Corporate environmental responsibility
Brookfield Brazil's history of minimizing the impact of real estate development on the environment was established long before social responsibility became a pressing issue.
Through our residential and shopping center units, we seek to make significant contributions to the communities in which we implement our projects, including many urban improvement initiatives – such as refurbishment and restoration of streets, schools and public-use areas, and revitalization of forests.
Our renewable power unit was awarded the Environmental Responsibility Prize for 2007 by the Latin American Environmental Protection Institute. Our timberlands unit and our agricultural unit currently preserve and protect over 20% of their land in the form of natural forests.
Our operations in Brazil have been sponsoring and developing several environmental responsibility projects and initiatives in Brazil, including:
Tree of Life Project: A program run in permanent preservation areas to support environmental education classes at schools in the municipalities of Campo Alegre and Tijucas do Sul, in Paraná.
Tree Celebration Day: A program on Tree Day (September 21st) to give notions of environmental preservation to thousands of schoolchildren in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná. Prizes are distributed for essay writing, slogans, drawing and ecologically friendly handicrafts.
Environmental Week: This project, run in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná, promotes community environmental awareness by disseminating appropriate techniques, identifying the region’s environmental challenges, and supporting preservation through land rotation practices.
Beekeeping Program: A program developed to offer an alternative source of income for the community. All activities are carried out within the company’s operational areas, in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná, are environmentally sustainable and do not affect reforestation production.
Tropical Tree Species Monitoring Project: Located in Narandiba, São Paulo, this project is in partnership with Universidade do Oeste Paulista and the Universidade Federal de Viçosa. The idea is to discover which trees best adapt to the local region and can be regenerated in the area.
Private Nature Reserves: Two strategic projects are involved in preserving the Atlantic Forest – one in Narandiba, São Paulo, through preservation of 1,270 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Pontal do Paranapanema, and one in the nearby Cerrado do Bugre region which contains a preservation area of 3,000 hectares. Partners include the Brazilian Confederation of Private Nature Reserve Owners, the Ecological Research Institute of the Universidade do Oeste Paulista, and Universidade Federal de Viçosa.
Alma Project: Led by one of our shopping malls in Rio de Janeiro, Alma Project is focused on the reforestation of the Atlantic Forest environmentally protected areas, and on local neighborhood and community events and improvements.
Recycling Tomorrow: Conducted in one of our malls in São Paulo, this program contributes to the preservation of the environment by collecting waste generated by all activities of the mall for recycling. It includes the active participation of visitors, who receive guidance regarding the separation of garbage at the food court and at the parking lot. The mall has also a proper place for the disposal of hospital waste, fluorescent bulbs and batteries, in addition to promoting the setting aside of cooking oil used by restaurants and snack bars for recycling.
Environmental Awareness Program: A project in which selective cardboard waste is sold and income is donated to charity institutions.
Sustainable building – Minas Gerais: The engineering design of one of our malls located in Minas Gerais includes sustainable concepts in the operation of its facilities. The restrooms have a vacuum system, promoting water savings, in addition to being more hygienic. The mall also pays special attention to the preservation of the environment in the surrounding region, adopting squares and promoting the maintenance of green areas.
Sustainable building – Rio de Janeiro: Environmental commitment is reflected in the use of fluorescent bulbs and in the installation of led lamps on the façade, in addition to selective garbage collection in the stores and food court, and the installation of sensors in the restrooms in order to save water.
Sustainable building – São Paulo: A bulb collection program aimed at the decontamination and to avoid the disposal of these materials as ordinary garbage. It also participates, together with restaurants and fast food outlets, in the project for collecting cooking oil for recycling purposes.
Plant for waste selection and composting: In the municipality of Abre Campo, Minas Gerais, our renewable power operations invested in the creation of a suitable place for waste to be deposited and recyclable items selected. The project also supports the advancement of families that earn their living by collecting waste.
Environmental Education: Carried out in Vale do Rio Pomba, municipality of Guarani, Minas Gerais, the project organizes activities in municipal schools focused on developing and strengthening ecological awareness. The program includes the students' relatives, neighbors and the community.