I had the pleasure to participate in the Mike And Rob LIVE FedEx webcast for FedEx Services recently. They were kind enough to have me on to talk about our sustainability efforts within FedEx. Equally gratifying was the fact that we did the live webcast from the FedEx Enterprise Data Center-West (EDC-W) facility. This is a LEED Gold-certified facility. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council’s certification of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

After dodging a date with a bulldozer, several sweet magnolia trees have a home at Memphis’ Shelby Farms Park with the help of FedEx team members.

Planting the trees – plucked from an abandoned Mississippi nursery before its scheduled demolition – was just one of the ways Memphis-area FedEx team members helped beautify Shelby Farms Park during an April 16 FedEx EarthSmart Outreach event.

...Our conservation projects will include a half or full day of service for FedEx team members, working with each NFWF grantee and the local community. We will help plant trees and shrubbery in Pittsburgh, Miami, Memphis and Washington, D.C.; clear invasive plant species in Seattle and Chicago; restore trails in Colorado Springs; revitalize riverfronts and watersheds near Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Dallas, Newark and Boston; and transplant native plants to the Los Angeles area coastline and to San Francisco’s Presidio Bluffs.

Last year, FedEx team members helped plant 15,510 trees, which will be responsible for reducing 372,240 pounds of CO2 per year. In addition, we have helped restore 219 acres of habitat and reduce runoff water volume by 570,000 gallons per year. All of which translates to a fresher and more beautiful environment for us and the next generation to enjoy...

Can "no pain, no gain" offer shared benefits, or is it a short-sighted approach to sustainability?

“How is FedEx a sustainability company?!?” puzzled one MBA student. The question surprised me a bit since I work here and regularly receive our sustainability updates.

I responded, “FedEx is absolutely, positively a sustainability company!” I began to enlighten the MBA student (and her accompanying friend) on the many investments that FedEx has made to foster a better world for its employees, customers and overall stakeholders in Disaster Relief, Child Pedestrian Safety, Education, Diversity and Environmental Sustainability.