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Tomorrow, Saturday 28 September, Iberdrola will bring together 2,200 volunteers, 22% more than last year, for its International Volunteer Day on various initiatives that it will be undertaking in its principal countries of operation: Spain, the UK, the USA, Mexico, Brazil and Portugal.

Under the slogan "Together we build the world that we want!", the company is dedicating this charity event to the fight against climate change and is directing its activities at caring for the environment, as well as at the inclusion of vulnerable groups and raising awareness regarding diversity. Iberdrola's volunteers and their families are sharing this day with members of associations for the disabled and people at risk of social exclusion.

This year, in line with the global awareness campaign that Iberdrola has launched about the problem of plastics and their impact on the environment, special care will be taken over cleaning up waste in all the outdoor activities, and the use of plastic materials will be avoided completely.

In Spain over 800 company volunteers will be taking part in 26 activities with social organisations in 24 cities from 13 Autonomous Regions: the Community of Madrid, the Basque Country, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, the Valencian Region, Galicia, Castile and León, Murcia, Navarre, La Rioja, Cantabria, Andalusia and Extremadura.

This year, as a result of the recent spell of heavy rain that has affected various municipalities in eastern Spain, Iberdrola will undertake some of its activities in this area, so volunteers from Alicante will be cleaning up and restoring the Moncayo beach, in Guardamar del Segura.

In the other regions, employees will be able to join different projects focussing on the restoration of natural areas, and raising awareness about diversity and our responsibility in the fight against climate change.

This means that work will be done on reforestation and cleaning operations in the following parks: Tres Culturas in Toledo, Fuente del Sol in Valladolid, the Gavá Pine Forest in Barcelona, Palmés Santa Comba de Naves in Ourense, and the Talamanca del Jarama Poplar Groves in Madrid, among others. In some cases, this work will be done in natural environments that have suffered from fires as is the case for Pinilla de Fermoselle, in Zamora, and Tafalla, in Navarre.

Another priority activity is the cleaning up of rivers and beaches. In this sphere, the volunteers will be working on the banks of the river Arlanzón, in Burgos; the river Júcar, in Murcia; Azkorri beach, in Bilbao; and Somo beach, in Santander.

A joint action carried out in 6 countries

Iberdrola is undertaking this activity simultaneously in other countries where it has a presence, such as the UK, USA, Mexico, Brazil, and, for the first time this year, Portugal.

In the UK, professionals from ScottishPower will be getting involved in cleaning activities to regenerate the natural environments of Cumbernauld and Bowling Harbour, both in Scotland; whilst in the vicinity of Liverpool, they will assist in the construction of two disabled access fishing platforms.

Employees of Avangrid, Iberdrola's US subsidiary, will be able to choose between different activities in the states of Oregon, Connecticut, New York and Maine. In Oregon, for example, work will be done to improve social housing in Portland and the operation of the community restaurant. In New York, volunteers will be repairing recreational facilities where youth camps are held, and in Maine green zones will be reforested and improved.

The employees of Iberdrola Mexico will undertake activities on environmental education and the recovery of natural areas in the regions of Altamira, Monterrey, Querétaro, Oaxaca and San Luis Potosí, among others.

In Brazil, professionals from Neoenergia will take part in the cleaning up of public areas and environmentally important zones in Bahia, like Ilhéus beach. In Guarujá, Sao Paulo, the beach will also be improved, whilst in Garanhuns, part of Pernambuco, reforestation with local species will be carried out. Finally, Iberdrola's employees in Portugal will undertake similar reforestation activities in the regions of Arriba Fóssil da Costa, in Lisbon, and in Lousada, in Oporto.

One vision 365 days a year

This initiative forms part of Iberdrola´s Corporate Volunteer programme, launched in 2006, as part of its commitment to support the involvement of its teams in the realities of society's less fortunate. The project is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which the company has integrated into its strategy. Specifically, this programme focuses on goals number 7 (affordable and clean energy), 13 (climate action), 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education) and 10 (reduced inequalities).

Each year, the company offers its employees more than 8,000 volunteer opportunities, with the aim of rallying the talent, time and energy of its professionals.

The programme has received a number of accolades, including the Innovation Award 2018 in the Private Sector category, granted by the IMPACT2030 network (a private sector and UN initiative). In addition, in 2016 the company received a Special Mention from the King of Spain, on the occasion of the celebration of the first decade of its International Programme. And in 2015, it was awarded the prize for the most Caring Company of the year by Cooperación Internacional.