OI 158 eng

# 158 vol XXXIX JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012 ENGLISH EDITION

Valdemir Matos, a participant in the professional education program organized at the Fonte Nova Arena jobsite in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

SUSTAINABILITY Achievements that point to a new way of thinking about life on our planet

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Foto: Edilson Silva

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w w w. o d e b re c h t o n l i n e . co m . b r You can read Odebrecht Informa any way you like – online at the above address; on your iPad, using the Revista Odebrecht app available in the App Store; or on your smartphone, by logging onto www.odebrechtinforma.com.br.

There are many ways to access all the articles in the print edition, as well as videos, new photos and other features

Online edition

Online archive

Innovations

> You can view this entire issue in HTML and PDF

Video reports

Blog

> Recycling Project minimizes the environmental impacts of building eight units at the Abreu e Lima oil refinery in Pernambuco, Brazil > Supervia’s Life Project organizes an educational program on citizenship and the environment for children living near the railways where the company is active > At the Teles Pires hydroelectric project, the Acreditar professional education program includes local workers and offers growth opportunities for residents of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso

> Access all back issues of Odebrecht Informa since no. 1, and download full issues in PDF > Odebrecht Annual Reports since 2002 > Special publications (Special Issue on Social Programs, 60 years of the Odebrecht Group, 40 Years of the Odebrecht Foundation and 10 Years of Odeprev)

> In Angola, the second edition of the Odebrecht Sustainable Development Award encourages engineering students to develop projects > Through the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), a pioneering Braskem study proposes debating the use of plastic bags > Rota das Bandeiras invests in environmental preservation and rehabilitation in the vicinity of the highways it operates in São Paulo State > Partnership between the Ethanol Consortium and the Acreditar Project grooms skilled workers to build the Land Terminal in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo

LET THERE BE LIGHT Begun in 2005, the Light for All program electrifies rural communities in Brazil for the very first time

> Follow Odebrecht Informa on Twitter and get the latest news in real time @odbinforma

> Comment on blog entries and participate by sending suggestions to the editors

> Read posts on the Odebrecht Informa blog by the magazine’s reporters and editors, including Cláudio Lovato Filho, Emanuella Sombra, Fabiana Cabral, José Enrique Barreiro, Karolina Gutiez, Renata Meyer, Rodrigo Vilar, Thereza Martins, Zaccaria Júnior and collaborators.

Photo: Edu Simões

#158

SUSTAINABILITY

Cover photo: Márcio Lima

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Teles Pires: in the heart of Brazil, ideas and activities are grooming teams and bringing people together

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Creative uses of babassu palms are the highlight of initiatives that benefit the community in Alcântara, Brazil

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Médanos, Argentina, becomes a model community committed to recycling

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Braskem consolidates its range of initiatives aimed at controlling and combating greenhouse gas emissions

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Schools in several parts of Brazil learn about the plastics cycle and raise consumer awareness

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Felipe Cruz discusses the new concepts underlying the Organization’s sustainability programs

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A collective effort to combat waste is underway at the Abreu e Lima Refinery works

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Professional education, social inclusion and health promotion are the focus of projects in Mozambique

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Communities near SuperVia’s railway lines are starting to change their relationship with the environment

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The Fonte Nova Arena Project offers work opportunities to homeless and former homeless people

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Panama City invests in an extensive sanitation and clean-up program

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Road concessionaires in several parts of Brazil are organizing traffic education programs

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The Schools in Action team is training community members to run the program

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Green buildings combine technology and creativity to use energy more efficiently

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Dom Bosco College in Luanda demonstrates the power of teamwork and shared principles

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Bus Stop Shine: an opportunity for Luanda’s shoeshine workers to see work in a new light in Angola

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In Nova Alvorada do Sul, Brazil, the story of a community that is making the most of a unique opportunity

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Family Houses are contributing to the development of rural youth and their communities

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Launched in Salvador, Bahia, The Benedictine Monastery of Bahia tells the story of monastic life in the Western World

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Another publication sponsored by the Odebrecht Historical Research – Clarival do Prado Valladares Prize wins the Jabuti Award

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Sérgio Leão writes about the new levels of sustainability that Odebrecht aims to achieve

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With the support of Foz, young people learn that the environment benefits when oil and water don’t mix

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In Limeira, Brazil, graffiti is encouraged and valued, becoming a source of joy for young and old alike

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Hebe Meyer writes about the steps that led to the opening of the Hertha Odebrecht Library informa informa

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EDITORIAL

News of a collective journey

M

édanos, Tete, Beira, Nova Alvorada do Sul, Alcântara, Macaé, Mairinque, Limeira, Igrapiúna. Communities in Brazil and other countries that are the habitats of sustainable development projects. Places where Odebrecht’s presence, through the work of its teams, has

enabled contributions to be made in the form of environmental, educa-

“Odebrecht’s presence, through the work of its teams, has enabled contributions in the form of environmental, educational, health, employment and income generation programs. Initiatives planned and implemented by people for people who are all in the same boat – Planet Earth – and bound in the same direction”

tional, health, employment and income generation programs. Initiatives planned and implemented by people for people who are all in the same boat – Planet Earth – and bound in the same direction.

This issue of Odebrecht Informa is dedicated to sustainability. In it, you will find stories about the revolution that is underway in the village of Médanos, Argentina, especially after the establishment of an ecoplant that sorts solid waste for recycling. And the changes underway in the Mozambican cities of Beira and Tete, through initiatives carried out in schools and orphanages. You will see how a growing professional training and education movement is taking place in the communities where Odebrecht is present, giving an economic boost that changes their social indicators. You will find out how simple ideas, such as the use of babassu palms in the construction of bridges and containment structures, can become benchmarks and role models. You will realize how productive and exciting an experience can be for rural youth at the Family Houses in the Southern Bahia Lowlands, transforming the classroom and the students’ family farms into one and the same educational environment.

You will find information about all this and more in the following pages.

News about people, their dreams and accomplishments. Reports about the struggles and achievements of men and women in various parts of Brazil and the world. People and places whose daily lives the Odebrecht Organization’s teams have the privilege of sharing.

Good reading.

And a very happy 2012!

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Ophthalmologist from the Health Expeditionaries group examines an indigenous woman from the Sai Cinza village in Jacareacanga: volunteer work with the help of partner companies

stori REAL

Programs like the Health Expeditionaries are enabling inclusion and shared experiences in Teles Pires, in the Amazon region

ies

Andre Franรงois/Imagemรกgica

written by Luiz Carlos Ramos

A

major hydroelectric project built in the

and safety innovations for energy generation coexist with

heart of the Amazon. A jobsite set up in

the goal of preserving the local culture and forests. On this

a remote part of Brazil. The challenge of

project, which Odebrecht Energia is managing for the Spe-

grooming local workers, ensuring con-

cial Purpose Company (SPC) Companhia Hidrelétrica Teles

ditions that make them feel happy and

Pires S/A, development is in sync with sustainability.

fulfilled in their daily lives, an integral part of the life of the

Designed to have a total installed capacity of up to

region and aware of the richness and sensitivity of the eco-

1,820 MW (megawatts), this plant is the largest of the four

system in which they work. Sustainability. No other concept

planned for the Teles Pires River Complex. Construction

is having a stronger impact during construction of the Teles

began in August 2011 on the waterway also known as the

Pires hydroelectric plant, on the state line of Mato Grosso

São Manuel River, a tributary of the Tapajós. The part-

and Pará.

ners in the consortium that won the National Electric En-

The new bridge that will link northern Mato Grosso to

ergy Agency’s (Aneel) auction to operate this unit include

Pará as of January 2012 is a key part of the project. The

Neoenergia (50.1%), Eletrobras Furnas (24.5%), Eletrobras

seasonal heavy rains do not faze the teams working on both

Eletrosul (24.5%) and Odebrecht Energia (0.9%). The project

banks of the Teles Pires River, where one of the largest and

is part of the Federal Growth Acceleration Program (PAC),

most advanced hydroelectric plants in Brazil will go online

and the energy it generates will not only be useful for the

by the end of 2014. Once the bridge has been completed,

Amazon and North but, thanks to a transmission line con-

they will be able to bring heavy machinery and equipment

nected to the Brazilian electric system, it will also benefit

over from the Pará side of the river and speed up construc-

the rest of the country.

tion of the dam.

Built in the heart of the rain forest, the accommoda-

Acreditar Program

tions for the permanent jobsite are almost ready – a veri-

Building a project of this magnitude in “deepest Brazil,”

table town that will house up to 6,000 people. Technological

far from the nearest city or town, is a considerable challenge. It involves bringing in workers and encouraging them to stay on and build a giant concrete dam in the middle of the jungle. Project Director Antonio Augusto de Castro Santos, 40, explains: “We started out by establishing a base in Paranaíta, a town of 7,000 inhabitants in Mato Grosso, which is connected to the dam site by a 95-km dirt road. But we soon installed a temporary jobsite and we are now completing the permanent one, near the river.” He adds: “The technical team comes from various parts of the country, and so do some of the team members. But our priority is hiring local workers groomed through the Acreditar Program.”

Odebrecht’s Ongoing Professional Education Program – Acreditar (Believe) got started in 2008 at the Santo Antônio project jobsite in Rondônia, and the Organization has been replicating it on other projects. It was deployed in Paranaíta from February to October, with support from the SENAI (National Industrial Apprenticeship Service) unit based in Sinop County. “We sent out invitations to residents of Alta Floresta, Paranaíta and other towns and counties in Mato Grosso who were interested in participating in the project,” says Juliana Lima, the officer Responsible for People and Organization on the Teles Pires Project. During that period, 2,092 people took the basic module and 667 completed the

Photos: Geraldo Pestalozzi

Jorge Ricardo Dias, from Paraná, has lived in Mato Grosso for 21 years: “The project is shaking up this part of the country in a good way”

technical module, in which they learned the skills required

of the Tree. “When I was 16 years old and poor, a jatoba tree

to become steelfixers (rebar workers), welders, carpenters,

saved me from starving thanks to its fruit. Today, I’m happy

bricklayers and machine operators.

and fulfilled.”

On June 10th, the Governor of Mato Grosso, Silval

José Alves Sales, 45, who arrived in Paranaíta over 20

Barbosa, attended the graduation ceremony where the

years ago, attracted by the mining boom, is happy too. “I

certificates were handed out: 823 for students who com-

couldn’t find gold, so I stayed on and became a fisherman.

pleted the basic module and 118 for the technical module.

Now, this job is my gold and my fish. I got it because I took

By November, 278 Acreditar members had been hired

Acreditar seriously.” José is also doing structural steel

and were working on the project, according to Juliana.

work for the bridge and dam, preparing huge girders to

“The community is excited about this program because a

travel by barge, before cranes install them in the bases and

lot of folks from these parts have gotten job opportunities

piers of the bridge.

and ensured the conditions for personal and professional growth,” she says.

“From fear to joy”

Edmar Soares, 29, is the production foreman for struc-

The jobsites are on the Mato Grosso side of the river.

tural steel work for the Teles Pires River bridge project. He

On the other side, in the state of Pará, the work is being

has gone from being an Acreditar instructor to an Ode-

done in Jacareacangá County, whose urban center is more

brecht member. “I’m happy here. I was born in Paranaíta,

than 400 km away. Márcio André Romani, an instructor for

but lived in Sinop and worked at SENAI. And then SENAI

Acreditar’s basic module, taught classes in quality, work

sent me to my hometown, not realizing I was from here!

psychology and environment, and went to Pará to find peo-

At Acreditar, I helped train the professionals who are now

ple who would be interested in joining Acreditar and work-

working on the project,” says Edmar. “When the course

ing on the Teles Pires project. “It was exciting,” he says.

ended, I was invited to join Ceará’s team.”

“The thing that makes this job so satisfying is the gratitude

“Ceará” is the nickname of José Wilmar Cid. He is the

of the students, who go from fear to joy.”

supervisor responsible for civil works on the bridge project

The workers’ living conditions in such an isolated place

and follows up on the assembly and concreting of the two

receive constant attention from the management team.

bases. “Edmar was a great help at Acreditar, and now he’s

Project Director Antonio Augusto says: “At the permanent

joined us here,” says Ceará, who planted a jatoba sapling

jobsite, which will be completed in early 2012, there will

next to the structural steel jobsite in September on the Day

be metal houses, which are more durable than wood, with

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larger windows and room for up to four people, with normal

big cities nearby. It is a huge challenge, but it’s working

beds and no bunks. It will be a real town, with a kitchen, res-

out,” she says. “We serve beef and chicken, rice, beans and

taurant, infirmary, laundry, waste disposal, a police station,

salad. We avoid fish, which spoils easily, as well as pork.

soccer pitch, movie theater, TV lounge, ‘guitarists’ corner,’

Odebrecht Energia is encouraging small farmers to plant

bus service, and places of worship for Catholics and Prot-

salad greens and vegetables.”

estants. We will even have a mobile canteen, set up on a bus. All this will eliminate the need to keep shuttling back and forth between Paranaíta and the construction site.”

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Opportunities for young and veteran members

Antonio Augusto says that by November 2011, just four

Civil engineers André Queiroz, 32, and Mateus Iannota

months after construction started on the Teles Pires proj-

Gontijo, 30, both joined Odebrecht seven years ago, and

ect, there were nearly one thousand members on the work

both are from the state of Minas Gerais. They have been

team: “That number is expected to increase progressively in

friends for a long time, and see eye to eye in everything

the coming months, until we reach a peak of 6,000 people. We

except soccer: André is an Atlético fan and Mateus sup-

take into account not only the job skills required to do the work,

ports Cruzeiro. André is the Production Manager on the

but above all creating the right circumstances for fostering

right bank of the Teles Pires River (the Pará side) and Ma-

good relationships between the people working on the project

teus does the same job on the left bank (in Mato Grosso).

to ensure their happiness and the community’s well-being.”

Construction of the dam will start simultaneously on both

Feeling good includes good eating. The nutritionist Je-

banks, once the bridge is completed. The generating cir-

rusa Campos, 30, builds on experience gained on the Santo

cuit will also be built on the right bank, including the pow-

Antônio hydro project in Porto Velho. “Here, there are no

erhouse. “As dam builders we look for synergies among

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If Jorge is new to the company, José Osimar Rodrigues da Silva, known as “Ze Bodinho,” 66, is about to celebrate 50 years with Odebrecht on February 1st. He is always upbeat.

“I’ve been all over the place, helping build power plants in Brazil, and I’ve also worked in Portugal, Angola and Mozambique. My wife and five children live in Minas Gerais. I’m always on the move, but I see them all the time,” he says.

He is the general supervisor for earthmoving on the Teles Pires project.

When the plant starts generating power in late 2014 and is completed in 2015, the flow of the Teles Pires River will remain unchanged. The project calls for a reservoir requiring a minimum flow, so the riverbed, currently 90 km², will only be widened to 135 km².

Support for indigenous peoples

Acreditar Program participants in Teles Pires: providing job skills and hiring local workers

Odebrecht has specific guidelines for its relationship with indigenous peoples. “On the Teles Pires project, we have developed a code of conduct on the subject and produced a booklet,” says Odebrecht Energia’s Sustainability

Geraldo Pestalozzi

Director, Luiz Gabriel Todt de Azevedo. Together with the client, Companhia Hidrelétrica Teles Pires, the company in November sponsored a visit from a group of doctors called Health Expeditionaries to Sai Cinza village in Jacareacanga County to provide medical care for members of the Kayabi, Apiaká and Munduruku tribes. Ophthalmologists, gynecologists, orthopedists, surgeons, GPs, pediatricians, anthe teams. Here, above all, we strive to protect the environ-

esthesiologists, and dentists – mostly from São Paulo and

ment in harmony with sustainable development,” explains

Campinas – spent a week treating Amerindians with health

André. Mateus is full of praise for the graduates of Acredi-

problems previously identified through screening done by

tar: “They are professionals who mature over time.” Mar-

DSEIs (Special Indigenous Health Districts). The health

cus Bandeira, 31, the officer Responsible for Administra-

care services included checkups and cataract and hernia

tion and Finance, has been with Odebrecht for six years. He

surgeries in operating areas set up in tents with cutting-

explains: “On our project today, 45% of workers are local

edge equipment, restoring the patients’ quality of life.

and 55% are from other parts of the country. The goal is to

“The Amerindians welcomed this initiative. They were

build a model jobsite so the workers can enjoy an environ-

overjoyed because, before those surgeries, they were iso-

ment that enhances their quality of life in the challenging

lated and got limited treatment,” says Luiz Gabriel. As

situation of working in a remote area, and to mitigate any

a result, the Health Expeditionaries, an NGO created in

inconveniences that might cause.”

2003, carried out their 20th mission. The organization is

Jorge Ricardo Dias, 39, is from the southern state of

comprised of volunteer doctors with the logistical help of

Paraná and has lived in Mato Grosso for 21 years. He took

partner companies. Its director for logistics, Marcia Abdala,

the Acreditar course and is now a transportation super-

highlights the importance of Odebrecht Energia’s support:

visor. “Before Odebrecht hired me, I drove a dump truck.

“With their help, we were able to bring in Amerindians from

Here, I manage the buses to make sure the workers have

far-off villages to be treated here. Without their support,

enough transportation between the jobsite and Paranaíta.

treatment in remote villages would have been unfeasible,

The hydro project is shaking up this part of the country in a

because of the high cost of air travel, and if they had come

good way,” says Jorge, at the wheel of a bus.

by boat, it would have taken days to get here.”

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12 A creative idea is helping overcome challenges and restore the natural landscape in the vicinity of the rocket base under construction in the Brazilian town of Alc창ntara, Maranh찾o written by Jo찾o Marcondes

photos by Holanda Cavalcanti

baba 12

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Stream crossing made from babassu palms: valuing and utilizing the region’s natural resources

bassu ECO-FRIENDLY

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T

he Earth moves in two ways: revolving in an elliptical orbit around the Sun and rotating on its axis. That familiar lesson is taught during the early years of formal education in Brazil. It is precise-

Luiz Cantanhêde: “Now I can carry on with my fishing”

ly the rotation of the Earth and its proximity to the equator that make Alcântara, a small town on São Marcos Bay, in the northern Brazilian state of Maranhão, one of the main sites in the world for launching rockets and satellites.

Alcântara is located very close to the equator, which allows launch vehicles to use the rotation of the Earth to work more efficiently. Simply put, we can say that the rockets “take advantage” of this movement, thanks to

and satellite assembly and coupling. The rockets will be

the base’s location. This allows savings of up to 30%

transported to the launch area on steel tracks measur-

in highly expensive fuel. For this reason, they have a

ing 800 meters in length.

bigger payload capacity compared to those launched further from the equator. “It’s a major advantage that

Babassu and sustainability

could put Brazil in a prominent position in the booming

The predominant form of vegetation in the area is the

world market for satellite launches,” says Odebrecht

babassu, a type of palm tree used to extract oil and straw.

Production Manager Clóvis Costa.

These trees will be extensively replanted in another part

One of world’s most advanced rocket launch bases

of the region. But what to do with the wood removed to

is under construction in Alcântara. As a result, Brazil

clear the construction site, which is not of high commer-

will join the select group of eight countries with this

cial value and would normally be discarded?

type of technology and facilities, placing it among the 15

Based on a creative idea from Production Manager

centers in operation worldwide. Odebrecht Infraestru-

Clóvis Costa and his team, the Cyclone 4 joint venture

tura is carrying out the civil works and assembly ser-

has created a sustainable cycle for babassu palms, which

vices for the site, as part of the Cyclone 4 joint venture,

have been restored to the natural landscape, thereby

along with Camargo Corrêa and the Ukrainian compa-

preserving the visual identity of Maranhão in a historic

nies Elkor Corporation and Concord Group. The client

town like Alcântara, originally settled by the French in the

for the project is Alcântara Cyclone Space, a binational

seventeenth century.

partnership between the governments of Brazil and Ukraine.

