Latest round of funding from the Drax
Foundation will benefit five U.S. organizations
MONROE,
La., June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable
energy company Drax has announced that five U.S. non-profits will
receive $291,585 as part of the Drax
Foundation's latest round of donations. The non-profits receiving
the donations are spread across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and include The Boys and
Girls Clubs of America (Mississippi), The Texas Alliance for
Minorities in Engineering (TAME), The Houston Audubon, The
Central Creativity Foundation, and The Gulf Center for Ecotourism
and Sustainability. The funds will provide thousands of children
across the southern U.S. with access to STEM education
opportunities.
The Boys and Girls Club of America (Mississippi), which received $70,000, offers nation-wide support to
communities in need and will use their funding to provide STEM
opportunities for helping children across Central Mississippi and along the Gulf
Coast.
"At Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we are dedicated to
providing equitable access to opportunities and experiences that
empower youth to become the leaders, innovators, and
problem-solvers of tomorrow," said Lisa
Anastasi, Executive Vice President and Chief Development
& External Relations Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of
America. "That's why we are thrilled to continue our
partnership with the Drax Foundation, which will significantly
increase the number of young people participating in high-quality
STEM programs at select Mississippi Clubs, equipping our members
with the skills they need for a successful future after high
school."
The Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME), which
was awarded $80,000, creates
equitable experiences for students from underrepresented groups to
explore futures in engineering.
"Thanks to Drax's commitment to TAME, we are able to offer free
engineering programs to students in schools across Texas," said Kiyomi
Beach, Interim Executive Director of TAME. "The support
from Drax is invaluable and allows us to keep breaking barriers for
students allowing them to stay on the path to pursue engineering
careers and create solutions that reflect and celebrate our diverse
world."
The Houston Audubon, which received $25,000, is a regional non-profit and accredited
land trust focused on protecting the natural environment for birds
and people on the upper Texas
coast.
The Central Creativity Foundation, which received
$66,585, is an organization based in
Laurel, Mississippi, that will use
their funding to partner with the Louisiana Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (LaSTEM) Program to host energy camps
in Amite County, Mississippi, and
Marengo and Pickens Counties in Alabama.
The Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism & Sustainability, which
received $50,000, is an Alabama-based nonprofit that was established
in 2018 to bring new environmental programs and facilities to the
Gulf of Mexico's Coast, including
the promotion of sustainable tourism, environmental awareness, and
the stewardship of the Gulf Coast's natural resources.
"Drax's commitment is helping to support the education of a new
generation of environmental stewards," said Travis Langen, Executive Director of the Gulf
Coast Center. "These funds will allow us to build young
leaders and arm them with a passion for the environment that will
last for years to come."
The Drax Foundation funds initiatives that support education and
skills development in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
(STEM), as well as those that improve green spaces and enhance
biodiversity.
"We are honored to be able to support these non-profits who are
making real, positive impacts in their communities," said
Matt White, Executive Vice
President of Drax's North America Operations. "At Drax, our
goal is to support the communities where we operate and this round
of foundation giving will help organizations change the lives of
thousands of kids across the southern U.S."
To learn more about the Drax Foundation and Drax's community
efforts, visit www.drax.com/community.
About Drax
Drax Group's purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost
energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be
carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and
storage (BECCS) technology.
Drax's around 3,000 employees operate across three principal
areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to
business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply
to third parties. For more information visit
http://www.drax.com/us
Power generation:
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity
generation assets in England and
Scotland. The assets include the
UK's largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent
of the country's electricity needs.
Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass
instead of coal, it has become the UK's biggest renewable power
generator and the largest decarbonization project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the
groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS
(Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage) Incubation Area.
Its pumped storage, hydro, and energy from waste assets in
Scotland include Cruachan Power
Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the
hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.
The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax
Power Station with a target to deliver four million tons of
negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of
the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North
American and European markets.
Pellet production and supply:
The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with
nameplate production capacity of around five million tons a
year.
Drax is targeting eight million tons of production capacity by
2030, which will require the development of over three million tons
of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced
using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests
and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable
power.
Drax's pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power
station in North Yorkshire,
England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK's
homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.
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SOURCE Drax Group