ST. LOUIS, Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third
consecutive year, Spire is named one of "America's Most Responsible
Companies" by Newsweek, recognizing the company for a strong
performance in three areas — environment, social and corporate
governance.
In the new rankings, unveiled Dec.
2 by Newsweek, Spire is listed among the top 500
companies across 14 industries in the
United States. The energy provider is also one of only 10
companies ranked in Missouri.
"At Spire, our focus is on taking good care of our people, our
planet, and the customers and communities we serve," said
Suzanne Sitherwood, Spire president
and chief executive officer. "We are grateful to be recognized by
Newsweek as we advance our environmental commitment to
becoming a carbon neutral company by 2050 and as we support the
communities we serve through initiatives like Spire's 'Day for
Good.'"
The Newsweek annual rankings are developed by the market
and data research firm Statista. After screening 2,000 public
companies headquartered in the U.S., Statista conducted independent
surveys among 11,000 U.S. residents and examined key performance
indicators from public reports. In Spire's case, that data comes
from their 2019 and 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Report.
Highlights of the company's efforts include:
- As part of Spire's commitment to the environment and the
communities it serves, in early 2020, Spire became one of the first
natural gas companies to commit to being carbon neutral by
midcentury.
In support of that commitment, through pipeline upgrades, Spire is
on track to reduce methane emissions by more than 46% since 2005,
and projects a nearly 57% reduction by 2025.
Building on that momentum, in 2021, Spire joined the ONE Future
Coalition, a group of 50 energy companies voluntarily working
together to reduce methane emissions to 1% or less by
2025.
- Spire continued to support communities through dozens of
organizations and initiatives across Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Wyoming, investing nearly $6 million in 2020 and more than 5,000 hours of
community service. For example:
-
- Spire has a decades-long partnership with the Girl Scouts of
Eastern Missouri in pursuit of a
shared passion to continue pushing the boundaries of what's
possible for young girls and communities.
"Through the generosity of Spire, we launched a large trail
restoration project at our 83-acre Camp Fiddlecreek, located in
Labadie, Missouri," said
Bonnie Barczykowski, CEO of Girl
Scouts of Eastern Missouri. "This
project will enhance the trail experience for all skill levels and
offer an ADA accessible trail that is easily navigable by explorers
of varying experience level and ability."
- Spire also has multiple projects in support of the Birmingham
Botanical Gardens during a time when communities nationwide have
looked to gardens and green spaces for refuge and comfort.
"Spire's support of this urban oasis in the heart of central
Alabama continues to make a
tremendous impact," said Tom
Underwood, executive Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens
executive director. "In addition to its corporate support of our
efforts to safeguard Alabama's
native plants, Spire has provided hardworking volunteers for
much-needed garden-maintenance projects as well as for important
fundraisers like our Fall Plant Sale, which educates the
public."
- Spire continues to see growth in their "Day for Good"
initiative, giving employees the opportunity to spend a paid day
volunteering at an organization they are passionate about. So far
in 2021, Spire employees have logged more than 7,500 volunteer
hours across the communities they serve. In 2021:
-
- Teams of Spire employees, in partnership with Missouri River
Relief, removed trash and flood debris on the banks of the Missouri
River, just downstream of Kansas
City.
"We've been impressed to see the projects that Spire employees have
been helping with in the region," said Steve Schnarr, Missouri River Relief executive
director. "A lot of junk gets washed into the river below this big
city, and we had our work cut out for us. These folks jumped right
in and filled several boats with trash. It was a super positive way
to start our 200-mile Big Muddy Clean Sweep cleanup effort which
Spire also helped sponsor."
- Spire employees built fences, decks, and replaced the roof on a
boathouse to help improve Camp Chandler, the YMCA of Greater Montgomery's (Alabama) Summer
Camp at Lake Jordan.
"We are grateful for the work Spire employees have performed at
Camp Chandler over the years," said Scot
Patterson, Camp Chandler executive director. It is wonderful
that a company would allow some of its employees to have a
volunteer workday to help the community in which they work and
live. Their efforts have helped us save around $10,000."
For more about the Newsweek rankings and to view the full
list, click here.
About Spire
At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make
people's lives better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the
heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and
businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas
company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel
their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses
include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We
are committed to transforming our business through growing
organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through
innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.
Media Contact:
Raegan Johnson
314-342-3300
Raegan.Johnson@SpireEnergy.com
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SOURCE Spire Inc.