Baronesa. Because of the encroaching tide, the only route

Part of its name comes from the type of rocket that

to that ecological sanctuary had begun to crumble, virtu-

will be launched – the Cyclone 4 – the fourth series of the

ally preventing access by land. The road was being re-

family of rockets currently being developed in Ukraine.

duced to a footpath. The Cyclone 4 joint venture has built a

Considered one of the safest and most effective in the

shored slope (an inclined plane bordering reclaimed land)

world (it launches satellites into geostationary orbit),

using babassu to contain it, and widened the road. In ad-

the Cyclone series has the impressive record of only six

dition to the palm trees, they also used a porous geotextile

positioning failures in 226 launches to date. Only seven

blanket. Thanks to this technology, the ocean waves can

other nations have a similar propulsion technology and

beat against the slope without eroding it.

their own launch centers: the United States, Russia, India, China, France, Japan and Kazakhstan.

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One of the loveliest beaches in those parts is called

This project was essential to the sustainable development of the local community. Fisherman Luiz Santana

Ground was broken for the base in 2011. The first

Cantanhêde, 51, risked losing his livelihood if the road

stage of the project involved clearing vegetation from an

was closed. “Now I can carry on with my fishing and

area covering roughly 100 hectares. The base will con-

other activities, such as ferrying tourists to the other side

tain all the infrastructure required for launch prepara-

of the river, where there is a beautiful beach,” he says.

tions and operations: areas for fuel storage, and rocket

“The interesting thing is that we have respected the vi-

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sual identity of this region. The containment built using

sumption is down to 0.63 liters. Mother Nature is surely

babassu palms is easy on the eyes because it doesn’t

thankful. The team has also used babassu wood to build

clash with the landscape,” adds Odebrecht Administra-

the fence around the concrete plant, once again enhanc-

tive Manager Coriolano Bahia.

ing the visual language of the region. “On a high-tech

The slope was designed to allow larger vehicles such

project like this, this simple and smart solution is worthy

as minibuses to use the road. Lincoln Salles, 33, is also

of note,” says Odebrecht Project Director Fábio Toscano.

benefiting from this solution. He is the owner of Pousada dos Guarás, a delightful inn near the sea and mangrove

Historical aptitude

where guests can enjoy the best bacuri juice in the area.

The use of babassu is not just a measure that ensures

Without the road, the inn would have been cut off from

environmental sustainability. It also helps preserve the

the world. As it was, the narrow passage no longer al-

local culture. “The French missionaries of the seven-

lowed food suppliers to reach it. But that is all in the past.

teenth century documented the use of babassu by the

“It was an environmental solution that respects the local

Amerindians who inhabited the region,” says historian

plant life here. It’s set an example that could be followed

Daniel Rincón Caires, from the Alcântara History Muse-

by the authorities,” Lincoln observes.

um. The French were driven out by the Portuguese, who built one of the finest collections of tiled churches, court-

Babassu bridge

yards and colonial mansions in Brazil. The town was a

Alcântara residents and tourists are not the only ones

resort for emperors and nobles (it got its name from the

who are benefiting from sustainable solutions involving

surname of the Brazilian royal family). And Alcântara has

babassu. Clóvis Costa used the same method within the

always been well suited for military strategies. It was

jobsite itself. He designed a bridge (a crossing close to

the site of an Allied base during WWII, and already has a

the ground) across a stream using the local palm trees.

launch pad for Brazilian Air Force rockets.

The bridge links the east and west sides of the jobsite.

The Guimarães family has become a symbol of the

Before it was built, trucks and other vehicles had to trav-

city over the centuries by building up wealth through

el 12 km to get from one side to the other.

trade. The last living member of the family who once

The babassu bridge is a novel and environmentally

resided in the mansion that now houses the Alcântara

friendly solution. It does not hinder the flow of water,

History Museum is Hedimar Guimarães Marques, 84.

which runs through the wood and preserves the char-

Rejecting the pretentious habits of his aristocratic family,

acteristics of that ecosystem. Plus, by reducing the dis-

he left home to become an interpreter for the American

tance vehicles have to travel, it drastically cuts down on

soldiers. In the 1940s and 50s, that experience led him to

the project’s greenhouse gas emissions.

embark on an adventure through Europe, where he even

Clóvis did the math. Each dump truck used 3.8 liters

worked as a photographic model. “Today we are seeing

of fuel to cover the distance between the administrative

a globalized world even here in Alcântara, but I’m way

jobsite and the industrial construction site. Today, con-

ahead of that trend,” he says proudly.

Babassu shoring: an environmental solution on Baronesa Beach

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M

édanos is a town of 10,000 in the Department of Villarino, in southwestern Buenos Aires Province.

Known as the “nation’s garlic capital,” it is 45 km from the city

of Bahía Blanca, a major industrial hub in Argentina. Imagine a quiet place where no one locks their doors, children can play in the streets without a care in the world, everyone knows everyone, and life goes on at a tranquil pace. That’s Médanos. Or almost. This statement about the pace of life there is only partly true. It has recently picked up in the pueblo. Something new is mobilizing the community, from children to seniors, and making it a benchmark for the department and the province, transforming it into a model community that has made its relationship with the environment more harmonious, productive and intelligent.

We are talking about the installation of the Médanos Ecoplant, a facility used to separate organic waste (food scraps, plants and medicines) and inorganic waste (paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic) for sale to industries that recycle them. The money raised from the sale of recyclable waste will go back to the town. Equipped with a conveyor belt for sorting the materials collected, the Ecoplant is operated by 10 community members trained specifically for that task. They receive 13 tonnes of waste daily from the towns of Argerich, La Mascota and Alagarrobo, as well as Médanos, which currently recycles 70% of its residents’ waste.

The deployment of the Ecoplant in March 2011 was part of the Médanos en Origen (Médanos at the Source) Corporate Social Responsibility program developed in partnership by Odebrecht – which is building the Rio Colorado Gas Compressor Plant in the region – and Villarino County. The compressor plant is part of the Gas Pipeline Expansion Project, which Odebrecht is implementing in several parts of Argentina.

Also participating in the initiative in Médanos are Odebrecht’s partners Cisa Construcciones Industriales, Politec, Figueras-Blanes y Asociados and JAS S.R.L. Each in their own specialty,

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written by Cláudio Lovato Filho photos by Marcelo Pizzato

A project makes the Argentine town of Médanos a benchmark for recycling and environmental education

Worker at the MĂŠdanos ecoplant: a community member trained to operate the equipment

example SETTING A GOOD

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Former sales clerk Juan Belén with pressed cardboard ready for recycling: a decent future for the children

they have all contributed to the construction of

sential to bring information to people. Villarino

the structure housing the Ecoplant. Organiza-

is already a model in recycling, but it isn’t a

tions like the Workers’ Cooperative have also

miracle worker. It takes work and continuity,

played a prominent role in the project, designed

raising the community’s awareness and mak-

by the NGO Piedra Libre. “Odebrecht was the

ing it feel responsible. In this sense, nothing

coordinator and networker for the Ecoplant’s

is more important than getting young people

deployment,” explains Mauricio Barbosa Peres,

involved,” says the Mayor of Villarino, Raul Mu-

the Administration and Finance Manager for the

jica.

Gas Pipeline Expansion Project.

18

This process of raising awareness and in-

From children in the classrooms to the el-

creasing accountability is at the heart of the

derly in the town squares, including house-

work done by Sandra Vissani and her team at

wives, farmers, merchants and officials, ev-

Piedra Libre. “People need to know why they

eryone has got the message that there is much

are sorting their trash,” she says. Piedra Libre

more at stake than the Ecoplant’s operations:

operates in three areas: “the home,” explaining

the most important thing is the process of rais-

how to sort waste, “shopping,” indicating what

ing people’s awareness about their relationship

to prioritize and what to avoid, and “the street,”

with the environment.

showing how to dispose of trash on the side-

”It’s a process of cultural change, and that

walks and avoid littering. Sandra and her team

takes time. We are just getting started. It is es-

played a crucial role in the search for conver-

informa

gence between Odebrecht’s goal of leaving a

who take home the information they have re-

legacy in the region and the government’s need

ceived in the classroom. Zoraida highlights the

to improve its waste management and treat-

teachers’ role: “We have achieved good results

ment system.

through them.” Teachers at Médanos have

Sandra is a certified Recreation Technician,

gone through training workshops as part of

and she uses her knowledge in the project she

Médanos en Origen. The name of the program

is running today. She and her team of coordi-

merits an explanation from Diego Casarin: “It’s

nators visit Special School no. 501 in Médanos

called that because it all started in Médanos.

to share information about recycling and other

The expectation is that the seed planted here

issues related to the environment with the stu-

will bear fruit in other communities, through

dents as part of the Médanos en Origen pro-

the replication of what is being done here.”

gram. The school, which is attended by 35 stu-

Located at Km 73 on National Highway 22,

dents with special needs, offers environmental

the Ecoplant is very close to the community, in

education programs such as toy making with

all senses. When students visit the site through

recycled materials including plastic, wood and

regularly organized tours they are greeted by

paper.

the team led by Rubén Macedo, including Juan

“We have to think about the future,” ar-

Belen, 36, a former sales clerk trained by Pie-

gues Diego Casarin, the Odebrecht officer

dra Libre to work at the Ecoplant. “Children are

Responsible for the Rio Colorado Compres-

going to be here in the future. We must leave

sor Plant project, a native of Cordoba and the

them better off than we are.”

father of Santiago, 7, and Chiara, 5. Zoraida

Arlindo Facadio, the Odebrecht Project Di-

Chcair, Secretary of the Villarino County Gov-

rector for the Gas Pipeline Expansion works,

ernment, agrees with Diego. For her, cultural

observes: “Waste treatment and recycling con-

change begins in the schools, among children,

cerns and includes all of society and requires changing people’s habits and customs by raising their awareness. As a temporary guest in the community, due to the nature of our work, Odebrecht has focused on leaving a legacy that is in alignment with its Sustainability Policy.”

Born in Médanos and hired by Odebrecht in June 2010, Andrés Chcair works on the General Services team. He guarantees that the Ecoplant is a source of pride for the people of his hometown. He explains why: “The Ecoplant is a material contribution as well as a contribution of ideas.”

Not far from where Andrés and the Ode-

brecht Informa team are talking is the Ecoplaza, which also is part of the Médanos en Origen Perla, a student at Special School no. 501, and the guitar she made from recycled materials: fun, discovery and awareness

program. It is a playground within a square with toys and equipment made from materials from the Rio Colorado Compressor Plant – wood spools, metal bars, bits of steel and tires. It is both a symbol and an important reminder: we must never forget that, even when the subject is serious, children have got to play.

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19

OPERATIONS ARE GETTING EVER

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20 informa

gr

Braskem is taking steps to combat its greenhouse gas emissions

eener written by Christina Queiroz

E

very day, more and more businesses are realizing the importance of developing sustainable strategies to make their operations more eco-friendly and reduce the negative impacts of

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the environment. The Eccaplan consulting firm has confirmed this trend, estimating that by 2020 global investments in green strategies should total USD 1 trillion.

Keeping abreast of this world trend, since 2004 Braskem has been taking measures to combat its GHG emissions. Those initiatives include the development of detailed inventories of its entire operations and the publication of sustainability reports, as well as producing plans to streamline energy use and adopt biomass to replace fossil fuels.

Now with 35 industrial plants in Brazil, the United States and Germany, Braskem produces over 16 million tonnes of thermoplastic resins and other petrochemical products annually. “That output produces significant emissions, and we’ve decided to tackle the problem by making sustainability a target,” says Braskem Sustainability Director Jorge Soto.

When undertaking that commitment, the company proposed to achieve the same GHG levels of the highest-ranking chemical manufacturers in the

Camaçari Petrochemical Complex, Bahia: Braskem has implemented measures to combat greenhouse gas emissions at its industrial units since 2004

Odebrecht Archives

world in that regard by 2020, reducing emissions to 0.60 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of product manufactured. “It will be a significant reduction compared to the current level of 0.65, and especially with the figure for 2005, which was 0.80,” Soto observes.

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21

Arthur Ikishima

Luiz Carlos Xavier: characteristics and intensity of emissions

Groundbreaking measures

22

As a result of the first inventory conducted in 2007,

The first step Braskem took towards the adoption

Braskem found that, among its industrial assets,

of strategies to combat GHG emissions was invest-

the basic petrochemical plants emit the most GHG,

ing in annual inventories to identify and monitor the

mainly due to the high energy consumption their

points of operation where those emissions are pro-

operations require. According to the report, these

duced and gauge their intensity. These reports take

plants account for 92% of the company’s total emis-

each plant’s entire operations into account, including

sions. “That is why our green initiatives prioritize

Basic Petrochemicals and Polymers units and Inter-

the basic petrochemicals area,” explains José Kelso

national Businesses (operations outside Brazil). The

Moraes, Braskem’s Industrial Director for Basic Pet-

company conducted its first inventory in 2007, focus-

rochemicals in Bahia.

ing on its operations in 2006, considering both direct

The data obtained through periodic inventories

emissions – produced, for example, by burning fossil

have led Braskem to take steps to reduce energy

fuels to produce steam in boilers and heat up fur-

consumption at its basic petrochemicals plants in

naces – and indirect emissions related to fossil fuels,

the states of Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Rio de

their transportation and other inputs, and Braskem

Janeiro and Bahia. As a result, by 2010, it had largely

members’ air and road travel (including cars and

replaced the use of fuel oil with natural gas boil-

buses).

ers, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The

The inventories also analyze emissions from sup-

company has also invested in upgrading industrial

pliers of raw materials and other inputs. “They allow

assets, including the replacement of thermal in-

us to get to know the characteristics and intensity of

sulation in the steam distribution network and the

emissions in all our operations. They provide basic

upgrading of process furnaces to make them more

guidelines for strategic measures aimed at making

efficient. Kelso points out that, through these mea-

progress on the climate change issue,” says Luiz

sures, the company will achieve an 11% decrease in

Carlos Xavier, the officer Responsible for Environ-

the intensity of its emissions in 2012, compared to

ment at Braskem.

2010.

informa

In addition to introducing initiatives that reduce en-

Sustainable future

ergy consumption at the basic petrochemicals plants,

The goal of achieving the level of 0.60 tonnes of car-

another directive of Braskem’s sustainability strategy

bon dioxide equivalent per tonne of product by 2020

involves the production of green polyethylene in Rio

means that the company intends to reduce its emis-

Grande do Sul. Begun in 2007, this USD 300,000 proj-

sions by 25% compared with 2006 figures. Braskem

ect is making it possible to manufacture ethylene from

will be investing in new fronts to achieve this ambi-

sugarcane, which is then used to make green polyeth-

tious goal, as well as enhancing strategies that are al-

ylene. The product is called “green” because, unlike

ready in place. One initiative planned to begin in Janu-

the conventional process, which uses non-renewable

ary 2012 involves the development of inventories with

sources, its production is based on sugarcane, which

monthly indicators, which allow for more detailed,

absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during

continuous and effective emissions monitoring.

Still in the planning phase and based on the suc-

produced captures and fixes up to 2.5 tonnes of CO2

cess of its green plastic, Braskem is studying the pos-

from the atmosphere,” explains Fábio Magalhães

sibility of replacing fossil fuels with biomass in other

Carneiro, Braskem’s Commercial Director for Renew-

processes. “We want to make better use of materi-

able Chemicals. The company supplies the product to

als such as sugarcane bagasse or eucalyptus waste,

clients that manufacture everything from shampoo

because from the growth cycle to combustion, they

bottles and yoghurt containers to water tanks and

produce almost negligible carbon dioxide emissions

waste baskets, as well as fuel tanks and grocery bags.

compared to fossil fuels,” says José Kelso.

Yann Vadaru

its growth cycle. “Every tonne of green polyethylene

Fábio Carneiro: spotlighting products made from green plastic

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23

Amanda Colombari, a Semef student from S達o Caetano do Sul, S達o Paulo, turns discarded plastic into a Christmas decoration: shaping a new mindset

Students all over Brazil are learning how plastics are made and transformed into products, and go on to be recycled

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24

plastic A NEW LOOK AT

F

written by Júlio César Soares

photos by Dario de Freitas

rom the naphtha produced at the Camaçari and Triunfo petrochemical complexes to the plastic packaging sent to recycling centers in various parts of Brazil, a cycle takes place that is unknown to most. But a project called “A New Look

at Plastic” is helping make this process better understood by more people, showing students from schools across the country how plastic is produced and, after being transformed into a limitless range of products that benefit modern life, how it becomes reusable through recycling.

“The idea is to showcase the entire life cycle of plastic: where it comes from, its benefits and the final destination it should have,” explains André Leonel Leal, the officer Responsible for Sustainable Development at Braskem.

To bring this project to life, Braskem sought out two partners that work with the theme of sustainability in schools.

Created in 2001, the Akatu Institute focuses on consumer

Katia (above) and Viviane: focusing on consumer awareness and youth protagonism

awareness, aiming to encourage young people to think about collective values when consuming a given product. Since 2008, Akatu has invested broadly in this theme. This is the first time the institute is presenting a single topic, plastic, to students and educators. “When we started the project, the idea was to deal with specific issues further ahead, based on each sponsor’s area of operations to make the best use of their experience,” says Viviane Lopes, Project Coordinator for the Akatu Institute.

The other partner is the Faça Parte (Take Part) Institute, which has worked with youth protagonism since 2001, encouraging young people to take part in the social life of their communities in a practical way. “Faça Parte was created to take the experience of cooperating with the community into the schools, so that young people can see the results of their own actions,” explains Katia Gonçalves Mori, the Institute’s Project Coordinator. The work of those schools is rewarded with the School Solidarity Seal, which is a way of recognizing and charting the best projects.

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25

Renata Hioni and students who take part in the Recycling Workshop: a competition to collect plastic items

Using that database, Braskem, Akatu and Faça Par-

grams at her school. “The teacher introduced the proj-

te got down to work. The project was launched on Oc-

ect to the class and I got interested in all the shapes we

tober 15th, when Teacher’s Day and Consumer Aware-

can give to what we call garbage,” she says.

ness Day are celebrated in Brazil. The best projects will

Amanda is among the 20 students who set up

be selected on December 15th in two categories: best

Christmas trees and a nearly 3 meter-tall Santa Claus,

ongoing projects and best planning for 2012. The first

all made from recycled plastic. The young girl has

award will make the winning school the star of a doc-

taught her family to dispose of used plastic items prop-

umentary about the project. The second will take five

erly at home. “There wasn’t enough time this year, but

students from the winning school to visit Braskem’s

next year my family’s Christmas tree will be made of

“green plastic” factory in Triunfo, in the southern state

recycled materials,” she says. According to Katia Gon-

of Rio Grande do Sul.

çalves, from Faça Parte, this is one of the legacies of organizing recycling projects in schools. “Students take

26

A child teaches her family

it out of the classroom, act as disseminating agents for

One of the institutions that have ongoing projects

recycling, and get the community involved,” she says.

in place is the Second Municipal Elementary Educa-

Semef’s work began before the launch of the project.

tion School (Semef), in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo.

