|
|
|
|
|
|
Community Involvement |
|
|
|
|
|
Our commitment to corporate citizenship at Air Products is about striving to improve the quality of life in our operating communities, working in partnership with local organizations. Our support priorities are in the following areas:
Active Volunteerism In addition to cash contributions and donations of in-kind goods and services, we have a corporate policy that allows employees to volunteer during work hours with the support of their managers. Thousands of our people volunteer hundreds of thousands of hours annually, both as individuals and as groups through dedicated “days of caring” events. We recently introduced a new online volunteer matching program, enabling nonprofit organizations to post volunteer opportunities and U.S. employees to sign up for openings that match their interests and to record volunteer hours. We intend to deploy the tool globally over the next two years. |
|
 |
| During 2008: |
- Air Products contributed over $6 million in cash and product donations to community organizations, schools and municipalities in approximately 15 countries.
|
- We set another record level of support for the United Way as a National Corporate Leader, with U.S. employees, retirees and The Air Products Foundation donating $2.1 million.
|
|
Employee-Directed Giving
Air Products believes strongly in giving employees a say in directing their charitable contributions. For this reason, each United Way contribution is matched at $.50 on the dollar. Employees who make a gift and designate it to a nonprofit human service agency can then benefit, because Air Products’ matching funds follow the gift to that agency. Through our matching gifts program, employees may also direct the company’s match to their Higher Education (1:1 match) and Arts and Culture (2:1 match) preferences.
A Vehicle for Education: Our Hydrogen Bus If the response to our hydrogen bus is a good indicator, a bright future awaits the hydrogen economy. Teaching the public about the benefits of hydrogen as a fuel is one of the main reasons the U.S. government sponsored the hydrogen-powered shuttle running on our headquarters campus. In just a few months since its start-up, the vehicle has taken the hydrogen message to more than 3,000 residents of the local community and beyond.
The bus is deployed to local schools and universities, senior centers and other community and business organizations two to three times each week as a way of teaching people about the usefulness, safety and environmental advantages of hydrogen as a fuel. More than 50 trained employee volunteers maintain our ongoing community education program. |
|
 |
Students from Exeter High School in Reading, Pennsylvania experienced a ride on our hydrogen shuttle bus following a presentation by Air Products employees during National Engineers Week 2009. The bus, manufactured by Ford, features an internal combustion engine that is designed to run on hydrogen rather than gasoline and produces near-zero carbon emissions. An alternative technology uses hydrogen fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electric power, with water as the only emission. |
|
Sponsoring SkillsUSA: Champions at Work
Air Products is a corporate sponsor of SkillsUSA: Champions at Work, a national program that provides cutting-edge training and leadership development to career and technical students to prepare them for the workforce. Thousands of public high school and college/post-secondary technical students compete in over 91 occupational and leadership skill areas—from welding, mechatronics, and robotics and automation technology to carpentry, commercial baking and cosmetology—with winners from each state going to the National Competition in Kansas City, Missouri each June. Throughout the country, an active team of Air Products employees volunteers as judges, technical advisors, classroom volunteers, curriculum advisors and mentors for the students. The program is an important part of our recruiting for individuals with technical and trade experience.
UK Healthcare Moves Beyond Patient Support Beyond supporting patient-focused charities such as the British Lung Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Trust, our UK Healthcare Team has extended its community service through a new partnership with Cheshire, UK-based Petty Pool Trust, which runs a college and outdoor center for young people with learning difficulties. From painting fences and gardening, to giving music lessons and computer training, the team is furthering Petty Pool Trust’s mission to provide practical instruction that will extend employment possibilities for the students in the future.
|
|
A welder goes for the gold at the 44th Annual SkillsUSA National Competition in Kansas City, Missouri in June 2008. Every year, more than 5,000 students compete in 91 occupational and leadership areas. |
| Under the philosophy of working alongside those they serve—expressed in the motto, “Together with our patients”—our Carburos Médica employees annually organize and run several projects for patients and their families. One such program involved a day of activities for children at Virgen de la Salud Hospital (Toledo, Spain), including clowns, balloon modeling, puppets, musical activities and a drawing competition. Some of the children’s winning sketches are featured in the company’s 2009 calendar. |
 |
|
London schools Hydrogen Challenge (LSHC) Developed by the London Hydrogen Partnership as an interactive educational science program for schoolchildren, the LSHC is now in its second year, with primary sponsorship by Air Products. The program—which runs across all 33 London boroughs and supports the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum—provides interactive, online lessons that guide students through issues surrounding climate change; the need for cleaner, renewable energy; and the role hydrogen plays in providing energy for the future. In addition to financial support, winning schools from the Challenge are visited by the Air Products Science Ambassadors, who conduct demonstrations that bring science to life in front of the children’s eyes.
Students See Chamonix Glaciers FirstHand Answering the plea of local schoolchildren from Ashley C of E Primary School, Walton-on-Thames, we funded a four-day environmental trip for the Year Six class to see the shrinking glaciers of Chamonix, France. As part of the program, Air Products technical and environmental experts performed science demonstrations and explored sustainability themes with the children. After staying in a refuge and going to the summit of a mountain overlooking the Alps, the children shared the knowledge they gained about Chamonix through a blog and formal presentations made to other schools and local companies. We hope to emulate this educational model, combining science demonstrations and travel to unique locations, for schoolchildren in other communities across the UK. |
|
Under our agreement with Transport for London, we are supplying the hydrogen fuel and a dedicated fueling station for several hydrogen-powered buses, which are scheduled to hit London streets in 2010. |
|
Sichuan Earthquake Relief Developed by the London Hydrogen Partnership as an interactive educational science program for schoolchildren, the LSHC is now in its second year, with primary sponsorship by Air Products. The program—which runs across all 33 London boroughs and supports the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum—provides interactive, online lessons that guide students through issues surrounding climate change; the need for cleaner, renewable energy; and the role hydrogen plays in providing energy for the future. In addition to financial support, winning schools from the Challenge are visited by the Air Products Science Ambassadors, who conduct demonstrations that bring science to life in front of the children’s eyes.
Supporting SEMI’s High Tech U Program in Taiwan  As a main sponsor of the SEMI High Tech U (HTU) program in the U.S. and Asia, we are extending our support through our Air Products San Fu subsidiary as the program is introduced in Taiwan in summer 2009. An industry-driven career development program created in 2001 and administered by the SEMI® Foundation, HTU has exposed thousands of high school students and teachers around the world to educational and career opportunities in math-, science- and technology-related fields. In addition to monetary support, our Asia technology team will support the curriculum design and provide technical expertise throughout the program.
Engineers without Borders Engineers Without Borders—USA (EWB) is a humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in the developing world to help meet essential needs: clean water and sanitation, reliable energy, shelter, transportation and education.
Earlier this year, a core team from Air Products formed The Lehigh Valley Professionals Chapter of EWB, and its members have been active in local and international projects, serving as mentors and advisors to student chapters at nearby Lafayette College and Lehigh University.
Lafayette and Lehigh have partnered with rural communities in Honduras to establish safe and reliable water supply and sanitation systems. The Lehigh Valley Professionals Chapter supports these student programs by providing the experience of practicing engineers on technical design, project management and course instruction. Several professionals have traveled and worked with student teams in Honduras.
In addition, the Lehigh Valley Professionals Chapter is now commencing work on a local partnership project to improve the conditions at a local women’s shelter and is conducting local educational outreach programs to promote understanding of global sustainability challenges within the Lehigh Valley community. |
|
 | |
|
|
 |
|
|
