American Chemistry Council Contributes Over $1 Million in Funding and Materials to Uplift Underserved Communities and Advance US Infrastructure

America’s Plastic Makers® Contribute Resources to Uplift Underserved Communities and Advance US Infrastructure

Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with America’s Plastic Makers, represented by the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), that will provide for more efficient, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure options for underserved communities here in the United States.

This impactful relationship will elevate the work of EWB-USA’s domestic program, Community Engineering Corps (CECorps), which started through a collaborative partnership formed in 2014 with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA). For over eight years, CECorps has brought volunteer engineers and communities together to advance local infrastructure solutions across the US.

America’s Plastic Makers’ collaboration will help the CECorps program make good on a commitment to helping those communities that need our services the most. These services are often critical to meeting regulations, applying for funding, or other obstacles to implementation. Our impact can now go further to improve small-scale farming production capabilities, civil works like roads, bridges, and trails sanitation and drainage needs.

We are excited to begin this collaboration by exploring the support of two projects. The first will assist a community in St. Louis, Missouri, with materials and supplies to improve abandoned vacant lots with stormwater management. The second supports a community in Puerto Rico, equipping a resilience center with alternative energy and water sources during times of need. Projects like these directly address climate impact and environmental justice and support community partners in improving their communities.

“With more than 2 million people in the US lacking access to safe drinking water and experiencing failing or non-existent infrastructure, our USA program is absolutely critical. By working hand in hand with US communities, together we create truly inspiring and appropriate engineering projects. It is a great sign that our partner communities consistently succeed in unlocking significant funding for the improvements they want and the critical infrastructure they need. The Community Engineering approach is truly catalytic and our partnership with America’s Plastic Makers will help us go deeper.” – Boris Martin, Chief Executive Officer, EWB-USA

“America’s Plastic Makers are proud to support the inspiring work of Engineers Without Borders USA. Efforts by EWB-USA to create a more resilient infrastructure for underserved communities is a noble cause, and we’re pleased to play a role. As our nation rebuilds and improves its infrastructure, plastic materials will play an outsized role in delivering clean drinking water, low carbon energy and a more resilient and energy efficient future. We look forward to this meaningful relationship with EWB-USA.” – Joshua Baca, Vice President of Plastics, ACC

Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a nonprofit organization that is partnering with communities around the world to meet their basic human needs. Our student and professional volunteers partner with underserved communities at home and internationally to build a more sustainable world. These community-driven partnerships address essential needs with climate conscious infrastructure while cultivating engineering and leadership skills in our partners and volunteers. EWB-USA works on nearly 500 projects in partnership with local communities, NGOs, governments and UN agencies in 37 countries and 21 U.S. states to design and implement sustainable and technologically appropriate infrastructure solutions. For more information, visit www.ewb-usa.org.

The American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division represents America’s Plastic Makers and the half million+ scientists, engineers, technicians, and other innovators who make plastics for many essential and lifesaving products that are vital to modern life. America’s Plastic Makers continue to embrace change. We’re linking innovation with sustainability, deploying next generation technologies to make plastics lighter, stronger, more efficient and more recyclable, so we can meet our goal for 100% of U.S. plastic packaging to be reused, recycled, or recovered by 2040. We’re making sustainable change to help build a cleaner, safer, more sustainable future for generations to come.

Learn more at: www.americanchemistry.com/about-acc