In 2008, the school began a recycling workshop, run by

Amanda Colombari Bodo has been a student at Semef

science teacher Renata Hioni. By 2010, the workshop

since 2004. In 2005, during her second year of elemen-

covered the recycling issue as a whole. In early 2011,

tary school, she began to participate in recycling pro-

the teacher decided to put plastic on the agenda. “We

informa

organized a contest for students to collect plastic items

Principal Ana Lucia de Oliveira. The project resumed in

and bring them to school,” she says. After the first

2011, when the remodeling was completed, and as of

stage was completed, 160 students from the 8th grade

next year, it will focus primarily on plastics. The school

of elementary school 2, which runs from the 5th to 9th

is currently the collection point for the trash pickers of

grades, pitched in by cutting up the materials collected

the City Jaraguá housing projects, a neighborhood that

to start making decorations. “The space we have now

consists of more than 100 apartment buildings built for

can only hold up to 20 students, who created the deco-

the needy. “We will continue working with recycling, us-

rations, but we intend to expand the facilities next year

ing the materials sent by the project’s team,” says So-

and get more students involved,” says Renata.

raia Souza Cardoso, the teacher who runs the project

The students do the work after school, but inside the

at Von Voith.

classroom, teachers also address the issue in the con-

Soraia is referring to a booklet that explains where

text of various subjects. “I explain that plastic waste and

plastic comes from, how it is produced, and how its prop-

the improper disposal of that material can affect Na-

er disposal results in quality of life and income opportu-

ture and the human body,” says Renata. “We try to in-

nities for the community, among other topics, including

clude this in every class. When designing the Christmas

the development of plastic from sugarcane ethanol, cre-

ornaments, the students worked on math projects to

ated by Braskem. “We wanted to make this booklet as

calculate the proportions of the decorations. The math

educational as possible, so it can be used in the class-

teachers were very helpful in that regard,” says Silvana

room,” says Viviane Lopes, from Akatu. In addition to

de Santis, the teacher in charge of projects at Semef.

printed materials, the three project partners are making

Thirty kilometers away, in the Jaraguá neighbor-

the content available for download on their websites and

hood in the North Zone of São Paulo, the Friederich Von

providing information on their pages on social networks,

Voith State School is focused on recycling. Located next

as the competition is open to any school in Brazil.

to the Voith Siemens factory, the school works in part-

Jorge Soto, the Braskem Director for Sustainable

nership with the company, including a collection point

Development, observes: “Through this project, young

for recyclable waste set up at the school, and site visits

people learn how to consume in a way that increases the

for students to teach them about recycling projects.

positive impacts and reduces the negative ones, knowing

“The school building was renovated two years ago, and we had to interrupt the program temporarily,” says

that every action they take is reflected in their lives and communities.”

Jorge Soto: actions and attitudes that impact the life of the community

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27

INTERVIEW

Felipe Cruz: “I returned to Odebrecht with a new dream: helping transform each of our ventures into an inducer of sustainable development in the micro-region where it is deployed, as a legitimate vector for generating prosperity. We cannot and must not replace the role of the State, but there is still a great deal we can do to create structuring programs consistent with our philosophical values that can make us stand out even more as an Organization.�

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h

armony GUIDELINES FOR

F

written by Renata Meyer

photo by Kamene Traça

elipe Cruz, who has a degree in architec-

ODEBRECHT INFORMA – How has the paradigm of

ture and is currently responsible for the

sustainability developed in organizations and soci-

deployment of the Capanda Agribusiness

ety as a whole?

Complex, which Odebrecht is building in

FELIPE CRUZ – The issue of sustainability has emerged

Angola, was inspired by the Odebrecht

as a result of concern for the environment and gradu-

Foundation’s programs in northeastern

ally taken on new dimensions. The social dimension

Brazil to bolster operations in the field of Sustainable

emerged strongly in the 1990s, when a more gen-

Development. For five years he devoted himself to the

eral view developed about how we should live today

Hospitality Institute, creating projects in conjunction

without negatively impacting the lives of future gen-

with environmental, social, business and government

erations. In the past, there were two opposing sides:

entities. At Odebrecht, he has contributed to the de-

those who wanted to use natural resources as if they

velopment of sustainability policies and guidelines. On

were inexhaustible, and those who advocated that

that front, he has helped build a knowledge community

development should cease, believing that the envi-

and, in partnership with the Dom Cabral Foundation,

ronmental situation had become untenable. We have

he has set up a program to groom new leaders. He

made progress through concessions based on com-

also provided support for several Odebrecht projects

pensation: when building a hydroelectric plant in one

seeking convergence between the specific interests of

area, a legal reserve covering a given number of hect-

their businesses and sustainable practices, creating

ares was created in another. Later on, nations began

structuring projects in the vicinity of their operations.

to realize that natural resources are finite and must

In this interview, Felipe Cruz discusses the challenges

be managed properly.

of sustainability for entrepreneurial organizations and the creation of new models for development.

OI – What happened then?

FELIPE – Then came the development of legislation and official watchdog agencies. They required companies to take safeguards and obliged them to seek expertise on how to deal with the issue. Today, I believe we have entered the phase of sustained development. A mental macrostructure has already been established in governments, society and businesses, viewing sustainable development as the only way forward. The expertise is there, but we are nowhere near applying it on a large scale.

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29

OI – How can Odebrecht reconcile sustainability and

OI – What is the main focus of sustainability initia-

growth in businesses that, by their very nature, have

tives at Odebrecht?

the potential to generate social and environmental

FELIPE – The main focus is on people. We understand

impacts?

that human beings are the main agents of environmental

FELIPE – Sustainable development is an integral part

degradation, since the environment does not deteriorate

of Odebrecht’s business and a competitive factor. We

on its own. Therefore, we must create alternatives for

believe that our businesses will realize their full po-

sustainable development. The environment must be pro-

tential to produce results for clients, shareholders,

tected in the course of our activities, in a natural way. The

communities, company members and partners. Our

social issue is more complex, however. Long ago, environ-

culture speaks of survival, growth and perpetuity. Per-

mentalists said the world was about to end because of the

petuity is only possible in an environment of sustain-

destruction of the ozone layer. I think that the end of the

able development. At Odebrecht, the concern with sus-

world is more likely to come through a breakdown in the

tainability is present from the start, when we first begin

social environment, because there is so much research

thinking about a project, about its viability. But there is

being done that, at some point, a plant will be invented

also the process: sometimes, changing the route of a

that can help clean up the atmosphere. If it were possible

road between two points can mean reducing the defor-

to view these issues in isolation, I would consider the en-

ested area, affecting fewer people, and minimizing the

vironmental part to be most susceptible to technological

environmental impact. Then there is the implementa-

and legal solutions. The social part involves mobilization,

tion phase, which involves several steps, such as en-

coordination and education, and is a long-term effort. It

suring the proper treatment of the waste we generate.

is a slower, human process. Everything is a priority, but there is little point in having an appropriate legal frame-

OI – In 2010, the Organization produced a greenhouse

work and possible technical solutions if basic human

gas (GHG) emissions inventory. Why is that important?

needs are not addressed. Therefore, the challenge for

FELIPE – The inventory is the basis for understanding

entrepreneurs is not to create initiatives aimed at sustain-

our “ecological footprint.” As a result, we can make

ability, but rather to incorporate sustainable practices into

changes in executive processes and habits and mini-

their organizations, to make sustainability the referential

mize our impacts.

mindset for creating their businesses. It is now clear that sustainability and development are both on the same side

OI – How can we ensure the prevalence of sustain-

of the equation.

able operations when we have to meet the client’s

30

requirements and deadlines?

OI – Many countries have achieved high levels of devel-

FELIPE – Despite their deadlines and the pressure to

opment while degrading the environment. How can we

meet them, our clients are dealing with the same con-

promote the growth of less developed countries given

cerns because they are also under scrutiny. Most fi-

the protocols that restrict GHG emissions and a host of

nancial agencies currently adhere to the Ecuador Prin-

other limiting conditions?

ciples, which set strict rules and clear definitions on

FELIPE – Developing countries have the opportunity to cre-

environmental and social issues. And the public is also

ate development models that are suited to their individual

keeping a watchful eye. Therefore, in this century, serv-

realities and use the existing expertise on a sustainable

ing our clients properly means including sustainabil-

basis. A new airport is generally much better than an old

ity in the equation of productivity. Take the case of the

one, no matter where you are, just because it incorporates

hydroelectric plant on the Madeira River in Rondônia.

the most advanced technology. The same thing goes for

It would have been more economical to just build one

development – that is, it can be based on newer and better

dam, but we proposed building two to reduce the flood-

models. For example, the Amazon is seen as the lungs of

ed area and consequently the area that would have to

the world, which does not mean it should go untouched.

be cleared and the number of communities that had to

Traditional medicine can be a major vector for develop-

be resettled. The other solution would not have passed

ment in the region. Besides being the basis of modern

muster by the standards of most financial entities or the

medicine, it would also foster income generation, scientific

perceptions of society.

development and environmental conservation. The secret

informa informa

is to find ways of achieving development consistent with the

nesses, society and the environment, and how to con-

characteristics of each region. But there are other aspects

solidate sustainability with their corporate effectiveness

to consider, too, such as the consumer culture in which we

and efficiency. They have to discard the mindset that sus-

operate and the ineffective model of public transportation,

tainability is a cost factor. From that perspective, every

among other factors that put pressure on the urban socio-

business will have a path to follow, and the second major

environmental system. Knowledge shows that the path of

challenge is grooming knowledgeable professionals with

sustainable development is the only one that is viable in the

an entrepreneurial perspective on the matter, because

long term, but it requires an enormous capacity for mobili-

until a short while ago it was a contentious issue, as if

zation and networking in our society.

there were guardians of society and the environment on one side and destructive businesses on the other. At the

OI – Which social and environmental projects would you

moment, convergence of interests is the agenda, and

highlight as examples of Odebrecht’s work in the area of

those who find their way the soonest will gain the most

sustainability?

ground. When I returned to Odebrecht in 2006 after work-

FELIPE – In Brazil, I would cite the Santo Antônio hydro-

ing at the Hospitality Institute for five years, I had a new

electric project in Rondônia, since its conception, which

dream: helping transform each of our business ventures

includes two dams and a reduction in the deforested area,

into an inducer of sustainable development in the micro-

as well as the work done to resettle communities and res-

region where it is deployed, as a legitimate vector for gen-

cue wildlife, waste treatment programs and the Acreditar

erating prosperity. We cannot and must not replace the

Project. Altogether, they demonstrate the know-how, ma-

role of the State, but there is still a great deal we can do

turity and skill of the teams involved in that project when

to create structuring programs consistent with our philo-

liaising and networking with all the audiences in that re-

sophical values that can make us stand out even more as

gion. In Peru, I would mention the absolutely converging

an Organization.

and key measures that are ensuring the success of the IIRSA South Highway, the work done with the local com-

OI – How can Odebrecht communicate its message in

munities, effectively involving a combination of conserva-

its relations with people, governments and funding

tion initiatives and the creation of work and income oppor-

agencies?

tunities. Another highlight is bolstering local governance

FELIPE – The company’s image is a direct result of what

and networking with other actors, such as the Inter-

it truly is. That can’t be shown in theory – only in practice.

American Development Bank (IDB), the Andean Develop-

It is something that arises through direct action and, in

ment Corporation (CAF), environmental organizations like

our case, that means our work at the jobsites. With each

Conservation International (CI) and Pronaturaleza, busi-

new project, we create tools with that objective, like edu-

ness associations and governments. In Angola, we are

cational centers, information campaigns and newslet-

taking steps to prepare for the construction of the Capan-

ters. We have also realized that work opportunities are

da Agribusiness Complex. The Kulonga Pala Kukula Pro-

the main gauge of what we can offer in a given region.

gram is the highlight in a region with a low quality of life,

Our policy includes hiring local professionals instead of

taking a three-pronged approach to improving people’s

shuttling people from one jobsite to another. At the end

nutrition, health and incomes by mobilizing a program

of the workday, members go home to their families. That

to grow and sell vegetables. At Braskem, I would under-

way our workers are happier, which means we have a

score the creation of “green plastic” and the possibilities

lower turnover. It isn’t a matter of kindness or charity

that are opening up from that perspective. Similarly, ETH

but efficiency. You can only see this in practice. It can’t

Bioenergy’s initiatives are highly intrinsic to its business,

be explained. We work with governments to participate

such as the preservation of biodiversity corridors, fostered

institutionally in forums of debate and social movements

by the proper management of sugarcane crops.

to seek the establishment of public policies that foster sustainable development. As for the banks and multi-

OI – What sort of challenges are companies like Ode-

lateral agencies, we are always interacting with them to

brecht facing in that area?

further our business agendas. This wide range of inter-

FELIPE – The first major challenge is perceiving the com-

actions characterizes our communication with all our

prehensive convergence of interests among their busi-

audiences, and consequently defines our image.

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31

32 waste MIND THE written by Vรกlber Carvalho

photos by ร lvio Luiz

The Abreu e Lima Refinery in Pernambuco produces examples of creative recycling initiatives

32

informa

Full circle: food scraps become compost for the vegetable garden used to supply the cafeteria

P

roject Director Antenor de Castro pre-

drotreating/Hydrogen Generation) – a total of eight

sented his team with a challenge, in

units. The client is Petrobras. During the current

line with Conest’s mission: organizing

stage of construction, Conest has 5,000 workers at

sustainability initiatives with a focus on

the jobsite, but it expects to surpass the mark of

the environment by using resources and

7,000 members at the peak of the works.

implementing effective practices for waste treatment

Antenor de Castro’s challenge would soon get re-

and recycling. Then they identified opportunities for

sults. The first step towards organizing the project

the development of Corporate Social Responsibility

that would be called Recycling was conducting an

programs to foster the creation of jobs and income,

extensive internal survey that identified the need for

in keeping with the natural aptitudes of the communi-

waste disposal at three of the joint venture’s sites

ties in the vicinity of the project he is leading. Antenor

of operations: the jobsite for the refinery works, the

knew this was the way forward.

pipe shop, which produces the pipe used in con-

Formed by Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial and

struction, and the residential village, which will

OAS, the RNEST Conest joint venture is responsible

house about 3,500 members, including supervisors

for two major projects currently underway at the

and skilled workers brought in from far-off towns

Abreu e Lima Refinery (RNEST), located in Suape,

and other states.

40 km from the northeastern Brazilian city of Re-

The diagnosis identified the need for immediate

cife: UDA (Atmospheric Distillation) HDT/UGH (Hy-

action to ensure proper waste disposal. The cafete-

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33

rias, where more than 10,000 meals are currently

involving the local communities, so we could bring

prepared and served every day, generate 40 tonnes

them knowledge and skills and generate work and

of waste that were initially dumped in landfills.

income opportunities. We would also raise company and community members’ environmental awareness

Turning waste into opportunities

as Conest’s legacy,” explains Antenor de Castro.

In addition to food waste, the survey showed that

That is how the Recycling Project was born,

a large amount of scrap cardboard and a significant

including the Double-Sided Project, which uses

number of damaged uniforms were also being dis-

waste cardboard, Stitching Lives, which recycles

carded. They were taken for disposal at the Waste

discarded uniforms, and Green Life, which turns

Treatment Centre in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, a

food scraps into organic fertilizer for use in Con-

town in the Recife metropolitan area.

est’s and local farming communities’ vegetable

“So then we went on to the second step: identi-

and flower gardens.

fying programs that could provide a destination and

To encourage company members to participate

treatment for that kind of waste. The third step was

in the selective collection of organic waste from the start, the Conest Health, Environment and Safety team designed disposal containers with several “mouths,” one for each type of material, and installed them in the cafeterias. That way, organic waste is now disposed of in one place, plastics in another, and paper napkins in a third. A safety technician monitors the performance of this task in each cafeteria.

Once separated, the organic waste is transported in drums to the residential village, where the project has set up a composting shed. “After 60 days, the compost is transformed into organic fertilizer through regular composting and worm composting, and it is already ensuring the production of vegetables from a garden planted at the jobsite, which are used at the Conest cafeteria,” said Waldir Martins, Technical Coordinator of the Recycling Project.

The Green Life Project is also changing the daily lives of some farming communities. Made up of belts of family farms without access to technical assistance, the region around Suape suffers the impacts of the indiscriminate use of pesticides and the difficulty of getting produce to market. Farmers in those communities are being invited to visit the composting shed, where they will learn how to turn their food scraps into organic fertilizer. That way, they can sell what they produce to the catering company responsible for supplying meals at the jobsite.

Family farmer Rodrigues Neide says that most of his production goes to waste, and makes this appeal: “We are trying to get rid of chemicals because we want our homes to be healthy. Organic farming is the way to go!”

34

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Participants in two projects – Double-Sided and (opposite page) Stitching Lives: spreading the culture of sustainability

Discovering talent

the invitation to join the Stitching Life Project:

Every week in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, the town

“When I saw the construction works get started

near the Abreu e Lima Refinery, a Conest truck delivers

at the refinery, I never thought they would af-

cardboard to the headquarters of the future Recyclable

fect my life. Today I am boosting my household

Art Cooperative, where a group of artisans participating

income, and I’m sure that more and more people

in the Double-Sided Project is already at work.

will come here as well,” she says, surrounded by

After spending nine months in prison for drug

canvas hats and packs recycled from sanitized

trafficking, Ildelvândio Duarte has found a chance

used uniforms, and reused handbags made from

to rehabilitate himself and start a new life. Now he

canvas banners.

is earning a living as a cardboard craftsman. “When

All these raw materials are going back to the

I got out of jail, I was unemployed, and then a door

joint venture in the form of products that members

opened here at Double-Sided. With the money I’m

working at the refinery value as decorative items

making, I’ve already built my own home and I’ve

and gifts, which are raffled off during campaigns at

bought a trousseau for my daughter.”

the jobsite. As a result, the Recycling Project will

In the same town, seamstress Marluce dos Santos, 60, had been thinking of retiring when she got

help spread a culture of sustainability throughout Conest.

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35

36 Alione Alberto Sailene, a Hit the Net program participant: digital inclusion in rural Mozambique

36

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In Mozambique, residents of the areas where the Moatize Coal Project is underway are getting a chance to enter the job market written by Eliana Simonetti photos by Edu Sim천es

future GLIMPSING THE

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37

H

is posture is impeccably upright. His

ing through an alliance with Vale include Dança Dickson

gaze, confident and firm. Abusado Ar-

Dança (Dance Dickson Dance).

roz is 23. He lives in the Samora Machel district, near the town of Tete in Mozam-

Look out for hippos

bique. He had farmed and fished to sup-

Vale and the Consórcio Moatize (a joint venture of

port his mother and four sisters since he was a child.

Odebrecht, 75%, and Camargo Correa, 25%) signed the

But in 2008, when he heard that Odebrecht was offering

alliance contract for the implementation of the Moatize

professional education courses through a partnership

Coal Project (PCM) in June 2008. The aim is to build the

with the Dom Bosco School in the town center, his life

largest open-air coal mine in the southern hemisphere,

began to change. Abusado took a machimbombo (as

which will be developed for 35 years. It will produce 11.5

buses are called in Mozambique), traveled for an hour,

million tonnes of coal annually. At the construction site,

and enrolled. He took metalworking classes for three

water trucks are constantly wetting down the roads to

months and joined Odebrecht as an assistant. After sev-

reduce the amount of dust in the air. “The project itself is

eral promotions, in 2011 he became a service supervisor

making a contribution to sustainable development. Safe-

responsible for a team of 300 people. In the last three

ty, training, organization and cleanliness are the basic

years, he has built a brick and mortar house for his

premises of our work, and have changed the behavior of

mother and sisters next to his own, a traditional building.

the Mozambicans, Filipinos, South Africans and people

“Step by step, I’m making progress,” he says.

from other countries working here with us,” says PCM

Abusado Arroz’s story is one of many. First, that of a

Project Director Paulo Brito, from Odebrecht.

Mozambican without professional skills who got an edu-

Safety in this part of the world includes watching

cation and improved his quality of life. He also has a char-

out for unusual hazards like hippos. They live in the

acteristic of his country’s culture, as Mozambicans often

Zambezi River, and stay in the water during the day.

adopt sonorous names for their children, regardless of

In the evenings, they go onto the banks to eat foliage.

their meaning. The workers at Odebrecht in Tete include

They do not like to see people nearby and will attack

two named Alface (Lettuce) and one named Sabonete

without provocation. Posters at the jobsite warn about

(Soap). Another is Fastudo (Handyman), who joined the

the need to use PPE (personal protective equipment)

company as an assistant cleaner and was promoted to

and pay attention to traffic signs, as well as to take

Workplace Safety Monitor. The names on the attendance

care when company members go for walks by the

list at the school near the project the company is build-

river with their families.

