Home Depot 2003 Annual Report Download - page 12

10
Building Better
Communities
Responding Quickly
Hurricane Isabelle, the California and Canadian
wildfires, and the power blackout in the
Northeast are some examples of events
which created tremendous needs in many
communities. The Home Depot reacted
quickly by offering volunteer assistance and
product donations in partnership with our
vendors. We also offered over 3,000 clinics
to help residents prepare for and recover
from local disasters. In response to the
California wildfires, we contributed $1.2 mil-
lion and our associates volunteered to
replant damaged areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
DISASTER RELIEF
One of the ways we build
our brand is by passionately
serving the communities in
which we work and live.
We meet the needs of our
neighbors with direct contri-
butions of volunteer time and
materials. As a concerned
corporate citizen, we are
also actively implementing
environmentally responsible
policies and practices.
Building Sustainable Forestry
The Home Depot leads with the most responsible
wood purchasing policy in the industry. We con-
tinue the unprecedented task of understanding
the origin of all our wood products and we
approve regions for supply based on the sustain-
ability of the forest. Grants to organizations such
as the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature
Conservancy help convert more forests to Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, increas-
ing the supply of certified wood products.
Promoting Energy Efficiency
Our associates receive training about the
environmental and financial benefits of energy
efficient products. We promote ENERGY STAR and
other energy efficient merchandise, collaborate
with vendors to bring more energy efficient prod-
ucts to market, and offer advice about energy
efficiency in our customer clinics.
• 65% increase in our sale of FSC certified
wood products
• More than 15 million ENERGY STAR products
– The annual savings of these products is 1.6 billion
kWh/year, the equivalent of approximately $134
million in consumer electric bill savings. That is
enough electricity to light every household in
Atlanta for nearly eight years
• We recycled over 17,000 more tons of cardboard
than we did last year
• We recycled 24.5 million wood delivery pallets
• Responded to 25 disasters and funded
60 non-profit organizations, such as American
Red Cross, Salvation Army Disaster Services,
Canadian Red Cross and Earth Day Network
• In May 2003 alone, we responded to the damage
caused by 516 tornadoes, one of the largest one-
month occurrences of tornadoes since record
keeping began
• Created and distributed nearly 1.8 million
Hurricane Preparation Guides to advise
customers on necessary safety precautions
in the event of a hurricane
ACTIVITIES 2003
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
DISASTER RELIEF