events and train local members of the community to become “guardians of the fountains,” committed to the conservation of the chesmas.
Through these integrated activities, the project is building climate change resilience for local communities and addressing water security challenges in critical watersheds of Sofia and Varna.