Dança Dickson Dança, a resident of the Cateme resettlement: the community is enjoying fresh expectations

38

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When Odebrecht built transmission lines on one of the islands in the river, in the Changara community, it hired a professional hunter, the South African Graham Cawood, who trains the rangers of Mozambique Wildlife (an environmental protection agency). “My job was to scare off animals like hyenas and snakes, so there were no risks,” Cawood recalls. The work schedule was set by the hippos, and no accidents were reported.

Abusado Arroz: “Step by step, I’m making progress”

Alliance project and social programs The development of the mine and construction of the coal plant could only get started after transferring the families that lived in the concession areas to two resettlements containing over 2,000 homes with rural and urban characteristics. Dança Dickson Dança, 10 – who is shy and does not like to dance – lives in one of the resettlements, Cateme, and studies at the Maguiguana Primary School.

Odebrecht and Vale are running some of their social projects at primary and secondary schools in Cateme.

They implemented the Read+ project after finding that Mozambicans cultivate oral traditions, are attached to the languages of their ancestors, and read very little. The Vale Foundation has donated books to set up a library at the Maguinguane Primary School and trained teachers and other workers to use those materials. According to Primary School Principal Antonio Guerra Jequesseme, who has worked in education for 30 years, the library is a major step forward. The Educational Director at the High School, Isabel Sixpence, observes: “The students are more interested in studying.”

Another project is Hit the Net, a digital inclusion program. The Cateme Secondary School offers a room equipped with 25 computers, a stable power source and Internet access. Not one of the students had seen a computer before Hit the Net arrived in Cateme. A few months later, even Rufina Caetano João, 53, the head of the orphanage associated with the schools, which houses 170 children and youth, had ventured onto the web. “Everything we learn is useful,” she explains. As for the students, ever since they learned to use a mouse, everything has been easy: from researching their homework to chatting with friends, including classmates studying at Dom Bosco schools in Brazil.

Tete is a province in eastern Mozambique, near a desert area of Zimbabwe. The climate is hot and dry, and temperatures often rise above 50°C. The red earth

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39

Teresa de Jesus Alves, or “Granny Teresa,” and three of her charges: taking care of the little ones

is littered with charcoal. Although mighty rivers like the

feet,” says Adriana Clemente Brito, the officer Respon-

Zambezi flow through it, there is little water for irrigation.

sible for Odebrecht Social projects in Mozambique.

Families have the habit of cutting down trees for firewood

In addition to painting walls, repairing bathrooms, and

to use in the kitchen. A campaign organized by Odebrecht

teaching hygiene and organization based on the “5S” con-

and Vale is working to raise Mozambicans’ awareness

cept (Five Senses: cleaning, use, coordination, well-being

about the importance of preserving trees and water. At

and self-discipline), the participants’ agenda includes

Cateme’s schools, students have planted over 200 sap-

building a chicken coop and planting a vegetable garden in

lings, which will grow into trees and shade the courtyard

the backyard to ensure food security for the 96 orphans liv-

where they play. Over a thousand saplings have also been

ing there. They are also studying the possibility of building

planted at the construction site.

an industrial kitchen so older people can produce food and

“Sustainable social projects are part of Vale’s strategy

delicacies for sale in local shops. Teresa de Jesus Alves,

around the world. In Mozambique, they were deployed as

66, better known as “Granny Teresa,” is very happy to see

soon as the company received the concession. Remark-

all the activity at the orphanage. “My oldest has just turned

able changes have occurred since then, whether through

21 and is working at Odebrecht,” she says proudly.

the income generated by the project, or through the pro-

Orphanages are important institutions in Mozambique.

grams we are running while the project is underway. Tete

Many children are abandoned on the grounds of religious

didn’t even have a local bazaar, and now it is a full-fledged

beliefs or cultural traditions, and some lose their parents

town with businesses, hotels and a growing population,”

to disease or malnutrition. Life expectancy in the country

says Galib Chaim, Vale’s Executive Director for Capital

is 50 years, according to the UN’s 2011 Human Develop-

Projects Implementation.

ment Report. Mozambique ranks 184th in the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures the average per-

40

Good Guys

formance of 187 countries in three dimensions of human

Volunteers from Odebrecht, Vale and partner com-

development: health, education and standard of living. In

panies are also hard at work refurbishing the World of

this group, Mozambique is only ahead of Burundi, Niger

Children Orphanage, better known as Granny Teresa’s

and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Orphanage. The campaign began through the initiative of

Odebrecht is also working in two coastal cities. One is

a small group of people, became part of the Good Guys

Beira, Mozambique’s second-largest city, whose harbor

Volunteer Program organized by PCM members, and is

was built in 1970 and is now being renovated. The com-

growing steadily. “We always look for ways to turn our

pany is restoring the foundations and the storage and un-

projects into organizations that can walk on their own two

loading terminal at Pier 8, which is needed to export coal

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The theater group that visits schools, prisons and markets: teaching with joy

from Tete. The Project Director, Nuno Teixeira, 31, is from

with joy,” argues Aníbal Rafael Chiteve, 33, the theater

Portugal. He is one of the Odebrecht Organization’s young-

group’s coordinator. This was evident once again on

est PDs. He and his team member José Silveira Lages, the

November 15th, when 570 inmates of the Savane de-

Administrative and Financial Manager, agree that when

tention center in Beira attended a presentation on HIV/

the port is in good running order it will give a boost to eco-

AIDS. Chiteve also helps students start their own the-

nomic activity, thereby creating opportunities for work and

ater and dance groups to multiply the knowledge they

wealth and contributing to the country’s development. “As

have gained. “This is a very good way to ensure that ev-

long as there is coal in Tete, the entire project we are carry-

eryone is well informed,” observes the Deputy Director

ing out in the port of Beira will be sustainable,” says Lages.

of Savane Prison, Manuel João.

As in Tete, members of the Good Guys Volunteer Pro-

The other coastal city in Mozambique where Ode-

gram are working with two public orphanages in Beira

brecht is present is Nacala, in Nampula Province, north

and carrying out recreational activities there. The Hit the

of Beira. That is where the company is building Na-

Net Project is also available for the workers’ families.

cala International Airport. Before breaking ground for

However, the company’s biggest social outreach pro-

the project, Odebrecht carried out a study of the local

gram in Beira is focused on health: organizing awareness

communities and their needs, and how best to imple-

campaigns for children, youth, adults, and traditional

ment the Acreditar Ongoing Professional Education

healers about the importance of immunization, HIV/AIDS,

Program. Working with educational materials adapted

other sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, chol-

to Mozambican realities, its own office at the jobsite

era and malaria. Amanda Mambulisse, 52, has nine chil-

and trained teachers, in January 2012 the Mozam-

dren and has worked as a traditional healer since 1994.

bique Acreditar Program started offering theoretical

“I know that when a person carries a disease, you must

and practical courses to train bricklayers, carpenters,

remove the evil spirit and send them to the hospital,” she

plumbers, blacksmiths and building electricians.

says in the Chitzwa language. Her translator is Catarina

“That survey of the local communities was the

César Mabuie, a physician who works at Odebrecht and

first sustainable social development activity planned

is actively involved in all the company’s health campaigns.

for Nacala,” explains Fernanda Rodrigues Reis, the project’s Administrative Manager. “It has enabled us

Learning with joy

to seek converging interests and harmony in the com-

A theater group and Odebrecht members visit

munity-enterprise relationship, offering programs

schools, prisons and open-air markets to stage par-

that also benefit the environment, workplace safety

ticipatory presentations. “We Mozambicans learn best

and health.”

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41

42 Júlio Barreto dos Santos and the SuperVia train: “As long as I live, I will help my community”

42

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train CATCH THE

OF RECYCLING

The Life Program helps reduce the number of open-air garbage dumps in the communities SuperVia serves written by Edilson Lima photos by Marcos Michel

A

bout 300 meters from the SuperVia railway company’s headquarters in downtown Rio de Janeiro, you can see Brazil Central Station. Trains set off from there for several destinations, in a railway network with 98 stations. SuperVia trains carry 540,000 passengers per

day. “By 2015 we want that figure to reach one million people daily,” says Carlos José Vieira Machado Cunha, the company’s President.

SuperVia is a young company. It was established in 1998 following the award of the concession for commercial operations and maintenance of commuter trains in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region. But the company has inherited the history of a railroad with a 100-year track record. Brazil Central Station was built in the nineteenth century, during the reign of Emperor Pedro II. From that time until the present day, it has emerged and grown alongside numerous cities and communities.

“I’ve heard lots of people say that the trains run through the cities. But it’s the other way around. Many cities grew up near railway lines because of the ease of transport,” says Débora Raffaeli, the company’s Marketing Manager. She is familiar with the stories behind the tracks of the eight branches under the responsibility of SuperVia, which has had Odebrecht TransPort as its majority shareholder since November 2010.

Multiplying good habits Since 1998, SuperVia teams have noted the presence of numerous open-air dumps along the railway lines. There were cases where the trains couldn’t run because there was so much garbage on or near the tracks. “That’s when we realized we had to engage

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43

in dialogue with the communities on this issue. We

the wall [over 2 m high] between the railroad and the

sought out local residents and began to organize

community. Today, instead of waste, we have planted

several social outreach activities, particularly waste

a garden along the wall with coconut, passion fruit

recycling programs,” explains Débora. The aim is

and papaya trees, and we even grow plants for peo-

for 12 cities and 26 communities near the railways

ple who like to make herbal tea. We couldn’t have

to benefit from these projects, which are all part of

mobilized people to do this on our own,” he explains.

the company’s Life Program.

Now, garbage is put into dumpsters and collected by

One project in that program that has achieved

Comlurb, Rio de Janeiro’s urban sanitation company.

significant results is Environmental Multipliers, be-

Júlio Barreto dos Santos, 72, is one of the most

gun in 2007 in the Vila Sao Miguel community in the

committed volunteers in the clean-up program. All

North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The SuperVia team

day long he roams the garden to see if garbage has

contacted community leaders and volunteers inter-

been dumped there. “There’s always something.

ested in participating in that environmental initiative.

Not all the residents are helping. But compared

They received training and orientation on the impor-

with what it was like before, this is much better.”

tance of selective trash collection for quality of life in

He adds: “As long as I’m alive, I will help keep my

their community. Then, the volunteers began going

community clean.”

door to door to help residents dispose of garbage properly.

Similar projects have also been organized in the Parada de Lucas neighborhood, in the same part of

One of the most enthusiastic participants in this

Rio. The number of garbage dumps in that commu-

process is the President of the Residents’ Associa-

nity is decreasing every day, thanks to the work of

tion, José Américo “Zinho” da Silva Souza, 52. A

local environmental multipliers. There are already

native of the state of Alagoas, he settled down in

three gardens growing in former dump sites, and

Vila São Miguel 13 years ago. Always good-natured,

there is another one in the center of the community,

Zinho answered several calls on his cell phone dur-

in an area known as the “town square.”

ing his interview with the Odebrecht Informa team.

“There used to be nothing but garbage here, a

“You see? That’s what it’s like around here. There’s

horrible stench. No one came near it. But not now.

always something to solve.”

We’ve cleared away the garbage and set up tables,

Zinho says the partnership with SuperVia has

chairs and gardens,” says Tatiana da Silva França,

been crucial, because an enormous amount of gar-

Secretary of the Residents’ Association and a com-

bage had been piling up in the streets and alleys of

munity resident since she was born in Parada de

his community. “The garbage was piled higher than

Lucas 30 years ago.

Tatiane da Silva França: a new era in Parada de Lucas

44

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Helena Fonseca do Anjos with students from the José Veríssimo Municipal School: “We teach them to give life to things that had been discarded”

Defenders of the Earth

5,000 people, including students, parents and teach-

Besides Environmental Multipliers, SuperVia has

ers, have benefited from the Defenders of the Earth

organized the Defenders of the Earth project through

project.

a partnership formed in 2001 with the NGO Defen-

“The projects SuperVia has deployed in the com-

sores da Terra and the Rio de Janeiro Department of

munities are helping bring significant results by

Education.

changing people’s habits,” says Cristiane Duarte,

In 2011, five public schools in communities near

the company’s Environment Coordinator. She is

the railroad tracks were selected to host the NGO’s

mainly referring to the smaller number of garbage

environmental educators. During the first semes-

dumps. Of a total of 156 identified in 2006, just 40

ter, they gave lectures and classes, using videos

remain today.

to teach the children and young people studying

Carlos José Cunha, a native of Rio who became

at the schools about various environmental issues

president of SuperVia after 30 years as an engineer at

such as global warming and the right way to dis-

Odebrecht, views this new challenge as an opportunity

pose of waste. In the second semester, their work

to make yet another contribution to his home city’s de-

continued with workshops and competitions. “We

velopment. “SuperVia already had several initiatives in

teach students that they can make lots of things

place for communities near the railroad tracks. Now,

from discarded materials, like dolls, toys, gift boxes

with the administration of Odebrecht TransPort, we

and home decorations. We teach them to give life to

will intensify those programs,” he says.

things that had been discarded,” says artisan Hel-

In addition to running social outreach activities,

ena Fonseca Anjos, one of the volunteers from the

SuperVia is investing in refurbishing and modernizing

NGO Defensores da Terra.

its current fleet of 160 trains and purchasing more

During a contest held in September, out of the

than 120 new ones by 2015, in preparation for the

five participating schools the José Veríssimo School

FIFA World Cup (2014) and the Rio Olympics (2016).

collected the most reusable trash in the community:

The company plans to invest a total of BRL 2.4 billion

3,128 kilos, which were then sent to a cooperative for

in these initiatives. “Investing in the railways means

recycling. School Principal Carmen Mittoso Guerra

investing in the best sustainable solution for urban

says: “Environmental education is vital for everyone.

transport. In addition to consuming clean energy,

I hope SuperVia will expand its partnership with the

electricity, it also reduces the need for buses and vans

schools even further.” In all, 95 schools and over

in the city streets,” says Débora Raffaeli.

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45

streets OFF THE

AND INTO JOBS written by Carine Aprile photos by Mรกrcio Lima

46

46

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Homeless and former homeless people in Salvador, Bahia, are taking part in a professional education and social inclusion program

Bรกrbara Jane Almeida dos Santos and Marcos Antonio Santana do Carmo: Qualify Bahia Program brings prospects of a having a home

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47

E

very day, Marcos Antonio Santa-

of the Community Trinity Church, were hired and

na do Carmo, 35, sits in Piedade

are already working as production assistants. And

Square in the city of Salvador, wait-

this is just one of 20 social and professional training

ing for night to fall. When the shops

programs the project is developing.

in that part of town close their

“Thinking about social sustainability means

doors, he gets ready to sleep on the sidewalk out-

working with people development. It offers the

side the Casas Bahia department store in Relógio

opportunity of acquiring knowledge, work and in-

de São Pedro plaza. For the last two weeks, how-

come,” says Project Director Alexandre Chiavegatto.

ever, the daily routine of this man who has lived

“That’s what we do here. We provide the necessary

rough for eight years has changed completely.

tools for the local population and our members to

“Now hope is keeping me company. I’ve enrolled

seek their own personal and professional develop-

in a carpentry class and my dream is to have a

ment,” observes Thiago Cunha, the officer Respon-

house, a home and start a family,” he says. He

sible for Social Programs at the Fonte Nova Arena

left his mother’s home when he was 27 after a

project.

quarrel with his brothers and sisters. Now, Mar-

Other corporate social responsibility programs in-

cos Antonio is learning the skills he needs to be-

clude computer literacy classes for 200 people with

come a carpenter. Classes start at 7 am and end at 1 pm, Mondays through Fridays. The course is part of the Qualify Bahia Program, organized by the State of Bahia in partnership with the joint venture responsible for construction of the Fonte Nova Arena, which is being built near an urban lagoon called Dique do Tororó.

The professional education program is targeted at street people and former homeless people who live near the site of the project, and offers hairdressing classes as well as a range of courses teaching construction skills such as bricklaying, carpentry and steelfixing (rebar work). At the moment, 88 students are studying with a view to getting a real job with benefits. The best students may be hired to work on the arena project.

Another student taking the carpentry course is Bárbara Jane Almeida dos Santos, 30. Her gentle eyes hide a tragic past. Bárbara lived in the streets of Salvador from the age of 13 to 25, purely out of teen rebellion, according to her. After seeing many of her friends murdered or killed by drug overdoses.

Bárbara decided to go and live with her mother in the Nova Brasília district. “Now my aim is to get a steady job with signed work papers so I can give a better life to my two children, Taís, who’s 11, and Iago, who’s 5,” she says, her eyes brimming with emotion.

This is the second stage of the Fonte Nova Arena Inclusion Program for the Homeless. During the first stage, 23 former homeless people, members

48

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incomes below two minimum salaries (BRL 1,090

Salvador and the metropolitan area,” says Fonte

per month), fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship

Nova Arena Environment Manager Renata Ribeiro.

in more than one thousand children and youth aged

Some of the concrete was also used for another

between 12 and 18 who are enrolled in local schools,

worthy cause: 2,000 bits of the stadium, which was

and offering basic education to workers.

beloved by Bahian soccer fans, were turned into souvenirs and donated to the Sister Dulce Social

Two thousand bits of the stadium

Works (Osid). Those items are being sold for BRL

Environmental sustainability is another priority

35 apiece at Osid’s headquarters in the Lower City,

in the construction of this facility, which will host

as well as online. All the funds raised will be used

the 2014 FIFA World Cup. One of the highlights is

to build the institution’s hemodialysis unit and

the reuse of 100% of the materials from the old sta-

blood bank.

dium imploded in August 2010. “The demolition of the old Fonte Nova generated approximately 77,500

Eco-Sidewalk

tonnes of concrete, of which 90% was used in the

Visitors to the construction site of the Fonte Nova

sub-base and base for the arena project itself, and

Arena soon realize that protecting the environment

10% in other infrastructure projects in the city of

is part of the daily routine of all the company’s

From left, Antônio Marques, Thiago Cunha and Valdemir Matos: offering an instrument of personal and professional development

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49

members. “We have a complex plan for waste management in place. All the materials generated here have a final destination that has been planned and studied to minimize their impact,” says Renata Ribeiro.

One example is the reuse of concrete specimens – cylindrical structures used to monitor the strength of concrete. This material is being used to pave some areas of the construction Luciana Galeão: converting items into sustainable products

site, as well as to fill alveolar slabs.

The cooking oil used at the jobsite’s cafeterias, which serve over 5,000 meals per day, is sent to a company that converts it into biodiesel, soap and candles. And the paper discarded by management is turned into notepads, which are also recycled by two local cooperatives.

Wood and PVC pipe, which would normally end up in the trash, are turned into smokehouses and used cup holders.

Selective trash collection is a regular practice at the jobsite and in the surrounding area.

Vendors who work at the bus stop in front of the site have received specific training and are now multiplier agents.

Maria de Jesus Santos, 53, sells snacks outside the jobsite. She was one of the vendors who received training in selective collection. “I thought the training was important. We learned to sort the trash in the colored bins. I’d done it before, but now I know why I’m doing it,” she says.

Recycling and fashion Construction workers’ discarded uniforms no longer go to landfills and are gaining new life in the sewing and garment making workshop of the Axé Project. Each uniform is transformed into fashionable items such as ecobags (customized green bags) and practical accessories like aprons and placemats.

“Our products have vibrant colors, prints with local symbols, and they are lined with fine fabrics to make them reversible. We are transforming each item into sustainable products that highlight our culture with a modern interpretation,” explains Bahian fashion designer Luciana Galeão, who is responsible for the project.

