Africa Book Drive Exceeds Goal

The Pittsburgh Corporate office and several North American sites successfully completed the "Africa Books Project," collecting 1,812 books for libraries in Ghana and Zambia — far exceeding the initial goal of 100.

The initiative addressed two key issues: sustainability (diverting books from the estimated 320 million that end up in landfills yearly) and literacy (providing much-needed reading material).

Partnering sites included the following locations: Annville, James River, Middletown, Winchester, Black River, and Maysville.

The books, ranging from Dr. Seuss to John Grisham, will now serve to "fill the minds of children and adults instead of filling landfills."

A massive thank you was given to Robyn Sluis-Cremer (Communication & Sustainability Coordinator, Carmeuse Overseas) for proposing the challenge, and to coordinators Rachel Stewart (Environmental Area Manager) and Denise Hutchison (Training Manager). The project’s success is primarily attributed to employees who "opened their hearts and emptied their bookshelves."