Where is your favorite place in nature?
Is it the beach your family went to as a kid? Maybe the forest where you camp with your friends? The route of a romantic hike, perhaps?
Corey Ward, Senior Vice President of Safety, Quality & Environment, responded to that question during a lunchtime walk at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. Without a second thought, he answered Yellowstone National Park.
“I think my blood pressure drops quite a few points when I land in Jackson Hole or Idaho Falls,” he said. “I have a brother out there, so I try to go back once or twice a year.”
Having family end up in one of the most beautiful places on Earth is not a coincidence. Corey and his brothers grew up on a couple acres of land in northwest Ohio, spending as much time as possible playing in their yard among 40-some oak trees.
Growing up in nature had a profound impact on Corey. The seed planted in a backyard in Toledo spread its roots across the beaches of Southern California and the mountains of Appalachia, wrapping its vines around every aspect of Corey’s life.
This includes Corey’s work. During his more than 10 years with KONE, he has spearheaded our sustainability efforts with a fervor merited by the challenges our planet faces. He brings his passion to all our efforts, from promoting ReGenerative Drive technology to helping develop our cutting-edge EnerCal tool to guiding strategies that will make a tangible difference to our customers, business and planet.
While Corey’s relationship with nature is unique to his experience, what continues feeding his passion and guiding his work is something many can relate to: being a parent.
“I want to leave Earth better off for the next generation, for my daughter,” Corey explained to me. “So many people have kids or grandkids they care about, so there’s something to be said for leaving things better for them. Knowing that you work for a company that cares about the environment and cares about sustainability means something.”
As I reflect on our conversation, I find that it fueled my own love of nature. As we made our way around the lake, stopping to admire the flocks of geese, half-frozen water and bare oak trees, I found immense hope for our green initiatives and our planet.
Knowing that such genuine and passionate people are leading our drive to become more sustainable is reassuring. Seeing concrete, positive results from ongoing projects is promising. Learning more about the knock-on effects of our work and how our products help our thousands of customers become more sustainable was invigorating. But we are far from done.
Our Cut Carbon shift demands effort and excellence. We must meet that demand. If not for our business or future generations, then perhaps for your own love of nature. Ask yourself:
Where is your favorite place in nature? What would you do to protect it?