50

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Maria de Jesus Santos: “I thought the training was important”

The products are sold at a special shop in Pelourinho, and all the money from their sale

tional Relations Director for the Fonte Nova Arena, reflects the multifaceted nature of this new facility.

goes to the Axé Project, an NGO that serves 1,547

To ensure its economic sustainability, the Fonte

at-risk children and youth between the ages of 5

Nova Arena is designed to be a venue for events of

and 21.

various sizes. “We will have 50,000 covered seats on three levels of bleachers, as well as 70 boxes,

Sustainable project

panoramic restaurants with a view of the pitch and

In line with FIFA’s Green Goal Program, the Fon-

Dique do Tororó, and about 2,000 parking spaces,

te Nova Arena is designed to operate with sustain-

which will be available to local residents and visi-

able solutions. The structure used in the roofing,

tors 365 days a year,” says Cardoso.

for example, reduces steel consumption between

With facilities that include a press room, ki-

30% and 40%. In addition, the new arena’s archi-

osks, elevators, restrooms and a cultural space (a

tectural design allows the use of natural lighting

sports and music museum), Fonte Nova Arena has

and ventilation, as well as heating water with solar

reached an agreement with the Bahia Sport Club,

power.

which has the home field advantage in the stadi-

Planned electricity consumption projects a re-

um, and the group responsible for the Arraiá da

duction of around 32.5% through the use of more

Capitá festival, the biggest event in Salvador dur-

efficient and durable lamps, electronic ballasts in-

ing the city’s June festivities, which will be held at

stead of electromagnetic ballasts, and the instal-

the new stadium as soon as it begins operations.

lation of green elevators, which allow a savings of up to 50% in power consumption.

“We will work hard to ensure that the Fonte Nova Arena is a melting pot for business and entertainment. We’re already studying the possibility

Multipurpose arena

of holding major sports events, music festivals, in-

“We aim to include Salvador in the roster of major

ternational concerts and smaller functions such as

events in Brazil and give Bahia an integrated enter-

conferences, lectures, weddings and graduations.

tainment, arts and business complex.” This state-

We will have a venue for all kinds of audiences,”

ment by Lino Cardoso, the Marketing and Institu-

says Lino Cardoso.

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52 The wastewater treatment plant, under construction, and (opposite) an Odebrecht member with a mangrove water sample: the ecosystem plays a strategic role in the balance of the coastal area

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Panama City gets ready for a basic sanitation and clean-up revolution

kee

eping I T

P

G R E E N

written by Zaccaria Junior photos by Guilherme Afonso

anama City boasts an impressive array

vent untreated sewage from being directly disposed

of engineering works, from the 81-km

of in the rivers and Panama Bay. In the future, peo-

Panama Canal, which crosses the Isth-

ple will be able swim in the sea again, something

mus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic

that hasn’t been possible for over 50 years. Cur-

and Pacific Oceans, to the various infra-

rently, the beaches are not suitable for bathing and

structure projects that guarantee the country’s rapid

the water is severely polluted.

growth, including numerous skyscrapers sprouting

“The project’s goal is to improve public health, be-

along the shoreline. It is against this backdrop that

cause today untreated sewage is deposited directly

we come across one the most emblematic works in

into rivers, streams and, consequently, the sea,” ex-

the country’s recent history: the Panama City and Bay

plains Project Director Sérgio Bezerra. “In the medi-

Sanitation Project.

um term, we will clean up Panama Bay and Panama

Odebrecht is building the main components of

City,” he adds. His observation is based on the priority

the sanitation system under construction in the

the Panamanian Government is giving to this project,

Panamanian capital – the interceptor tunnel and

which is considered a key public health measure. In

wastewater treatment plant. This system will pre-

fact, the direct client for the project is not the Infra-

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53

54

structure Ministry but the Ministry of Health. Without

An 8-km tunnel

treatment, the water table in the region could reach

More than 70% of the physical works were

the saturation stage, leading to the contamination of

completed by December 2011, and the Panama

the groundwater and underground water tanks.

City and Bay Sanitation Project will be delivered

No one disputes the importance of cleaning up

by the end of the first quarter of 2013. The project

the bay, a project the residents of the nation’s capital

includes an interceptor tunnel (8 km long with a

have been looking forward to for four decades. The

3-m internal diameter) built by Odebrecht, among

first studies of engineering solutions for water and

other components, and a wastewater treatment

sewer treatment were conducted in the 1970s. Fran-

plant built by a joint venture of Degrémont S.A.

cisco Martins, the officer Responsible for Sustain-

and Odebrecht, which will also be responsible for

ability at Odebrecht Panama, says the project could

operating the facility through a four-year conces-

restore the bay as the main feature of Panama City’s

sion.

landscape. “Estimates are that, when the project is

The treatment plant’s design includes sustain-

completed six years from now, the bay will start to be

able solutions, such as the use of methane gas

suitable for bathing again. People used to go to the

generated from wastewater. This source will be

beach here in the capital in the 1950s,” says Martins.

used to produce 18% of the electricity required to

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Workers drilling the interceptor tunnel: protected against acids and other aggressive substances

convey it to the 4.8-km discharge pipeline leading to the treatment plant built in the Juan Diaz mangroves in Panama City.

In the medium term, the Panamanian Ministry of Health plans to expand the plant to meet the demand projected for 2035. To do so, it has already chosen Juan Diaz as the future site of the plant, setting aside 35 hectares for its modular expansion. During the current phase, the plant’s built area will cover an 11-hectare area.

Central America’s richest mangrove The treatment plant is located in a coastal wetland area that is internationally recognized and has been designated as a “Ramsar Site” since 2003. That title, awarded by the Ramsar Agency, originated in a convention signed in the Iranian city of the same name in 1971, when government representatives signed a treaty of cooperation for the conservation and rational use of wetlands, recognizing their ecological, economic, cultural, and scientific importance, as well as their significance for tourism.

Panama has the richest mangroves in Central America. That ecosystem occupies 1,813 km2 of the nation’s coastline. The Juan Diaz mangrove, where the treatment plant will be built, is a highly dynamic ecosystem that plays a strategic role in the ecological balance of the coastal area. Because it absorbs sediments and nutrients from the river basin and currents and ocean tides, it contains a high concenoperate the plant. The interceptor tunnel is a key

tration of nutrients, acting as a veritable storehouse

part of the sanitation system. It is being built 25

of larvae, crustaceans and fish, including commer-

meters underground using a TBM tunneling ma-

cially valuable seafood, and is responsible for per-

chine, which simultaneously excavates and builds

forming vital ecological functions for the regulation

the structure of the tunnel using precast concrete

of hydrological regimes and hence climatic regimes

pieces coated with PVC. The coating technology en-

as well.

sures that the tunnel will have a useful life of over

Francisco Martins notes that one of the compen-

30 years by protecting the structure from acids and

sation measures recommended by the Environmen-

other aggressive substances found in the wastewa-

tal Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project – the

ter it will be conveying for treatment. Already used

technical document that evaluates how a venture will

in similar projects in the United States and Europe,

affect the environment – was building a bird watching

this is the first time this technology has been de-

walkway near the plant, as the area is on the interna-

ployed in Latin America.

tional route of migratory birds. However, the project’s

The finished tunnel will be the main artery trans-

team has taken that idea even further, and is now

porting wastewater from the collection system in-

working on the creation of Panama City’s first Urban

stalled in the city to a pumping station, which will

Mangrove Park.

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55

Rosabel Miró, and Panama City (opposite): a dream come true

“There is potential to transform this mangrove into

Rosabel Miró, Executive Director of the Panama

a park because it has been a protected area since

Audubon Society (an NGO founded in 1960 as a club

2009 and has been declared a Ramsar site,” says

for bird watchers and nature lovers), explains that

Martins, adding that the EIA also determined that 22

the location of the future park is also considered

hectares of mangrove forest must be replanted in re-

a “Hemispheric Site” by the Western Hemisphere

sponse to the need to clear 11 hectares for the con-

Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), since the

struction site. The park will cover about 50 hectares.

area annually receives about 2 million birds mi-

Francisco Martins points out that the park project

grating along the shoreline from the Northern and

was designed by combining three lines of action – en-

Southern Hemispheres and use that area to rest,

vironmental education, scientific research and com-

feed, reproduce and develop.

munity participation – and the three are intertwined.

“The creation of the park will be integrated into

quent creation of the park will open up that area to

a comprehensive environmental education program,

the public, because it used to be inaccessible,” says

which will not only focus on the Panamanian capital,

a clearly pleased Rosabel Miró. She says it will help

but also on the higher areas of the Juan Diaz River

raise environmental awareness and educate visitors

Basin, because the contamination of the mangrove

about the region’s importance to the Panamanian

occurs both horizontally, through waste from Pana-

people. “For me, it will be a dream come true to see

ma Bay, and vertically, through the pollution of the

children have access to an area that I couldn’t enter

river,” explains Martins.

as a child. They’ll be able to look and learn. It is an

The scientific research involves institutions like the

opportunity that I never had, but which now, fortu-

Smithsonian and US universities including the Uni-

nately, I’m involved in providing,” she says, without

versity of Virginia, which are studying the efficiency of

hiding her excitement.

mangroves in carbon capture.

56

“The construction of the plant and the conse-

The creation of the park is expected to bring in

Local communities are also benefiting directly

visitors to the region and create opportunities for

from the new opportunities generated by ecotour-

the local community to develop economically and

ism activities such as bird watching.

learn more about environmental issues. The Juan

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Diaz area has a population of about 80,000 people.

Based Organizing. We have to utilize the experi-

On July 27, 2011, Odebrecht Panama launched a

ence and methodology that already exist for both

campaign encouraging its members to volunteer to

the activities of the future park and training the

clean up the mangroves. In just over three hours,

community members interested in growing and

they removed 7 tonnes of urban household waste

developing,” says Betzuké Camargo, a member of

from the site, such as bottles, pots and pans, TV

CREHO’s technical team.

sets and even a refrigerator.

Juan Gonzalez, 62, has spent 50 years of his

To facilitate community access to the educational

life in the Viejo Panamá community, where the

components of the program, Odebrecht has signed

ruins of the old city live in harmony with the

an agreement with the Ramsar Regional Center for

mangroves. He once made a living from gather-

Training and Research on Wetlands for the Western

ing clams and crabs in Panama Bay, an activity

Hemisphere (CREHO). That organization specializes

wiped out by water pollution. “I hope the tour-

in promoting and coordinating the dissemination of

ists and city residents who come to visit the park

knowledge through training courses.

will hire people from this community as guides to the mangrove, or buy local crafts and food from them.” The good-humored Gonzalez says, with

come disseminating agents and thus contribute

a smile: “We have to learn more about the man-

to the development of a sustainable awareness.

grove so we can teach people about it and, who

We estimate that 20 to 25 people will be trained in

knows, be able to explain it to visitors in English,

a year during our first pilot course in Community-

or even ‘Brazilian.’”

Odebrecht Archives

“We aim to ensure that the community has access to knowledge so that its members can be-

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58 SĂŠrgio, Thaynize and Ericka: working as multipliers

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edu

Road concession companies in three Brazilian states are helping groom more conscientious drivers and pedestrians written by Thereza Martins photos by Tiago Lubambo

FREE TRANSIT FOR

ucation informa

59

K

átia Lima da Silva, Principal of the Maria Madalena Tabosa Lopes Municipal School, couldn’t believe that the proposal presented by the Rota dos Coqueiros concessionaire’s team would actually work. It was an

educational project associated with a plan to improve and maintain the route the concession company operates, which would have immediate effect. “We’ve heard a lot of promises in the past, without getting any concrete results,” says Kátia. That’s why she was skeptical.

Located a short distance from the beach and the highway, the school has been educating children from the Itapuama community on the south coast of Pernambuco for over 30 years, and in all that time, none of the roads had been paved. That situation has changed recently, with the arrival of the Paiva Road System, made up of Via Parque, a 6.2-km route between Cabo de Santo Agostinho and Jaboatão de Guararapes counties, and the 320-m Arquiteto Wilson Campos Júnior Bridge, which spans the Jaboatão River.

The road and the bridge were officially opened in June 2010. Since then residents of Itapuama have had

Rota dos Coqueiros decided to go beyond the contract re-

to live with a daily flow of up to 9,000 vehicles right on

quirements and adopt the school. “The first step was to

their doorstep, with prospects of seeing traffic get even

refurbish the plumbing, starting with the bathrooms the

heavier due to the economic activities surrounding the

children used,” says Ivan Moraes, then Chief Operating

port of Suape, a few miles south, as well as real estate

Officer of Rota dos Coqueiros, who is now working on Rota

ventures planned for the region.

do Atlântico, another road project in the same region.

Traffic education

2010 and July 2011, with the help of the concessionaire’s

The flow of traffic imposes rules for coexistence and

entire team and the support of companies that provide

presupposes that lessons have been learned. “The con-

maintenance services on the Via Parque route. “The re-

tract with the Rota dos Coqueiros concessionaire [made

sults vastly exceeded our expectations,” says Jerusa

up of the shareholders Odebrecht TransPort and the

Lopes, who has taught at Maria Madalena Tabosa Lopes

Cornélio Brennand Group], signed with the State of Per-

for over 10 years.

nambuco through the Management Committee for Public-

Today, there are fans in the classrooms – some even

Private Partnerships (PPP), calls for investment in a traffic

have air conditioning – the school has two computers with

education project developed for schools situated along the

wi-fi Internet access and there are approximately 500 books

route of the Paiva system,” says engineer Rafaela Elaine

in the library. The grounds are always well-tended and the

Araújo, the concessionaire’s Operational Manager.

school will receive full support for the maintenance of the

The first school to benefit from the program, Maria Ma-

building for more than 30 years, the period of the road

dalena Tabosa Lopes, was housed in a small, run-down

system concession. “As the work progressed, we teach-

building. “We needed to replace just about everything: new

ers started to dream again,” says Jerusa. “Even parents’

plumbing and wiring, paint, equipment, a new library for

participation in school meetings has improved. We have a

the students and a place for R&R,” says Principal Kátia

pleasant space to offer to the Itapuama community.”

Lima da Silva.

Under those conditions, how could they focus on an educational and civic project? In response to that question,

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The schoolhouse was renovated between December

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Now that the school has been refurbished, the R&R area – a covered patio – is also being used for meetings of local associations in the evenings and on weekends.

“In 2012, new educational modules will be introduced and more public school teachers will begin to be trained, this time in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, which has about 600 students,” says Flávia Queiroz, a member of the Sustainability team.

The Traffic Education Project is part of a broader social and environmental program being implemented along the strip of beaches that fringes the towns of Cabo de Santo Agostinho and Jaboatão dos Guararapes. The program includes environmental education, recycling, sports, and will eventually include income generation.

Rota das Bandeiras and Bahia Norte The Rota das Bandeiras concessionaire in São Paulo, and Bahia Norte, in the Salvador metropolitan Jerusa Lopes (left) and Kátia Lima da Silva: surpassing expectations

region, are also organizing traffic education programs.

Rota das Bandeiras, a concession covering the Dom Pedro I Corridor, which runs through 17 counties in São Paulo State, is already carrying out awareness cam-

Teacher training

paigns for drivers and pedestrians. “In 2012 we will

The Traffic Education project was developed in stag-

begin an educational program involving local municipal

es, with the help of the Cabo de Santo Agostinho De-

schools,” says Social Responsibility Manager Adherbal

partment of Education. Initially, teachers were trained

Vieira da Silva.

by a specialized company, with the aim of using the is-

Teachers will be trained as multipliers, and the pro-

sue of traffic as a crosscutting theme involving regular

gram will distribute educational materials to students,

school subjects.

including manuals, videos and games. “The goal is to

While they are studying Portuguese, Math, History and

provide an opportunity for reflection and re-education

Geography, the 87 students at the school will get infor-

about coexistence in traffic by changing people’s con-

mation about traffic signs, speed limits, the importance

duct and behavior,” emphasizes Adherbal. The program

of using seat belts, and the rights and duties of drivers,

will start out by working with schools in three counties:

motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. “I’ve learned that

Atibaia, Igaratá and Itatiba. Its sphere of operations will

if they drink alcohol, drivers put their own lives in dan-

be gradually be expanded to reach all 17 counties in the

ger, as well as the lives of everyone around them,” says

region by 2020.

Thaynize da Silva, 11, a fourth-grade student.

The campaigns the Bahia Norte concessionaire

The project also aims to ensure that children take

organized in 2011 kept the focus on health and citi-

home fresh knowledge, thus acting as educators among

zenship, based on traffic safety and pedestrian cross-

their peers and relatives. “Because of all the cars going

ings. In September, about 300 children from municipal

by, we have to be careful when we cross the streets and

schools in Candeias, Salvador and Lauro de Freitas at-

ride our bikes,” says Ericka Marques, 8. “And when we

tended talks given by the concessionaire’s rescue team.

play ball in the street, too,” says Sérgio dos Santos, 10.

In 2012, Bahia Norte will be organizing a traffic edu-

As part of the proposed activities, children use their

cation project involving schools located along the BA-

knowledge in their essays, drawings, games and field

093 state highway system. The idea is to train teachers

trips. In September, during National Traffic Week, the

and get students involved in recreational activities, tak-

school organized a student hike to the toll plaza in their

ing a lighter approach that will make the subject more

town, taking posters and leaflets to distribute to motorists.

appealing.

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game IN CONTROL OF THE

written by Rubeny Goulart photos by Bruno Veiga

62 62

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Schools in Action program begins grooming managers from the local community

W

hen it was first introduced in August 2007 through a partnership between Odebrecht Oil & Gas (OOG), UNESCO and the Macaé Department of Education in Rio

de Janeiro State, the Schools in Action Program aimed to help and encourage participants to exercise their civil rights and ensure their social inclusion in a sustainable manner. Taking advantage of the free space available in public schools on weekends, it brought together students, parents, teachers and the local community through professional education, sports and cultural activities. Now, Schools in Action is embarking on a new era. In 2012, it will invest in training new managers so the program can be run entirely by members of the local community.

Today, the three projects that comprise Schools in Action – Open School, focused on sports and cultural activities, Hit the Net, for digital inclusion, and Professional Education, which helps young people enter the job market – are being carried out in eight Macaé schools and serve 6,412 students, representing 250% growth compared to 2009.

“The program has made considerable progress, and now its projects will be run by their direct participants, who, in fact, are the ones who bring about major social change,” explains Emile Machado, OOG’s Social Responsibility Coordinator. “We will continue providing administrative support, but the program is going to walk on its own two feet.” She says the idea is to pass on to future leaders the management tools that will allow them to systemize, assess and improve the program.

The Open School project is a good example of the autonomy that has already developed among the program’s participants. Since it was introduced in August 2007, at Engenho da Praia Municipal High School in the neighborhood of the same name, it has impacted a total of 2,559 students in one way or another. It has also affected their teachers and parents, and is substantially changing the lives of the 80 members involved in indoor soccer and hockey. “Through sports, the children have discovered their rights and duties as citizens,” Ivone de Jesus Rodrigues, the school principal, says enthusiastically. “A major transformation is

Bruno da Silva Souza: playing hockey has improved his performance in school

taking place here.”

Engenho da Praia students are reviving a longstanding tradition in Macaé, hockey, like true cham-

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63

Students learning Capoeira: a tool for grooming good citizens

pions. When they played in their first extra-mural

seen in the changes it is making in students’ behav-

competition, the 29th Interschool Championship in

ior. Bruno da Silva Souza, 13, used to have no interest

August, they managed a creditable fourth place. The

in sports, and his academic performance was poor.

outcome even surprised the team’s coach, Ales-

But his grades have improved since he started play-

sandro Alves, 25, a volunteer at Open School, who

ing hockey as a goalkeeper, and based on the school’s

works as an administrative assistant for a sporting

assessment, his behavior has improved tremendously.

events company in Macaé. “Next year we will fight

He received many accolades for his performance in the

for the title!” he says.

