The power of a simple choice

Hervé Bellut is passionate about biking. Ian McLean is committed to protecting endangered species. Find out how these Rockwell Collins employees are working to positively impact our environment.

By Anne Wiskerchen

Each day we are faced with hundreds of choices. What to wear? What to eat? What work to finish first? But how many times do we stop and think about how the daily choices we make are affecting our environment?

Concerns about the impact humans are making on our environment continue to increase, and it might seem like these problems are too large for one or two people to make a difference. But two Rockwell Collins employees — Ian McLean of Australia and Hervé Bellut of France — believe otherwise.

As a result, both are proving the power of a simple choice by supporting efforts to positively impact the environment in the communities in which our company operates.

Cycling to a cleaner environment

Hervé Bellut's passion for cycling began at an early age when he traveled to and from school. Today, as a software quality engineer at Rockwell Collins in Blagnac, France, this passion has inspired him to start a new, environmentally-friendly trend known as "bus cycling."

A program similar to carpooling that connects individuals who cycle to and from work in one group, bus cycling makes commuting safer and also provides motivation for those who participate.

"I truly believe that the more people I can encourage to bike to work, the better it will be for our planet," said Bellut. "Bus cycling can be implemented very easily in most cities."

Like most great ideas, the bus cycling program originated from adversity after a local supermarket removed the four parking spots available for bikes. Instead of protesting, Bellut decided to turn this negative into a positive.

"I wanted to show people the environmental and personal benefits of using a bike instead of a car," he said. "So, I asked my co-workers to bike to work with me."

In August of 2005, Bellut launched the Bus Cyclist Web site, a repository of information — including several bus cycling itineraries — about how bike enthusiasts across France could join the program.

Three months later, the Bus Cycling Association was created and, in just the first year alone, it attracted more than 30 members.

"It's going to take time to achieve a total shift in the mentality of commuters," Bellut said. "But people are telling me how much they enjoy biking to work and that they don't miss getting in their cars each morning."

In fact, the number of Rockwell Collins employees who bike to work in France continues to increase. Currently, about 20 employees travel by bike regularly, but the numbers are expected to double this summer.

Last year, Bellut received a grant from the Rockwell Collins Green Communities program. Entering its third year, this program is designed to help fund local projects and programs that will positively impact the environment in the communities where we operate.

"Green Communities shows that our company is committed to positive environmental action," said Bellut. "It also encourages this sort of behavior among our employees."

Bellut continues to encourage his peers as well. Each month at the bus cycling picnic, he demonstrates a low-impact option for cycling to work by demonstrating the electric bike he purchased with the money from the Green Communities grant.

"Electric bikes offer an option to people who are afraid of the physical effort of coming to work by bike," said Bellut. "Thanks to Green Communities, people can try this type of bike before they invest in one."

Saving a green community

Biking to work is one way to reduce the amount of pollution sent into our atmosphere each day. But, there also are ways to restore already damaged areas, and employees at Rockwell Collins in Melbourne, Australia, have been busy doing exactly that with the Regent Honeyeater Project.

In 1996, the Australian Department of Conservation and Natural Resources helped launch this project with the goal of restoring the box-ironbark habitat, a species of eucalyptus. This habitat is home to the Regent Honeyeater — an endangered Australian bird — and about 10 other endangered species. It is now managed by area farmers concerned not only about endangered species, but also about the area's widespread tree dieback.

Melbourne Avionic Technician Ian McLean is one of those volunteers. And for him, it's more than just a volunteer project; it's a part of his life. McLean and his family have been active participants and advocates since the project's beginning.

"The ecosystem was out of balance. Trees were dying and, as a result, there was a tremendous loss of species," said McLean. "We hope to restore the balance by planting new trees and restoring the forest corridors."

To date, close to 870 hectares — about 2,150 acres — of healthy habitat have been restored as a result of volunteer efforts. In addition, the program has become one of the most active volunteer conservation programs in the nation.

"It's great to be part of a project that is restoring nature, so that many of our endangered native birds and animals have a chance to survive and flourish," said Steve Davenport, also an avionics technician in Melbourne. "Our work will be appreciated by future generations."

For McLean, the benefits far outweigh all of the hard work chipping and clearing the area, digging holes, planting trees and shrubs, pot collecting, and publicizing the project.

"It's been an amazing experience seeing the return of a near extinct species and watching the land return to life," he said.

Uniting 'islands of excellence'

Rockwell Collins employees in Australia and France aren't the only ones making a difference in our environment. According to Tom Gentner, director of Environment, Safety and Health at Rockwell Collins, there are many projects being done across our enterprise.

"Our biggest challenge is uniting all of these ideas and best practices," he said. "We have lots of 'islands of excellence' that we need to combine into one continent."

Gentner and his colleagues have started tapping into these islands and have been proactively positioning Rockwell Collins as a leader on environmental issues. In 2005, our company announced the purchase of 10,000 mega-watts of renewable energy over three years.

"This commitment has prevented the emission of more than 13 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually," said Gentner. "This is equivalent to taking more than 1,200 cars off the road for one year or planting nearly 1,900 acres of trees."

Our company also is participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project by publicly releasing our carbon emission levels, and has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set emission reduction goals as part of its Climate Leaders program.

"Our company is very active on issues like climate change," said David Bozaan, manager of Environment, Safety and Health Operations. "But, it's also our employees who are recognizing opportunities for waste reduction and continual environmental improvement."

Although there is still a growing list of concerns facing our environment, the work our company and our employees are already doing means we're off to a great start.

"Environmental success requires everyone's participation and acceptance of responsibility," said Gentner. "The projects our employees are working on demonstrate their commitment to the environment."

It's a commitment that both McLean and Bellut fully embrace.

"I don't think our job will ever be fully completed and it may be that the next generation will be involved in further developing our footprint on the landscape," said McLean. "But it gives me great pride to give back to the land what has been taken away and give nature a helping hand."