At Bepensa, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, reaffirming our commitment to the environment with actions that promote ecological awareness in the communities where we operate.
It is a day to pay tribute to our planet and recognize the Earth as our home and our mother, as different cultures have expressed throughout history, demonstrating the interdependence between its many ecosystems and the living beings that inhabit it.
History
Earth Day (officially International Mother Earth Day) is celebrated in many countries on April 22. Its sponsor, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, established this day to raise awareness of the problems of overpopulation, pollution, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental concerns in order to protect the Earth.
In 1968, Morton Hilbert and the US Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, an environmental assembly for students to hear scientists speak about the effects of environmental degradation on human health. This was the first precursor to Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and his students worked to plan the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
HIM
To raise awareness of the problems affecting our planet, we celebrate International Mother Earth Day every year. With this, the UN seeks to remind us that the planet and its ecosystems give us life and sustenance.
Bepensa
Let us remember more than ever on this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift toward a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. That's why we've implemented the circular economy in our bottling plants to reduce waste generation to zero and reuse food-grade PET resin. This is achieved through its recovery through programs like ReQPET and its reintegration into the value chain thanks to the world's largest recycling plant, Petstar.
At Bioparque Bepensa, as part of its environmental protection measures, there is a 10,000 m2 green area where environmental conservation efforts are carried out, such as the planting of more than 300 trees and the donation of more than 7,000 trees produced in our nursery. Bioparque Bepensa also features a meliponary, a turtle farm, and a rabbit hutch, projects that allow visitors to have direct contact with the region's wildlife and promote environmental education.
Each year, we set a goal to reduce water consumption at the plants where we operate. This is an additional strategy to minimize the impact on aquifers. Therefore, we install wastewater treatment plants to promote water reuse.
At Bepensa, we are deeply committed to the care and protection of our habitats. Therefore, we promote programs and projects aimed at preserving natural environments and positively impacting the places where we operate. In each of the communities where we operate, we are constantly carrying out ecosystem conservation and rescue actions, such as the cleanup of aquifers and cenotes, as well as providing guidance and education to improve environmental awareness.
We know that climate change caused by the massive production of greenhouse gas emissions is a serious problem that concerns us all, which is why reducing emissions is a priority on our agenda. We seek to reduce our carbon footprint and aim to decrease our numbers year after year. Such is the case with Glacial by Bepensa Industrial, which contributes to improving our planet with cooling equipment designed to save 25% in energy, thus avoiding the emission of more than 4,800 tons of CO2, equivalent to more than 800 hectares of forests conserved and more than 500,000 trees planted.
We've come a long way, but there's still much work to be done. At Bepensa, we know that the difference is made when we work as a team, when businesses, society, and government unite, we can achieve great improvements in our environment.
In these times of containment, like the ones we're currently experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when many have stayed home, we've seen the earth turn green again, the skies and waters clear, and species emerge again and occupy spaces that were once theirs. It's time to reflect on the impact humans have on the planet and the footprints they leave in their wake.
Only one Earth and we have to take care of it together.
#Let'sDoThisTogether #UnitedWeCanDoIt