29th Interschool Championship and has been invited to play on the hockey team of Pedro II High School in

Changes in behavior

These young athletes dream of winning titles, med-

inside and outside the school are changing – a sign

als and other honors, but for most of their parents,

that Open Schools has matured. “The students have

just taking part in social, sporting and educational

more self-esteem, they are more polite and calm, and

activities is a reward in itself. Adriana Silva, 37, sees

thinking about the future,” says Yvonne Rodrigues.

the program as an opportunity for her daughter, Maria

This is the case with Andressa Hespanhol, 13, a hock-

Vitória, 9, to reinforce values like commitment, dis-

ey player and javelin, hammer and disc thrower. At the

cipline and responsibility. “Fortunately, my daughter

moment, she is trying to decide whether to take a test

likes to learn,” she says. “In indoor soccer, I play de-

to join the Guarda Mirim (a youth program run by the

fense, and at school my favorite subject is Math,” says

Macaé City Police) or accept an invitation to train in

young Maria Vitória.

athletics in Santos, São Paulo.

64

exchange for a scholarship. He is thinking it over.

The students’ personal habits and their coexistence

In Schools in Action, good academic performance,

The certainty that the reverberations of Schools in

social skills, respect for others and other rules of

Action go far beyond its specific projects can be also

good citizenship are encouraged just as much as ex-

informa

tra-curricular activities, whether sporting or cultural.

never skip school, even when it rains,” says Maria.

This standard of education, which reflects the true

“But our biggest job is getting the parents involved in

magnitude of the program, requires volunteers to

the children’s activities,” she adds.

play roles that go far beyond those of mere operators.

Adelina de Jesus Ribeiro, the principal of Eraldo

“Many times, I’m like a father here,” says Jef-

Mussi Municipal School, faces a similar challenge. She

ferson Warlem Coutinho Gomes, better known as

lives in the city of Rio de Janeiro and spends five days

Metre Dino, who teaches Capoeira at the Lagomar

a week in Macaé, running a school with 353 students

Balneário Municipal School. The son of a soldier,

in the Malvinas neighborhood. One of the poorest ar-

he demands a lot from his students and reveals his

eas of Macaé, it is still dominated by drug trafficking.

teaching method: “A lot of love, affection, mutual re-

“Our challenge is to deconstruct the daily violence with

spect and, of course, hard work. Here we groom good

participatory and compassionate activities and the free

citizens.”

exercise of citizenship,” she says.

It is not an easy task to spread concepts of civic

At Eraldo Mussi, those rights and duties are exer-

spirit among children and adolescents who often live

cised by 30 students during Capoeira classes, as well

in an environment marked by violence and the break-

as in other Open School activities involving the rest of

down of social order. Volunteer Maria das Neves Fer-

the community. During the program’s Children’s Day

nandes, who is the mobilizing agent for Open Schools

celebrations in October, many of the mothers helped

in the Lagomar community, collects dramatic stories,

with the planning and decorations, while others baked

like the case of two children who have an alcoholic

cakes and snacks. “We are planting the seeds for a new

mother and older brothers serving time for drug traf-

outlook on life for these children, not only in school, but

ficking. “Capoeira is a safe haven for them, and they

in and outside the home,” says Adelina.

Front row, Luana (with medal), Franciele and Yasmin; background, Maria Vitória, Kemilyn and Andressa: celebrating the results of the 29th Interschool Championship

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66

VERTICAL

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sustainab informa

OR ranks among the companies with the most green buildings in Brazil written by Renata Meyer photos by Arthur Ikishima

W

hen the Park One Ibirapuera residential project was first developed in early 2011, Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias’s (OR) Engineering and Development

teams had one thing clear in their minds: they needed to invest in differentials to create a product that exceeded the expectations of the demanding public in the Paraíso district of São Paulo, where the high-end project will be built.

The idea of investing in sustainable building solutions that promote the rational use of environmental resources, with a focus on reducing impacts on Nature, soon gained ground. “Green projects have everything to do with our entrepreneurial culture, with the way we operate in our projects and in the surrounding

Hangar: the first commercial real estate development in Brazil to receive the Procel/ Inmetro seal of energy efficiency

areas. Allied to this factor, we have conducted studies and surveys that show that the public is increasingly receptive to this type of project,” says Ricardo Toscani, Construction Director for Park One. Toscani’s words reflect a trend that has become

ility

increasingly common at OR. With six ventures at the sustainability certification stage and one that is precertified, all in São Paulo State, OR now ranks among the companies with the most green buildings in Brazil.

Among the highlights of these projects is energy management, one of the aspects that carries the most weight in the certification agencies’ evaluation process. OR’s ventures combine technology and creativity in finding solutions that ensure a high degree of efficiency in energy management.

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Solar lighting and natural ventilation OR’s first green residential project, composed of a single tower with 25 floors and 50 units, Park One Ibirapuera’s entire architectural concept is based on strategies to reduce energy consumption, use natural resources rationally and ensure the end user’s comfort and convenience. Measures that promote the maximum use of sunlight and natural ventilation will be implemented, such as using windows that are larger than the minimum size required by law.

Park One’s design also calls for the deployment of intelligent lighting triggered by occupancy sensors, a regenerative energy system in the elevators to reuse the kinetic energy generated when they stop, and enough solar water heaters to supply 40% of the building’s hot water consumption needs.

The premises adopted for this venture include selecting electrical equipment that offers high performance and low power consumption. The project’s sustainable solutions will represent a 3% increase in the direct production cost for the works. “In the long term, however, these measures will allow significant savings in operating and maintenance costs for the condominium, thereby benefiting the end users,” says Toscani.

Sustainability benchmark Ground will be broken for Park One Ibirapuera in March 2012, but it is already considered a benchmark for sustainability within the company. The venture is in the process of certification by the Aqua system, which evaluates residential buildings on the basis of 14 categories, ranging from the relationship with the environment during construction to waste management, up to and including water and energy management. In September 2011, it was certified during the Program phase, the first of the evaluation system’s three phases. Based on French standards, Aqua certification also assesses the Design and Execution of the project, and is awarded by the University of São Paulo (USP) Vanzolini Foundation.

In the commercial area, one of the highlights for OR is the iTower, a 26-story building integrated with the Iguatemi shopping mall, already completed in Alphaville, São Paulo. Recognized for its high level of technology and safety and the comfort of its facilities, it was the company’s first pre-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, granted by the US Green Building Council.

“The green seal is increasingly valued by large corporations that have realized the benefits for their image and the operational savings achieved through sustainable buildings,” said Marcelo Valadão, OR’s Regional Construction Director for South-Central Brazil.

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The 26-story iTower is recognized for the high technology, safety and comfort of its facilities

To ensure efficient operations and performance and adapt investments to the reality of the iTower, the company developed prototypes and conducted simulations during the execution of the works to test the design solutions to be deployed in the venture.

“The success of sustainable buildings is strongly related to the teams’ level of commitment to the guidelines established in their action programs. Ensuring that everyone involved plays a converging role throughout the process is a major challenge in project management,” notes Valadão.

Energy efficiency seal In Salvador, Bahia, OR is building the Hangar, the first commercial real estate venture in Brazil that will receive the Procel/Inmetro energy efficiency seal as a result of an agreement between the company and the Neoenergia Group, which owns Coelba, the power utility company in the State of Bahia. Usually used to evaluate the performance of appliances, this system now has a real estate version – Procel-Build – an initiative aimed at encouraging the development of projects that promote the rational use of electricity.

The main items the program evaluates include the lighting and air conditioning of buildings, in addition to the construction features of facades and roofs. Certification is carried out in two phases: one evaluates the premises of the project, and the other is carried out after the project is built to determine whether all the features planned were executed in practice. After a final evaluation, the buildings are rated on a scale of energy efficiency ranging from “A” (most efficient) to “E” (least efficient). Systems and equipment that rationalize the use of rainwater and solar water heating are counted as extra bonuses in the process of Procel Level A certification.

Already certified in the first phase, the Hangar, a complex of seven office towers and two hotel towers, will be equipped with efficient laminated glass that reduces the impact of direct sunlight, and walls with low heat transfer rates to help reduce the use of air conditioners.

To consume less energy, the buildings in the complex will also have highly efficient lighting systems equipped with control devices to switch off lights automatically. In the air conditioning systems, priority will be given to equipment rated “A” by Procel/Inmetro. OR’s goal is to ensure that, during construction, the Hangar reaches level “A” for energy efficiency and serves as a role model encouraging the development of more sustainable buildings in the future.

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possi

MAKING DREAMS

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ible written by Emanuella Sombra photos by Edilson Silva

Partnership with the Salesians of Dom Bosco enables projects to be carried out in one of the neediest areas of Luanda, Angola informa

71

“W

e had a wonderful dream, that companies would encourage their leaders to participate in activities in which each, according to their qualifications, would take part in a

social project. It would be immensely enriching for large organizations and the people who work in them. They would be guided by a simple motivation, the motivation to help others,” says the Italian priest Father Stefano Francesco Tollu reflectively in one of the parish rooms of St. Paul’s Church in Luanda, Angola.

To understand what Father Stefano is saying, we have

amounted to nearly twice that figure. Therefore, the Ode-

to go back 10 years. More precisely to 2001, a year before

brecht Organization proposed to provide engineering and

the armed conflicts ended in Angola, whose outcome led

technical support without charge, and bring in other part-

national and foreign institutions to adopt a watchword and

ners such as the Prado Valladares firm, which reworked

an urgent program: reconstruction. It marked the birth of

the design and significantly expanded the built area, en-

the partnership between Odebrecht Angola and the Sale-

abling the school to increase the number of places there

sians of Dom Bosco, the Roman Catholic congregation

from 1,390 to 5,580 students. For their part, the Salesians

that has been doing humanitarian work in that country

have partnered with a literacy program carried out at Ode-

since the 1980s.

brecht’s Luanda Sul construction site.

“Their support for Dom Bosco has produced results that

Once the partners were on board, the project was com-

not even Odebrecht could have imagined,” recalls Father Ste-

pleted without the need for additional funding. “Our re-

fano, the current coordinator of the Salesians’ social works,

sources basically come from the Church, embassies and

as children play soccer in a court built next to the church.

foreign institutions,” explains Father Marcelo Ciavatta,

The missionary’s sense of accomplishment is only

from Argentina, who also coordinates Dom Bosco’s phil-

surpassed by the knowledge that there is much more to

anthropic activities. He says that Odebrecht’s vision has

be done. “In our country, the businesses that that have a

resulted in a significant advance in the Salesians’ work in

social vision are mostly active in construction. And yet, it

Angola. “Europe, for example, which has always helped us

is a new vision.”

financially, is now in the midst of an economic crisis. Dona-

Financial support

72

tions have been dwindling year by year, and in that sense, this partnership has been vital for our work.”

Father Stefano’s words sum up a partnership that has

In a country where it is estimated that only 67.4% of the

resulted in projects like the renovation and expansion of

population is literate, the completion of the works for Dom

the Dom Bosco College in the district of Sambizanga, one

Bosco College in 2004 had an immediate impact: after the

of the poorest and most populous neighborhoods in the

school reopened, 3,900 new places were available for chil-

Angolan capital. The Salesians received a 2-million euro

dren in the first and second grades. On another front, the

donation from the European Union for that expansion

construction of nine sports courts in the Luanda commu-

project, but the estimates submitted by other contractors

nities of Mota, Trilho and Mabubas have contributed to the

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In the photo mosaic, Dom Bosco students engaged in several activities, and Father Marcelo Ciavatti: appeal for investments in education and professional training

continue his education after leaving the project. And the bricklayer Filipe Jorge Quinquela, 35, who is visibly moved when he remembers sitting behind a school desk for the first time at the Luanda Sul jobsite. Most students share the same life story: they fled from the interior to the capital during the war and had to do odd jobs to make a living instead of going to school.

João Martins Fernando, 34, is one of them. Born in Malange Province, he got his first formal job at Odebrecht.

Currently at the 4th-grade level, he recalls leaving school as a teenager to escape the “raid,” as Angolans called military conscription during the Civil War. “I don’t mind being tired after a full day’s work. My goal is to continue my studies at a government school later on.”

Jorge Preto, the officer Responsible for Programs to

Jorge Palma

Combat HIV/AIDS and Malaria at Odebrecht Angola, witnessed the birth of the partnership with the Roman Catholic institution in 2001 and follows up on the workers’ education program on a daily basis. Preto is moved by the stories he hears. “This program boosts people’s self-esteem, and has life-long benefits,” he says. “Angolans might rememinclusion of 18,300 disadvantaged youths in extracurricular

ber that we built a shopping mall, roads, apartment com-

activities such as soccer, basketball and Capoeira classes.

plexes... But they will definitely recall that we went beyond

The construction of the courts – seven of which were de-

that. This partnership with the Salesians is what ‘beyond

livered in 2011, at the St. Dominic Savio Social Center in

that’ really means.”

Mabubas – was made possible by financial support from Odebrecht.

Preto organizes programs to combat infectious diseases, made possible by the partnership that marked its 10th an-

In addition to the recreational activities at the social cen-

niversary in 2011. Through the joint efforts of the Salesians

ter, professional training courses are also available, such

and Odebrecht, 50,000 informational booklets have been

as carpentry, metalwork, computer skills and sewing.

prepared and distributed to multiplier agents working in

“Other companies need to realize that if they don’t invest in

HIV awareness programs. These programs are conducted

education and training, they themselves will not develop,”

at the 22 community centers in Luanda where the Salesians

says Father Ciavatta. “With the arrival of peace and devel-

of Dom Bosco organize community activities, as well as at

opment in Angola, we have realized that most local profes-

facilities in six towns in the interior of the country.

sionals do their work without proper training.”

“The programs developed through this partnership go well beyond their physical achievements. The Salesians

Literacy at the jobsite

have inspired us over the years with their ability to accom-

Some of the activities resulting from the partnership got

plish so much with so little,” says André Vital, CEO for the

started within Odebrecht itself. At the Luanda Sul jobsite,

Sergipe and Bahia Markets at Odebrecht Infraestrutura.

120 Angolan workers have either learned or are learning to

Along with Father Luiz Piccoli – who now lives in Mozam-

read and write through the Dom Bosco teaching method,

bique, where he is working on other social programs – An-

which is accredited by the Angolan Ministry of Education.

dré was responsible for the expansion of the partnership

The two-hour classes include literacy that corresponds to

beginning in 2002, when he was Project Director for the

the 6th-grade level. Members who take the classes “do-

water and sewer projects in Luanda. Regarding Father Ste-

nate” one hour of their daily time off, and in return, the

fano’s reflections at the beginning of this article, he says:

company reduces their workday by one hour.

“That motivation is part of our corporate responsibility: to

Those members include the carpenter Figueira Albino, 47, who is currently at the 4th-grade level and wants to

further the sustainable development of the regions where we operate. That is an integral part of our business.”

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74

new st A BRIGHT written by Emanuella Sombra photos by Jacinto Figueiredo

Luanda’s shoeshine workers get better working conditions and opportunities to study 74

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tart Antônio Francisco Suane: “It’s safer now”

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75

W

hen he was nine years old, An-

after the reconstruction of streets, sidewalks and bus

tônio Francisco Suane went

stops, the shoeshine workers were still on the side-

through an experience familiar

walks, facing the same conditions as before – sitting

to thousands of Angolan chil-

on piles of cardboard, crates and broken chairs – and

dren who migrated alone from

ended up littering the sidewalks and soiling the walls

the interior to the capital in search of better living con-

after a full day’s work.

ditions after armed conflicts ended in their country.

“We realized that their activity was not keeping pace

He left his home province of Kwanza-Sul in 2002, the

with the city’s development and ended up clashing with

same year the country began its peace process, without

the current aesthetics of the roadways,” explains Vir-

knowing where he was bound. Today, in a busy street in

gínia Machado, the Odebrecht officer Responsible for

Luanda, Antônio works in the informal sector shining

Social Outreach and Community Relations for the Lu-

shoes, an age-old activity in that metropolis of nearly 6

anda Roadways Project. In response to a request from

million inhabitants.

the Provincial Government, which recognized the need

Since June 2010, his routine of polishing leather

for a social program aimed at the informal sector, the

shoes and brushing suede sandals has taken on a dig-

partners arrived at the common denominator of a cli-

nity he had never known. “Now it is safer. I can do my

ent’s request and the company’s vision. Virgínia, who is

work in peace. I don’t have to run from the police,” he

from the Brazilian state of Bahia, sought another kind

says, smiling. The quiet young man’s adult expression

of inspiration that would be positive for young Angolans:

belies his 18 years.

the Axé Project, dedicated to the social inclusion of poor

The change in Antônio’s routine arose from a sim-

children in Salvador, Bahia’s state capital.

ple initiative: adapting the model for bus stops and

“Our goal is to get them involved in the formal mar-

turning them into a place where shoeshine workers

ket, so that other young people can be included in the

can have better working conditions and their cus-

Bus Stop Shine project,” says Virgínia, while observing

tomers can enjoy more comfort and convenience.

the shoeshine workers’ routine on a Monday morning.

That is how the Bus Stop Shine Project was born – a

One of those workers is Jorge Pedro, 19, a slender

partnership between Odebrecht Angola and the Pro-

young man who looks older than his age. He says the

vincial Government of Luanda designed to be an in-

main advantage of working at the bus stop instead of

strument of social inclusion by providing better living

on the sidewalk is wearing a uniform. “I feel that people

conditions for young Angolans who make their living

look at me differently, with more respect, more confi-

by shining shoes.

dence,” he says.

“The aim of this project is not to make them shine

Although appearances mean little to a job that basi-

shoes all their lives, but to put them in a context in which

cally involves cleaning shoes, that sort of detail is re-

they learn to be organized, undertake a commitment

flected in the way the workers take care of their shoe-

to their trade, and enhance their profession,” explains

shine kits. In addition to using the bus stops’ facilities,

Edson Cristóvão Duarte, one of the project’s educators.

program participants periodically get individual uni-

Currently, the Bus Stop Shine Project is monitoring the

forms, ID badges and work materials, including wood-

work of 30 young people at three stops, one on Avenida

en boxes, polish, rags and brushes. The customers are

Revolução de Outubro and two on Avenida Ho Chi Min.

also doing their part: according to the coordinators of

Each stop is sheltered by a glass and metal structure

the initiative, the shoeshine workers’ income has risen

and contains five wooden seats with footrests.

between 30% and 50%.

Expectations are that more bus stops will be built

76

New look for the city

in 2012, ensuring that more Angolans benefit from the

The Bus Stop Shine Project was planned in the

program. Introduced in April 2010, Bus Stop Shine aims

course of the works of the Luanda Roadways Project,

to include each shoeshine worker selected to take part

through which Odebrecht is revitalizing the capital’s

in the program in several stages, including issuing their

main thoroughfares. The company’s teams had found

official documents, getting them enrolled in literacy

that, while the urban landscape was getting a new look

classes and elementary school, and reuniting them

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A bus stop transformed into a workplace for shoeshine workers: young people developing a commitment to a trade

with their families. Virgínia cites another benefit: “We

with his family. Thanks to the project, Ricardo is back in

are offering workshops so these young men can learn

touch with relatives in the capital city and now lives with

to reuse damaged shoes and make new ones.”

one of them.

