The third annual joint environmental initiative launched by marine terminal operators APM Terminals, DP World, Hutchison Ports, Port of Rotterdam Authority (PRA), PSA International, and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) wrapped up following a busy week of green activities around the globe.

In keeping with the program’s central idea that the entire industry should join hands to tackle environmental concerns, numerous joint activities took place in key ports ranging from Buenos Aires and Rotterdam to Busan.

In some locations, local shipping companies were invited to take part in events that covered everything from planting trees to collecting trash. Community involvement is an integral part of GoGreen and numerous activities involved local students, NGOs, non-profit organizations, and government departments.

Following the structure established last year, the campaign activities revolved around the three main themes of: reuse and recycle, climate change, and the community.

APM Terminals and the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network saw a variety of participation around the world as part of this year’s Go Green Week program. At APM Terminals Algeciras,

Spain, activities included hosting over one hundred local school children who were invited to see how the busiest container terminal on the Mediterranean Sea recycle 80 percent of its waste. The school children were also invited to take part in efforts to make a count of endangered wildlife in the Algeciras Bay, as well as a hike in the nearby El Strecho Natural Park, to learn about the coastal ecosystem.

Other APM Terminals’ sponsored activities included the launching of an electric car charging station at Shanghai East Container Terminal, in which APM Terminals holds a 49 percent share, in China; the distribution of seeds for trees to school children in Brazil; the installation of power and water-saving devices in Bahrain; and the clearing of litter from a sensitive mangrove area in Buenaventura, Colombia.

Over 3,000 DP World volunteers took part in Go Green initiatives across 29 countries this year, building on the past two years of successful collaboration with the world’s leading port operators to engage communities and people in promoting environmental awareness. DP World employees volunteered 5,859 hours of their time on various initiatives from cycling to work to school visits to educate local children on the environment. A total of 2,241 trees were planted during the week at tree planting sessions in schools, local areas, community gardens, protected eco-sites and terminal gardens. Over 400,000 pounds of litter was collected off local beaches across the week.

Tree planting was central to the activities carried out by Hutchison Ports. These activities took a wide variety of forms, including planting and weeding activities in nature reserves to protect biodiversity; planting marine trees to prevent soil erosion; teaching local students how to plant and care for vegetable seedlings; taking part in a charity run to raise money for foresting a national park; and planting trees in various public areas to increase green spaces. Clean-up activities were held at a number of coastal areas, with the collected trash segregated for recycling.

Fifty employees of APM Terminals, Europe Container Terminals (Hutchison Ports), Rotterdam World Gateway (DP World) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority worked at Mildenburg Estate in the Netherlands to retain the open habitat for a number of special dune species in the coastal area near the port.

PSA ports around the world engaged in a diverse array of Go Green activities to foster positive environmental change and heighten the engagement of employees to this cause. Activities included conservation of the ecosystem, through planting trees and mangroves, releasing crabs back into their natural habitat, the cleanup of work and public areas such as terminals, offices, local parks and beaches, as well as recycling projects in offices around the world. In total, 1,286 seedlings were planted and 39 tons of used items were collected for recycling.

“The third year of this successful event was marked by increased levels of participation at our container terminal operations around the globe,” said Hutchison Ports Group Managing Director Eric Ip. “By aligning the various green activities organized by all the participants over the course of a single week, we hope to show by example that environmental concerns are something everybody needs to work together to achieve.”