Mandurah’s Andrew Grigg scientific Hong Kong expedition

MANDURAH resident Andrew Grigg recently returned from an expedition with scientists on critical environmental research in Hong Kong.

Mr Grigg, Alcoa Mining Australia sustainability manager and Temika Maher, a procurement commodity specialist at Alcoa of Australia’s head office, were selected to be Alcoa Earthwatch Sustainability fellows with the financial support of the Alcoa Foundation fellowship.

The pair, along with six other Alcoa employees from around the world, spent a week investigating forest and wetland ecosystems and the role they play as carbon sinks for global greenhouse gas emissions.

The areas seal up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, offsetting carbon released by human activities in the atmosphere.

The pair battled through humid weather and monsoon-like rain to collect different core samples and earthworms from Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve and Hong Kong’s highest mountain Tai Mo Shan.

Mr Grigg said he valued the lessons learned from the experience and the importance of everyone’s role in fighting climate change.

“The Earthwatch expedition was a great opportunity to meet Alcoa colleagues from around the globe, and to take time out from busy work schedules to think about what each of us could do to help us all live and work more sustainably. The team had a lot of fun too, in some spectacular surroundings,” he said.

In partnership with Earthwatch Institute, 25 employees from 12 countries were selected for the 2016 Alcoa Earthwatch Sustainability initiative. These employees contributed to environmental research projects in Canada, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Visit www.alcoa.com/earthwatch.