“By keeping track of these kids’ lives, we’ve come to

Rebuilding a dream

realize that most have them have been homeless for

Ricardo Manuel Baiano, 20, is one of the participants

five or six years. On the streets, they are exposed to al-

who foresee the possibility of entering the formal job

cohol and drugs,” says educator Felix Barros Pinheiro.

market down the road. He wants to be a painter. Ev-

“In addition to seeking to reunite these young people

ery day, he travels several miles from the outskirts of

with their families, this project is helping them to stay

Luanda to the Avenida Revolução de Outubro bus stop

in school.”

in the city center. He commutes to work from home,

One of the requirements for participating in Bus Stop

where he lives with his older sister, in one of thousands

Shine is that young people must attend classes regularly.

of candongas, the vans that are the most popular form

Therefore, the groups are divided into shifts. At each of

of transport in Luanda. He faces huge traffic jams, but

the three stops, one group of five shoeshine workers

for Ricardo it is all about perseverance. “Sometimes it’s

works in the morning, and another takes over in the

tiring, but I come to work every day. And I go to class

afternoon. Those who are already literate are placed in

after work,” he says.

the regular school system by Escola 2027, an institution

Ricardo is taking part in the literacy course offered

linked to the Provincial Government, which assesses

by the Bus Stop Shine project in partnership with Dom

each shoeshine worker’s educational status so they can

Bosco College, run by missionary priests who arrived

resume their studies at a grade level compatible with

in Angola in the late 1970s. Like most young people

their schooling. For all of them, their bright eyes are a

who make a living from informal jobs in Luanda, the

sign that their lives are just beginning. It is the shine of

teenager was homeless for a time, without any contact

a fresh start.

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77

new da THE JOY OF A

A

written by Milton Gerson

driana Pereira dos Santos was born in

joined the company in March 2011, Adriana has realized

Sertãozinho, São Paulo. Like many of

the dream of owning her own home, where she lives with

her friends and acquaintances, there

her husband and two daughters. According to the Social

came a time in her life when she decided

Energy Program team, 80% of students who received

to leave her hometown in search of work

certificates from professional education classes at Nova

opportunities. She found what she was looking for in a

Alvorada do Sul have since joined the local job market. “Of

town named “new dawn” – Nova Alvorada do Sul, Mato

the 279 graduates, 127 are working at ETH,” says Isabel

Grosso do Sul. At the age of 34, Adriana is now a tractor

Verônica Rodrigues dos Santos Silva, the People Develop-

operator at ETH Bioenergy’s Santa Luzia Unit. With a drive

ment Coordinator at the company’s Mato Grosso do Sul

expressed in her vibrant voice and the sparkle in her eyes,

hub, and a member of the Social Energy Education Pro-

she says she has achieved the most important victory in

gram’s Education Commission in Nova Alvorada do Sul.

her professional life thanks to courses the company of-

Since 2009, when ETH arrived there and gave the local

fered through the Social Energy for Sustainability Program

economy a boost, systemic unemployment has given way

– an ETH initiative that centralizes all the Corporate So-

to job opportunities in the town of 17,000 inhabitants locat-

cial Responsibility programs tailored for the communities

ed at the junction of federal highways 267 and 163. In just

where it operates. “Now I can say I have a profession,” says

two years, the town’s economic and social sustainability

Adriana, while driving her tractor in one of the cane fields

have become a regional benchmark. According to the FIR-

that supply the Santa Luzia Unit.

JAN Municipal Development Index (IFDM), an instrument

She is helping plant the 2012-2013 crop, which, ac-

created by the Federation of Industries of Rio de Janeiro to

cording to Industrial Manager Eliandro de Jesus Romani,

measure the growth of cities in Brazil, Nova Alvorada do

will produce a harvest large enough to allow the unit to

Sul has made the most progress in generating employ-

reach full production by 2013: grinding 6 million tonnes of

ment and income in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. It had

sugarcane and consequently producing 540 million liters

grown by 50.5% in a single year (2008-2009).

78

of ethanol and 450 million GW/hour of energy. Since she

78

photos by Carlos Júnior

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ETH’s Social Energy Program does more than just offer job skills. Implemented in the nine towns in which the company operates – Cachoeira Alta, Caçu, Mineiros and Perolândia, in Goiás; Alto Taquari, in Mato Grosso; Costa Rica and Nova Alvorada do Sul in Mato Grosso do Sul, and Mirante do Paranapanema and Teodoro Sampaio in São Paulo State – it is also a tool for community development in the fields of the arts and culture, health and employment and income generation in various sectors of activity, bolstering the community relations of ETH teams working at the company’s industrial units.

wn Adriana Pereira dos Santos: “Now I can say I have a profession�

Social Energy: a program that changes the lives of ETH members and the communities where they work informa

79

Nova Alvorada do Sul, a group of youths from the Sustainability Culture Center and social worker and shopkeeper Maria Auxiliadora Coimbra: booming economic, social and cultural growth

The program is structured around four thematic committees – Productive Activities, Education and Culture, Health and Safety, and Environmental Preservation – and a Community Council made up of representatives of ETH, the local government and civil society leaders. The joint action of these agents is producing the innovative and inducing results of economic and socio-cultural growth in towns like Nova Alvorada do Sul, the first to host the program. At meetings that are open to the community, committee members and advisers discuss priorities, identify opportunities and organize projects and programs for the collective good.

“The big difference in this program is participatory management, through which programs are conceived synergistically. We have achieved significant results, and 2011 was very important for the program. We are implementing 20 projects,” says Carla Pires, the ETH officer Responsible for Sustainability and for managing Social Energy.

Women on board Women are playing an important role in implementing the program in Nova Alvorada do Sul. Maria Auxiliadora Coimbra, 43, is one of them. The social worker is an active participant in the program, which encouraged her to open a small shop six months ago. A member of the Education Committee, she says that Social Energy and the job

80

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opportunities it provides have been responsible for chang-

But according to Nova Alvorada do Sul Mayor Arlei Bar-

ing the mindsets of local residents, especially women and

bosa, it is the cultural area that is the darling of Social En-

young people who have gained a new perspective on life.

ergy. “The construction of the Sustainability Culture Center

“By addressing issues such as the environment, human

in Tereré Nelson Park will be a landmark for the city,” he

relations, safety and legislation, these classes are groom-

says. Unlike the current facility, a small rented house, the

ing good citizens,” she says.

new 6,000-m2 building will have plenty of space, including

One of the program’s supplementary activities is the

an acoustic shell, a rehearsal area, multipurpose rooms

Social Energy Cinema, an initiative that offers lectures and

for drama, music and the fine arts, and a radio and video

shows educational films for low-income communities.

studio. And it is all housed in a building with a sustainable

“One of the goals of the program is to create an awareness

architectural design and engineering, including water re-

of sustainability,” says Rosemeri Brendle, Social Energy’s

cycling, bio-septic tanks and solar panels.

facilitator in Nova Alvorada do Sul, after a film session at the Antônio Coelho State School.

Nova Alvorada do Sul is part of a region marked by agrarian conflict and the struggle for land that was the

Sustainability is a concept present in each of the pro-

backdrop for experiments in land reform that are still in

gram’s activities, and its initiatives include the field of

progress in Brazil. There are nine settlements in the area,

health care. After extensive debate, the town’s social sec-

and the fact that families from those communities are

tors prioritized the construction of the new Municipal Clini-

participating in Social Energy has made it possible to cre-

cal Laboratory, in operation since May 2011. Built with an

ate the Circular Organic Gardens project. Aimed at gen-

investment from ETH, the 147-m space is very different

erating sources of income and increasing production of

from the old one, which had just one 30-m room sepa-

organic vegetables, the project will initially benefit 27 fami-

rated with a divider. Currently, its capacity for conducting

lies, who will be able to supply schools and businesses,

tests, including more complex ones for leprosy and tuber-

and sell part of their output at the Farmer’s Market. The

culosis, has almost doubled. “In January 2011, when the

President of the Union of Family Farm Workers of Nova Al-

project began, we processed 1,154 tests. In September

vorada do Sul and Region, José Caetano “Dedé” Santana,

2011, we reached 1,980,” reports the Municipal Health

emphasizes: “Projects like this, which create employment

Secretary, Fabiana Martins Amaral.

opportunities, are critical for our region.”

2

2

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81

82 In the Southern Bahia Lowlands of northeastern Brazil, an educational model makes the classroom and the students’ family farms part of the same learning environment

82

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home ALWAYS AT

written by Gabriela Vasconcellos photos by Fernando Vivas

N

ortheastern Brazil. Early in the morning, Maria do Amparo “Paulinha” dos Santos, 20, gets down to work, sorting piassava fiber. She is running her own business: a piassava sorting fa-

cility that makes it possible to process the fiber and add value to the raw materials. She only takes time off from work, which is near her home in the former maroon community of Lagoa Santa, in Ituberá, Bahia, to go to the Agro-Forestry Family House (CFAF) for another week of class.

Paulinha joined that educational institution in early 2011, and since then she has had access to training geared to the realities of the countryside. Its educational model originated in France and is based on alternations: a week at boarding school, with lessons in the classroom and the field, and two on the students’ farms, when they apply what they have just learned with the supervision and guidance of specialized monitors.

“When the opportunity to apply for CFAF came up, I was working on the farm and had given up on going to school. I was accepted and had no idea if it would work out, but I believed it would. I’m learning a lot and sharing what I’m learning with my community,” says Paulinha, who is part of the first class taking the Secondary Professional Technical Education Course in Forestry as part of the secondary school curriculum.

There are 31 young people taking the course, which

Maria do Amparo dos Santos: sharing knowledge

CFAF began offering in 2011 after it was accredited by the Bahia State Board of Education.

It was also at the Family House that the young rural entrepreneur learned how to start a piassava

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83

Elinaldo de Jesus: an opportunity to learn and experience new things

sorting project. The facility she set up in her com-

tive Alliance for Piassava, one of the programs carried

munity is the first of its kind in the Southern Ba-

out by the Program for the Integrated and Sustainable

hia Lowlands. “We faced some hurdles at first, and

Development of the Mosaic of Environmental Protec-

sometimes we thought about quitting. But because

tion Areas in the Southern Bahia Lowlands (PDIS),

we had access to training, we learned how to deploy

supported by the Odebrecht Foundation.

the project. Today we are running a model sorting facility,” she says proudly.

Although she has a tight schedule, in which she juggles her work at the sorting facility and her stud-

This initiative is the result of a joint effort by CFAF,

ies, Paulinha still has time to dream. “When I’ve fin-

the Cooperative of Rural Producers in the Pratigi En-

ished the three-year course at the Family House, I’m

vironmental Protection Area (Cooprap) and the Trib-

going to keep on studying. I want to go to college and

ute to the Future Program, which supports projects

become an agricultural engineer. I’m looking for ways

certified by the Odebrecht Foundation with income tax

to increase my earnings so I can take care of my family

owed by Odebrecht Organization members.

in the future.”

Every day, with the help of her cousins Maria Apa-

Her mother is thrilled. “My sons live far away. I

recida dos Santos and Cristiane dos Santos, Pau-

wanted them to be near me. I didn’t want them to have

linha cuts and combs about 45 kilos of piassava. The

to leave here to find work opportunities. Now I’m very

processed fiber is delivered to Cooprap, which uses it

happy to see my daughter growing through this proj-

to make brooms. The young women are paid accord-

ect,” says Tercília, the mother of 12 children, just three

ing to their productivity. They can make roughly BRL

of whom are still living in her community. If it is up

1,200 in a month (over twice the minimum monthly

to Paulinha, her mother will stay happy. “My greatest

salary).

wish is to work in this community and never leave my

“We reinvest our profits in developing our business.

hometown,” she says.

That’s what makes a good entrepreneur. First and

84

foremost, we want to make the sorting facility sus-

The path to sustainability

tainable,” says Paulinha. Like her mother, Tercília da

Elinaldo de Jesus, 19, is in a similar situation to

Conceição, she is a member of Cooprap, an institution

Paulinha. The young farmer has seen three of his

that, along with CFAF, is part of the Strategic Coopera-

four siblings leave their home community to look for

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curriculum. There are 32 students in the first class to take the course. Elinaldo is one of them. “I’ve always helped my dad on the farm. This year I’m going to start up a hearts-of-palm production project,” he says. He intends to join the Southern Bahia Lowlands Hearts-of-Palm Producers’ Cooperative (Coopalm).

“When I deliver my produce to Coopalm, I know that my hearts-of-palm will have a guaranteed buyer,” says Elinaldo.

Two firsts The Presidente Tancredo Neves Rural Family House (CFR-PTN) was the first to be established in the Southern Bahia Lowlands and the first in the Bra-

Family Houses in the Southern Lowlands: 252 students 275 graduates

zilian North/Northeast to be certified – by the Bahia State Board of Education. The young people who finish the three-year course there receive a high school diploma and professional certification as agricultural technicians.

The Technological Production and Innovation Director of the House is a young woman who gradu-

work. A student at the Igrapiúna Rural Family House

ated from its first class. The daughter of farmers

(CFR-I), Elinaldo says he has definitely found a growth

from Teolândia County, Bahia, Fernanda Silva en-

opportunity. “At CFR-I, I have a chance to study and

tered CFR-PTN in 2003, at the age of 15. In 2010, she

experience new things. I soon realized that teamwork

became a director of that educational unit. “It’s very

can be useful,” says the resident of Igrapiúna, Bahia.

gratifying to be spearheading a project I helped build.

Like CFAF, CFR-I was also accredited by the State

I understand that this makes my responsibility even

Board of Education in 2011 and is authorized to teach

greater, but I believe we will achieve a future with a

the Secondary Professional Education Course in Agri-

focus on education for life through work and values,”

business as part of the regular secondary school

says Fernanda.

Fernanda Silva: from student to director

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85

86 monastery PARTY AT THE

written by José Enrique Barreiro

About 1,800 people attend the launch of The Benedictine Monastery of Bahia

F

ounded in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador in 1582, the Benedictine Monastery of Bahia was the first religious institution of its kind built outside Europe, and the first in the entire “New World.” Located in the historic district of Brazil’s original capital, it is the

steward of an invaluable collection of artistic and historic treasures built up since the first Benedictine monks arrived in Brazil in 1580.

It includes historic documents and a rich trove of paintings, sculptures, furnishings and gold and silver items, as well as one of the most important libraries of rare books in Brazil (second only to the National Library in Rio de Janeiro).

On the evening of November 30th, the monastery opened its doors to about 1,800 guests for the launch of The Benedictine Monastery

of Bahia, organized by Dom Gregório Paixão. “It was a memorable evening for our house,” declared Archabbot Dom Emanuel D’Able do Amaral, who attended the event along with 30 monks.

The launch party began in St. Sebastian’s Basilica (the monastery church), where guests heard a performance of sacred music and talks by Dom Emanuel, Dom Gregório and Márcio Polidoro, the

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allowed to visit the monastery cloister. This was the first time in the history of that institution that women had entered the cloister at night.

The book was distributed during the event. About 400 pages long, it portrays the history of monastic life in the West, the arrival and establishment of the Benedictines in Bahia, their participation in the city’s life for over 430 years and the various stages of construction of the monastery’s buildings, as well as showcasing a considerable portion of the treasures they house.

This book resulted from the project that won the Odebrecht Historical Research – Clarival do Prado Valladares Prize in 2010. The foreword was penned by Norberto Odebrecht, Founder of the Odebrecht Organization.

Titled “An Enduring Partnership,” it sheds light on his Artur Ikishima

relationship with the Benedictine Monastery of Bahia, which dates back over 80 years. “More than mutual support in specific situations, it is a relationship in which we share a Spirit, Culture, Ideas and Attitudes towards life.

One of them is the centrality of work, the tool for individual and collective development par excellence,” writes

Guests listening to the performance of sacred music at St. Sebastian’s Basilica.

In the smaller photo, the Benedictine monk and Auxiliary Bishop of Salvador Dom Gregório Paixáo, the organizer of the book about the monastery

Norberto Odebrecht.

Winner of the 2011 edition of the prize is announced The winner of the eighth edition of the Odebrecht Historical Research – Clarival Prado Valladares Prize, whose resulting book will be published in 2013, was selected on November 17th. It is “Oracles of Enlightenment Geography: Dom Luis da Cunha and Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville and the construction of cartography in Brazil,” by Júnia Ferreira Furtado, a professor at the Federal University at Minas Gerais. She will study the collaboration between the Portuguese diplomat and the French cartographer in

Márcio Lima

the preparation of the Cortes Map, presented by the Portuguese at the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 to replace the boundaries set by the Treaty of Tordesillas in the fifteenth century.

The Cortes Map reconfigured Brazilian territory with the annexation of vast areas to the west, north and south, and

officer Responsible for Communication at Odebrecht.

outlined the modern-day map of Brazil, which underwent

Then, everyone went out into the monastery courtyard

few changes in the following centuries.

where the authors autographed the book: photographer

About 100 projects from several Brazilian states

Almir Bindilatti, Dr. Alicia Duhá Losé, who has a PhD in

vied for the eighth edition of the prize. The five finalists

Literature, the Benedictine monk and Auxiliary Bishop

gave presentations before a panel of judges including

of Salvador Dom Gregório Paixão, poet Fernando da

journalist Rinaldo Gama, historians Eduardo Silva and

Rocha Peres, historian Francisco Senna, art restorer

Francisco Senna, and publisher José Enrique Barreiro,

José Dirson, and architect Maria Herminia Hernández.

who unanimously chose Júnia Ferreira Furtado’s re-

In small groups, and in silence, the guests were also

search project.

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87

a special trifecta written by Karolina Gutiez

photo by Holanda Cavalcanti

Karyn Mathuiy and Ademir Pereira dos Santos: winners of Brazil’s most important publishing award

For the third consecutive year, a book sponsored

by Odebrecht wins the Jabuti Award

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I

t happened in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Every year

in the texts and images that will enhance them and

for the last three years, publications spon-

make them shine,” reflects Karyn Mathuiy. “My en-

sored by the Odebrecht Historical Research –

tire career as a book designer has been part of Ode-

Clarival do Prado Valladares Prize have been

brecht’s cultural works program, where I received

recognized by Brazil’s biggest publishing prize:

the support and trust I needed to grow and develop

the Jabuti Award. This year, Theodoro Sampaio in

and arrive at the point where I’ve won this award,”

the Backlands and the Cities garnered first place in

she adds.

the Graphic Design category and third place in Ar-

In the Architecture and Urban Planning category,

chitecture and Urban Planning. Written by Ademir

the criteria are the significance of the subject mat-

Pereira dos Santos, designed by Karyn Mathuiy and

ter; scientific rigor (theoretical framework); a suit-

published by Versal Editores, this book, released

able method (as a research tool); accurate concepts,

in 2010, focuses on the life and work of Theodoro

terminology and information; clarity and objectivity

Sampaio (1855-1937). The engineer participated in

of content; correctness and fluency of language;

the nation’s main modernizing projects in the late

educational slant; bibliography; the relationship be-

19th and early 20th centuries, as well as expeditions

tween the text and images, if any; and utility and

and studies of waterways that advanced Brazilian

aesthetic harmony.

cartography.

“I’m very pleased, because this is a special time

After competing against 146 publications for

in my professional life. If winning the Odebrecht

Best Graphic Design and 32 books in the Archi-

Historical Research Prize was a major challenge,

tecture and Urban Planning category, the honors

being one of the winners of the Jabuti is a form of

conferred on Theodoro Sampaio in the Backlands

recognition that makes me very proud. After all, it

and the Cities confirm the quality of the over 200

is the most important publishing award in Brazil.

editions that make up Odebrecht’s collection of

Having my work ranked among the best books and

cultural works, most recently enriched by books

being among the teachers and authors I admire so

sponsored by the Odebrecht Historical Research

greatly is a huge privilege. The Jabuti Award rep-

Award. In 2009, Friar Vicente do Salvador’s Historia

resents recognition of our efforts, the sleepless

do Brazil – History and Politics in the 17th-Century

nights, the joys and anguish I have shared with my

Portuguese Empire by Maria Lêda Oliveira Alves da

team, relatives and friends in the last three years,”

Silva, took second place in the Graphic Design cat-

says Ademir Pereira dos Santos.

egory. The following year, The Church and Convent

The Jabuti Award was created in 1958 by the Bra-

of São Francisco of Bahia, organized by Maria Hel-

zilian Book Council. Its curator since 1991 has been

ena Ochi Flexor and Friar Hugo Fragoso, won first

José Luiz Goldfarb. The explanation for the name of

prize in that category.

the award, which means “tortoise” in Portuguese,

The standards for evaluating works in this cat-

lies in the cultural and political environment of the

egory are the suitability of the graphic design to the

decade of its creation, which was heavily influenced

contents of the work; originality and creativity; aes-

by modernism and nationalism, the development of

thetic quality; legibility; functionality and logic; and

Brazilian popular culture, indigenous and African

the suitability of aspects like binding, paper, format,

roots and mythical figures. The Jabuti is a character

graphics and printing quality, as well as ease of

from a children’s book by Monteiro Lobato brought

handling and the durability of the book.

to life as a slow-moving tortoise that is also persis-

“For me, this award is the culmination of nearly

tent and smart. The award has 29 categories, the

20 years of hard work, dedication and passion for

winners each receive BRL 3,000, and it also selects

making books. I believe that the reason for this

the Fiction and Non-Fiction Books of the Year. The

achievement was mainly my belief that design must

awards process involves 87 judges and BRL 147,000

always be at the service of content and never the

in prizes. In 2011, 2,619 entries were submitted. The

other way around. My greatest pleasure in designing

award ceremony took place on November 30th at

books is seeking and discovering graphic elements

Sala São Paulo, in São Paulo City.

