Outreach

We promote ecological stewardship through initiatives aimed at improving environmental awareness and education. Employees across the country at NRG volunteer for community events and educational programs and work to restore the natural beauty of parks and open spaces in their communities.

The Company and our employees work to improve natural resource areas to ensure their communities can best take advantage of these beautiful local ecosystems.

• At our WA Parish facility in Texas, we provided materials and volunteers to repair a fishing pier in the Brazos Bend State Park.
• The SR Bertron plant donated two work vessels to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Site. One of the two boats will support work on the historic Battleship Texas and the other boat will be used by the other 10 parks in the region for resource management activities, water quality testing and invasive species control.
• The Pittsburgh Energy Center sponsors the Northside Leadership Council's annual beautification program to promote sustainable living through enhancements to local parks and neighborhoods.

Our employees are also active helping to improve the environmental education of students in our communities, offering both educational opportunities and scholarships:

• Our El Segundo facility in California sponsored an energy awareness program for El Segundo High School seniors. The class demonstrated the benefits of using compact fluorescent lights versus standard incandescent lights as well as the benefits of wind power, solar power and energy conservation compared to conventional power sources.
• At our Montville facility in Connecticut, we established environmental scholarships for qualifying high school graduates from Montville and Waterford high schools. The students displayed environmental stewardship and plans to pursue a degree in science or engineering.
• At our Dunkirk plant, we support the Chautaqua County Soil and Water Conservation District's Envirothon Program. The Envirothon is a competitive event for Grades 9-12 that tests students' knowledge of skills in soil, forestry, wildlife, aquatics and natural resource issues. The program allows students to get directly involved in learning about all aspects of the environment and is instrumental in promoting environmental awareness through educational activities.
• The Cedar Bayou EcoCenter in Texas grows freshwater, estuarine and dune plants with area schools to promote environmental education and awareness. The plants are used in outdoor classrooms at schools and parks and students with special needs also participate in hands-on activities in the EcoCenter's wetland ponds.
• Our Limestone plant in Texas donated a $1,000 scholarship to be used toward continuing education for a graduating senior from a local high school. Recipients have an interest in obtaining an environmental, biological or science-related education.

NRG employees have volunteered to remove trash and debris from shorelines and river banks, participating in several local efforts:

• California (at the El Segundo Beach Cleanup)
• Texas (at the Clear Creek Cleanup)
• New Jersey (at the Delaware & Raritan Canal Cleanup)
• New England (at the Connecticut River Watershed Council's "Source to Sea" cleanup, the Harborview shoreline cleanup and the Dart Island State Park cleanup)

NRG employees volunteer in a number of tree-planting projects including:

• Our Saguaro station in Nevada partners with the city of Henderson and Project Green in planting low-water consuming shade trees along city trails. Project Green is a coalition of Henderson residents who give of their time and money to improving parks, jogging and bike trails.
• Employees from our SR Bertron and San Jacinto facilities in Texas joined together to plant 400 live oak and bald cypress trees at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historical Park.
• Volunteers from our TH Wharton facility in Texas participated in an urban tree planting project known as "Trees for Houston."
• At our Limestone plant, we worked with students from Texas A&M to plant trees at a reclamation site.
• Employees from our El Segundo and Long Beach facilities, as well as the NRG West regional office, have supported the City of El Segundo's annual "Trees to the Sea" event since 2005. During this event, trees are planted along the Imperial Highway to provide pollution and noise abatement and beautification of El Segundo's major entryway.
• At our Limestone facility in Texas we've supported the Texas A&M University Replant Project — an annual, day-long environmental service tree-planting project.
• Our San Francisco Energy Center supports the Friends of the Urban Forest through financial donations and employee involvement to plant trees in local neighborhoods.