#PullingOurWeight in Partnership with Dow

During a humid afternoon in late May, a team of Jacobs employees spent the afternoon cleaning up a community impacted by a 500-year flood a year prior, bringing attention to the impact of waste in the environment.

This effort, in partnership with Dow and its #PullingOurWeight pledge, aims to spread awareness around responsible waste management and challenge engagement to address waste in the environment.

While wearing facial coverings and sweating in the heat, the team picked up items ranging from Christmas decorations, toys, and even a collection of baseball cards. "It was great to work alongside a client for a bigger purpose," says Cathy Mapes, Senior Strategic Advisor. "Business happens all the time, but through community-minded events like this cleanup you begin to understand the true meaning of partnership."

Cathy and the team helped clean up Sanford, Michigan, a town still recovering from a 500-year flood in May 2020 - in other words, a flood that has only a 1 in 500 chance of occurring in a given year. At that time, two dams upstream of the community failed, resulting in water from two large recreational lakes pouring into the area and forcing residents to evacuate. The initial response, lasting several months, was to assist displaced homeowners and repair damaged homes; however, this cleanup effort was one of the first to remove debris in public areas and help restart the community.