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ARGUMENT

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THE PATH OF SUSTAINABILITY “The performance of the entrepreneurial task guided by corporate sustainability will enable us to achieve faster results with the broad scope of the demand we face”

S

ustainability is a guiding principle and

We want to, and can achieve new levels of per-

yardstick for evaluation that we use

formance and results in the sphere of sustainabil-

to guide us when running our busi-

ity. They include having indicators that reflect the

nesses. Its metrics change over time,

final results of the changes we make in the com-

because it usually grows with the ad-

munities and guide our business operations; inno-

vancement of knowledge and the results of our op-

vating the governance model for the programs we

erations in each local community. The performance

develop, based on the principle of making mature

of businesses that are able to innovate and dem-

programs autonomous; harnessing synergies and

onstrate the meaning of sustainability in practice in

promoting the continuity of programs on the same

the business environment has become an outstand-

basis of sustainability, as we go from a plan to a

ing benchmark for those metrics.

project and subsequently to the operation of that

The year 2011 is particularly noteworthy, due

project.

to the increasing role of sustainability in our

We must also demonstrate even more strongly

businesses at Odebrecht. We have reviewed the

our role as promoters of sustainable development:

Organization’s policy, identified the basic sus-

we have the assets in our projects and businesses

tainability indicators that we want, expanded the

in the fields of water, power, area recovery, new

scope of sustainability in each of those indica-

materials, services and infrastructure to improve

tors, and prioritized sustainability among the

the quality of life of people and the regions where

macro-strategies in our Vision for 2020, which

we operate.

outlines where we want to be by the end of this decade.

Finally, there is the matter of scale and time: we need more speed and scale of operations on the

Our focus on people as agents of sustainable

path of sustainability. And it is the performance of

development has led us to strengthen educational

the entrepreneurial task, guided by corporate sus-

programs and to better understand how to work in

tainability, that will enable us to achieve faster re-

our local communities through the various aspects

sults with the broad scope of the demand we face.

of sustainability. Examples include the experience

Our Vision for 2020 and our preparations to achieve

of the Ongoing Professional Education Program –

it demonstrate our commitment to that path.

Acreditar (Believe) in several countries, and ETH’s Social Energy Program for Sustainability. We have bolstered our commitments to clients and the activities of a large number of partner organizations.

The Engineering & Construction business’s greenhouse gas inventory and Braskem’s expansion of applications for green plastic serve to demonstrate those commitments.

Sérgio Leão

is the officer Responsible for Sustainability at Odebrecht Engineering & Construction and the coordinator for that issue throughout the Organization

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separ

LEARNING TO

Marisol Zocca teaches one of her students to dispose of cooking oil: environmental education

ate written by photos by

Luciana Lana Ed Viggiani

Children from Mairinque and Limeira, S達o Paulo, are learning how to dispose of used cooking oil informa

93

P

astel (stuffed fritters), croquettes, potato chips. Projected in a classroom at Professor Horácio Ribeiro Municipal School, in Mairinque, São Paulo, for a group of students in the second and third years

of elementary school, the pictures of these treats are making the children’s mouths water. “But what do we do with the oil used to fry those goodies?” Ana Cristina Baião de Andrade, a communications analyst from Saneaqua, asks the group. “My Mom keeps it in the oven to use later on,” says Ana Luiza, 8. “Mine keeps it in the oven too, but then she puts it in a bottle for me to bring to school,” adds Lediane, 7. “My Mom used to throw it in the yard to kill the ants that were eating her plants.”

This sincere revelation from Amanda, 7, causes general laughter in the class. “Poor plants, they’re saved from the ants but then the oil kills them,” quips Gabriel, with

Ana Cristina Baião de Andrade, from Saneaqua: working in the classrooms

all the wisdom of his 8 years.

Ana Luiza, Lediane, Amanda, Gabriel and their classmates have learned that one liter of cooking oil pollutes one million liters of water, the equivalent of the average water consumption of one person in 14 years. This and other information about the environmental damage caused by improper disposal of cooking oil – whether

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it goes down the drain or directly into the environment

children bring in bottles of cooking oil. We’ve managed

– is reaching students because the Professor Horácio

to fill two 20-liter containers in a week,” says school

Ribeiro Municipal School is one of the educational in-

principal Rita Maria Sarti Benatti.

stitutions participating in the “Look Alive – Oil and Wa-

Limeira, also in São Paulo State, is a city with more

ter Don’t Mix” Project, the highlight of the sustainability

than 290,000 inhabitants where the cooking oil collec-

program run by Foz, the Odebrecht company respon-

tion drive began in municipal schools on the initiative of

sible for water supply and treatment, and sewage col-

the SENAI (National Industrial Apprenticeship Service).

lection and treatment. In Mairinque, São Paulo, which

The numbers there are even more striking: 24,000 li-

has a population of 45,000, Foz owns 70% of Saneaqua,

ters of oil were collected from January to October 2011.

the company incorporated in 2010 in partnership with

“We’ve grown bit by bit: the first year, 2003, we collected

Sabesp that holds the public concession to operate wa-

1,200 liters; in 2007, 8500 liters; in 2010, 13,500 liters,”

ter and sewage services in the city for the next 30 years.

says Sandra Alves, Foz’s officer Responsible for Public

Ana Cristina de Andrade is responsible for imple-

Relations in Limeira. There, the name given to the proj-

menting the Look Alive project in Mairinque, and has

ect by SENAI – “A Clean River Begins at Home” – was

already signed up nearly 40 public schools that are not

maintained after Foz came on board.

only instructing students but have been turned into oil

According to Limeira’s Secretary of the Environment,

collection points. She visits schools, distributes educa-

Domingos Furgione Filho, the project’s results should

tional materials, gives her awareness-raising presen-

not be gauged just by what it has collected: “That

tation directly to students, and trains teachers to keep

means 24,000 liters that no longer pollute our rivers,

the project going. In less than four months, the partici-

which is highly significant. But the project goes much

pants have collected 800 liters of cooking oil. The Pro-

further: these children become aware of the entire en-

fessor Horácio Ribeiro School, which has 570 students,

vironmental issue. They not only collect cooking oil but

has been the champion. “Every day, between 6 and 10

disseminate the information they receive and keep the

informa

concern for the environment going. That result is im-

ers), the “Look Alive – Oil and Water Don’t Mix”

measurable. Raising a child’s awareness today means

project has also resulted in income generation that

building a better future.”

will benefit the community. “This project is sustain-

Environmental education is an aspect that is also

able precisely because of this cycle that combines

highlighted by Mônica Queiroz, the officer Responsible

environmental education, preservation and income

for Sustainability at Foz. “In addition to promoting en-

generation,” adds Mônica.

vironmental preservation by reducing the amount of

“In addition to the cities themselves, through

cooking oil dumped into rivers, the soil and the sewer

their Education and Environment departments, the

system, this project transfers knowledge about waste

project has different partners in each city. They in-

disposal,” she says. More than 56,000 people, including

clude companies that collect the oil, and others that

students, teachers, government officials and represen-

process or sell the oil to manufacturers. The com-

tatives of community organizations, have been sensi-

munity benefits from the income from oil recycling,

tized by the project in the four cities where it is being

which varies from place to place,” says Juliana Cal-

implemented - Mairinque and Limeira, as well as Rio

sa, from Foz, one of the creators of Look Alive.

Claro and Santa Gertrudes, all in São Paulo State.

In Limeira, for every 2,000 liters collected, the school raffles off a prize to the students, and for

Income generation

each 6,000 liters, the school itself gets a computer

Because used cooking oil can be recycled to

or another product of equivalent value. In Santa

make various products (biodiesel, paint, putty for

Gertrudis, the income obtained is similar, the only

glass windows, soap and detergents, among oth-

difference being the amount of oil collected. In Rio Claro, the income is managed by the school PTAs. In Mairinque, funds are donated to needy communities, and prizes are raffled at the schools.

Juliana Calsa, who used to work in Foz’s PR area in Rio Claro, identified a lack of structured environmental education projects that could add value and knowledge to the communities in the region. “Once it was determined that cooking oil is one of the main polluters of rivers and lakes, we decided to launch this project to promote collection and raise awareness about disposal, starting in Rio Claro,” she says.

According to Juliana, children are among the most efficient vectors for any project when it comes to spreading knowledge. “It’s very hard to teach adults.

Children easily assimilate messages about environmental conservation and pass them on. Children induce their parents to adopt new behaviors.”

Moreover, the children even keep an eye on the adults. Two fourth-year elementary school students at Major José Levy Sobrinho Municipal School in Limeira, Caroline and Jacqueline, both 9 years old, comment that they have caught a pastel seller in the act of pouring a frying pan full of oil into a

Secretary Domingos Furtione Filho: “Raising a child’s awareness today means building a better future”

manhole. Their immediate reaction: “We yelled real loud: Stooopppp!” That shows they really are looking alive.

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95

art written by Luciana Lana photos by Ed Viggiani

96 Graffiti adorns a city and cheers people’s lives

I

n 2003, when he was 16 years old, Paulo Ricardo da Silva used to write graffiti on buildings and walls in the city of Limeira, São Paulo, tagging his brand and war name: Medo (Fear). He explains that fear was what he felt when he was

tagging. “Because I went up really high in places, at night, keeping out of sight.” That only lasted a few months. While retaining the nickname, Medo has moved on from tagging to graffiti art. Today, what he does is not only legal but encouraged and valued. He is one of the main leaders of GraFoz, a Social Responsibility project launched in 2011 at the Limeira unit of Foz, the company that supplies clean water and treats sewage in that city.

KNOWS NO AGE

Medo teaches a graffiti class for teenagers who, under his guidance, set out into the city streets to bring color to public and private spaces, always with the permission of their owners or those in charge. That is how they recently came to paint the wall that protects the Santa Gertrudes nursing home.

During a technical site visit by Foz members, the team found that the facility required extensive repairs. “Not only did the plumbing need improvement but so did the electrical system, and it needed furniture, gardening and painting. We decided to help out and carried out a comprehensive renovation project in partnership with the company’s suppliers. The first step was painting the outside of the building. The nursing home will get a large mural painted by GraFoz artists,” says Rogério Lima, Foz’s General Coordinator at Santa Gertrudes, the day

Teens painting the wall in Praça da Alegria, the common area at the João Kühl Filho nursing home, and, lower photo, Aparecida de Lourdes Antônio: “It makes us feel better”

the wall received the first strokes of paint.

Previously, GraFoz had embellished about 10 walls in Limeira. Three of them are Foz reservoirs that were constant targets of unwanted tagging before the colorful graffiti mural took its place. Another is the wall of Praça da Alegria (Joy Square), the common area in the João Kühl Filho nursing home that the company has fully renovated. “Thanks to this mural, the benches and plants, the square has become our favorite spot,” says Aparecida de Lourdes Antônio, 80, a nursing home resident. “It makes us feel better.”

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98 The story of how a dream inspired by a passion for books came true

IT ALL STARTED WITH A

dictiona

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W

hen I was growing up, whenever I came across a word I didn’t know, I’d “yell”: “Mommy, what does it mean??” The answer invariably came back: “Go look it up in the dictionary.” Of course, that made me furious. But it was no

use. I could either look it up or keep wondering what it meant.

My mother was a very well-educated woman and knew the meanings of all the words that aroused my curiosity. However, thanks to her concern and care, I developed the habit of looking up words and learning their meaning, root, gender, etc. That way, I would memorize each word and my knowledge would grow. Naturally, I became an ace at using the dictionary and quickly found the words that were the target of my curiosity as a student.

In 1972, when I began my career at Odebrecht, I found four volumes of the Michaelis Dictionary (English-Portuguese and Portuguese-English) at the company’s headquarters at Km 0 (in the Retiro neighborhood of Salvador). As we didn’t have a library, a benighted soul wanted to throw them away. I didn’t let that happen, and adopted them instead.

Over the years, as a dutiful mother, I took good care of them! We’d move into a new headquarters building (in Pituba. Caminho das Árvores.

Avenida Paralela...) and off they’d go with me! I never accepted the fact that Odebrecht didn’t have a library.

Over the course of many years, I saw lots of books being discarded – either because their owners had no interest in keeping them or because there was no room in the new offices. But those four volumes were joined by more and more books that were either bought by or gifted to Mr. Norberto Odebrecht.

Whenever he received one or was interested in buying one, once he’d read it, he’d ask: “Hebe, what are you going to do with this?” And I’d store it away in his office cabinets.

Then Mr. Carlos Conde and Mrs. Julinha Conde, two bibliophiles from Bahia, passed away in 2008 and 2010. They had owned a large library that included rare books, all carefully bound. Ilka Odebrecht Queiroz, Mr. Norberto Odebrecht’s daughter, was responsible for do-

Hebe Meyer: “Every day, we were thrilled when we managed to complete another stage”

nary

nating the collection.

By that time, some changes had been made to the facilities of the Odebrecht Foundation. So I thought, Why not add these books to our library? They would join several books donated by the Foundation itself,

by Mr. Norberto Odebrecht, Bruno Malaguti (my son), Augusto Cruz and myself.

I turned to Júnior, the officer Responsible for Administration at the Odebrecht Building in Salvador, for help and received two small rooms at the Foundation. We got to work cleaning them up. Then it came time to catalogue the books. But that would cost money, and we had no budget for that.

I unabashedly asked Márcio Polidoro for his support. And I made that request in front of Mr. Norberto Odebrecht! Poor Márcio. I put him

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The Salvador Building Administration team and the PR team under the leadership of José Raimundo Lima went to great lengths to make that beautiful dream come true.

In addition to the library, we created a space for presentations, lectures and small exhibitions. It is open to all members of the Organization as well as to visitors, clients and friends, fulfilling Mr. Norberto Odebrecht’s wish that the headquarters building on Avenida Paralela should be the Organization’s Students visiting the Odebrecht Building in Salvador: “the Organization’s communications link with the Bahian community”

communications link with the Bahian community.

On August 18, 2011, with a tremendously moving ceremony attended by Board Members and some leaders of

in a tight spot. Even if he had wanted to turn me down, he

leaders, the library was officially inaugurated, along with a

couldn’t do it. He must have sensed that it would produce

90th-birthday tribute to Mr. Norberto Odebrecht.

something different that would enrich our Odebrecht Culture Center. Thus, “my” cause gained an ally. We hired the

The name chosen could not have been more appropriate: the HERTHA ODEBRECHT LIBRARY.

DocExpõe company to do the job.

Everything indicated that we were going to have a sim-

“My mother was raised in Prussia to be a Wife and

ple space that would be under my responsibility and would

Mother, to know how to raise, educate, and feed

serve as a cultural and educational benefit for the members

her Children.

who work at our Salvador headquarters.

At home, under her Leadership, we lived in a fam-

But then, the Organization’s growth imposed the need for

ily environment that was Educational, Religious and

more space for the people who were coming in. I lost those

Trusting. Early on, through Discipline and Organiza-

two rooms, but in compensation, I got part of the auditorium

tion, my sisters and I were prepared for Life and Work.

on the ground floor, which was hardly ever used because of

Her Teachings always aimed at the pursuit of Truth

the construction of the much larger new auditorium in the

and what was the Right and best for All.

building next door.

Therefore, I give my mother Credit for everything I am

The architect Doriane Meyer accepted an invitation to

today as a Man. She was responsible for my Philo-

design the library. There were further meetings and, with

sophical Education for Life.

the approval of Marcelo Odebrecht, the idea gained another

Based on the Educational Foundation I received as

dimension. We also got the rest of the ground-floor audito-

a Child and Adolescent, I have been able to take on

rium. So then we had a beautiful space to work with.

the Challenges that Life has imposed on me, and es-

We started racing against time so the library could

pecially to recognize the importance of that Founda-

open in August, the month when Odebrecht celebrates

tion. Investing in the Education of new generations,

its anniversary.

Grooming them for Life through Work, on the basis of

It was quite a challenge, because we were in mid-June and depended on multiple suppliers. Every day, we were

Values and Limits. That is our great Mission.”

Norberto Odebrecht

thrilled when we managed to complete another stage.

Thus, the library’s first exhibition, organized under the responsibility of Angela Petitinga, was in honor of Mrs. Hertha

Visits to the Odebrecht Building in Salvador, Bahia

Odebrecht, spotlighting aspects of her life. This was a wom-

Year: 2011 (at November 20th) • Universities/Schools:

117 visits – 3,815 students • Environmental Education Program:

104 visits – 4,521 students • Events at the Hertha Odebrecht Library:

4 visits – 301 visitors Total: 225 visits – 8,637 visitors

cational Mother to her three children, setting them on the

an who, with discipline and respect, was, above all, an Edupath to a life guided by moral values. Most notably, that has made all the difference for Mr. Norberto Odebrecht, who has given us the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology, which is more than an Entrepreneurial Technology. It is a Philosophy of Life applied to work and the act of serving others.

Hebe Meyer is the Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Odebrecht Foundation

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Transport & Logistics RESPONSIBLE FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AT CONSTRUTORA NORBERTO ODEBRECHT S.A. Márcio Polidoro

Founded in 1944, ODEBRECHT is a Brazilian organization made up of diversified businesses with global operations and world-class standards of quality. Its 150,000 members are present in the Americas, Africa, Asia.

RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLICATIONS PROGRAMS AT CONSTRUTORA NORBERTO ODEBRECHT S.A. Karolina Gutiez BUSINESS AREA COORDINATORS Nelson Letaif Chemicals & Petrochemicals | Andressa Saurin Ethanol & Sugar | Bárbara Nitto Oil & Gas | Daelcio Freitas Environmental Engineering | Sergio Kertész Real Estate Developments | Coordinator at Odebrecht Foundation Vivian Barbosa EDITORIAL COORDINATION Versal Editores Editor-in-Chief José Enrique Barreiro Executive Editor Cláudio Lovato Filho English Translation by H. Sabrina Gledhill Art and Graphic Production Rogério Nunes Graphic Design and Illustrations Rico Lins Photo Editor Holanda Cavalcanti Electronic Publishing Maria Celia Olivieri Printing 1,050 copies | Pre-Press and Printing Pancrom EDITORIAL OFFICES Rio de Janeiro +55 21 2239-4023 | São Paulo +55 11 3641- 4743 email: versal@versal.com.br Originally published in Portuguese. Also available in Spanish.

Photo: Andre François/Imagemágica

“The Organization’s leaders are responsible for creating the necessary conditions for the harmonious convergence of the interests of clients, communities and the individuals who form part of the Organization with the interests of its shareholders, based on the constant aim of promoting health and quality of life, preventing risks and damage, and preserving the environment” TEO [Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology]

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