04.22.22
The Clorox Company has launched a new initiative to advance environmental justice through investment in community parks to help provide better access to green spaces among underserved communities. The Healthy Parks Project aligns the company's purpose to champion people to be well and thrive every single day with its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to Clorox.
In the project's first year, Clorox will support parks organizations, with grants totaling more than $300,000, where it has large employee bases benefiting the health of local communities.
The first community is Oakland, CA, home to the The Clorox Company headquarter.
"The critical issue of environmental justice bridges our ESG commitments to healthy lives, a clean world and thriving communities," said Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer Kirsten Marriner. "Communities thrive when people have access to green spaces, yet many neighborhoods have historically not had access to this critical resource. We want all people to have equal access to beautiful and healthy parks."
To launch the Healthy Parks Project, Clorox is donating $200,000 to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation to support the improvement of parks in West Oakland, a neighborhood disproportionately impacted by poor health outcomes, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. The donation will support historic DeFremery Park in particular, with specific projects identified through engagement with the local community and consultation with the City of Oakland. Clorox will donate another $100,000 this year to additional locations near its facilities and teammates.
To amplify the impact of the partnership, Clorox "teammates" will be able to personally support the initiative through volunteer events and online education about environmental justice. Further, Clorox employees in the US and Canada will also receive $25 each to donate to an environmental justice nonprofit of their choice through the company's employee giving program.
The Clorox Company says the initiative is an illustration of the company's focus on the interconnectedness of environmental and social sustainability and in creating multi-stakeholder value.
Nearly 100 million people in the US, including 28 million children, don't have park access within a 10-minute walk of home, and in Oakland alone, residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 78% less park space compared to high-income neighborhoods. According to Clorox, research suggests that urban built environments, including parks and other green spaces, might shape opportunities for physical activity, affecting development of obesity and other health outcomes, and that parks were more likely to encourage physical activity if they were perceived as aesthetically pleasing.
In the project's first year, Clorox will support parks organizations, with grants totaling more than $300,000, where it has large employee bases benefiting the health of local communities.
The first community is Oakland, CA, home to the The Clorox Company headquarter.
"The critical issue of environmental justice bridges our ESG commitments to healthy lives, a clean world and thriving communities," said Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer Kirsten Marriner. "Communities thrive when people have access to green spaces, yet many neighborhoods have historically not had access to this critical resource. We want all people to have equal access to beautiful and healthy parks."
To launch the Healthy Parks Project, Clorox is donating $200,000 to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation to support the improvement of parks in West Oakland, a neighborhood disproportionately impacted by poor health outcomes, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. The donation will support historic DeFremery Park in particular, with specific projects identified through engagement with the local community and consultation with the City of Oakland. Clorox will donate another $100,000 this year to additional locations near its facilities and teammates.
To amplify the impact of the partnership, Clorox "teammates" will be able to personally support the initiative through volunteer events and online education about environmental justice. Further, Clorox employees in the US and Canada will also receive $25 each to donate to an environmental justice nonprofit of their choice through the company's employee giving program.
The Clorox Company says the initiative is an illustration of the company's focus on the interconnectedness of environmental and social sustainability and in creating multi-stakeholder value.
Nearly 100 million people in the US, including 28 million children, don't have park access within a 10-minute walk of home, and in Oakland alone, residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 78% less park space compared to high-income neighborhoods. According to Clorox, research suggests that urban built environments, including parks and other green spaces, might shape opportunities for physical activity, affecting development of obesity and other health outcomes, and that parks were more likely to encourage physical activity if they were perceived as aesthetically pleasing.