WIA member companies commit to environmental action

Many companies have begun to incorporate environment-related goals in their strategic plans as part of their sustainability plans. Following are examples of actions WIA member companies are taking to positively impact the environment.

• To inform its sustainability approach, Crown Castle conducted a materiality assessment in 2020, evaluating 16 topics that represent the most material ESG issues for the company. A full description of the materiality assessment and key findings can be found in at 2020 Materiality Assessment. 
• American Tower’s 2021 Sustainability Report includes goals around minimizing the telecom industry’s impact on the environment through shared infrastructure, pursuing climate targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, increasing on-site energy efficiency, deploying renewable energy solutions and installing advanced energy storage systems, and conducting environmental assessments to minimize impact on local ecosystems prior to new site development. 
• Among SBA’s goals to benefit the environment are outreach efforts. Each year, SBA team members participate in beach cleanups, together with efforts to support and sustain animals/wildlife and the environment. These efforts often contribute to national endeavors. For example, its Pittsburgh office participated in the reforestation of the Flight 93 National Memorial, a U.S. National Park Service, helping to plant hundreds of tree saplings as part of the park’s multi-year reforestation initiative. The efforts of more than 4,200 U.S. volunteers, including SBA volunteers, helped the park attain its goal of planting 150,000 native trees. 
• DigitalBridge established a commitment for its portfolio companies to be net zero by 2030. It also initiated calculation of greenhouse gas footprint at portfolio companies and worked to ensure all portfolio companies manage their environmental performance in a manner that seeks to conserve natural resources, reduce operating costs and adhere to all local  regulations.
• Building on a number of carbon-lowering tactics across its operations, Vertical Bridge supports four North American projects that reduce and remove greenhouse gases and are focused on nature-based climate solutions and resource recovery. They include projects that preserve grasslands in Colorado and Montana, reduce the environmental impact of landfills at Seneca Meadows Landfill in New York, help reforest more than 2.4 million acres of native woodland to restore the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and protect 156,000 acres of Boreal forests in British Columbia, Canada, from subdivision, high-impact logging and other environmental threats. 
• Phoenix Tower International became a CarbonNeutral® company through commitment to taking action on climate change and supporting offsetting projects in the markets and communities in which it does business. 

Click here to read about how connectivity can help heal the planet.

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