Contributions and Education

Contributions and Education

Boeing and our employees contributed more than $61 million in 1995 to support education, health and human services, civic programs and the arts.

Boeing has a long tradition of citizenship and volunteerism. In 1995 company and employee contributions totaled more than $61 million. In addition, our employees and retirees volunteered more than 1 million hours of their own time to support community projects.

The largest portion of our company’s contributions—more than $11 million in 1995—went to support education. In recent years, the major focus of our education effort has been to improve the level of student achievement from kindergarten through high school. Boeing has joined forces with other members of the business community to provide leadership and financial support to help educators bring about fundamental reforms in public education. We embrace the philosophy that education must be performance-based, with clear learning goals for each grade level, and teachers, students, schools and districts all held accountable for results.

As part of our commitment to education reform, we are providing leadership and funding to develop work-based learning for high school and college students to improve the career options for those who want to enter the work force with a community college degree. In one such "Tech Prep" program, high school students in their junior and senior years spend a month each summer working and receiving training at Boeing. After high school graduation, the students continue their academic program at a two-year community college—with additional work-based learning at Boeing—to earn an associate degree in manufacturing technology.

In 1995 Boeing support for higher education totaled $7 million. Our contributions included large, multi-year grants and endowed chairs, scholarships and gift matching. Boeing employees and retirees contribute the largest share of our yearly support for health and human services through the Boeing Employees Good Neighbor Fund (BEGNF). In 1995 BEGNF members donated $22.7 million that was distributed to community agencies. In addition, our employees and retirees contributed $2.5 million through a company-sponsored gift matching program, most of which was targeted for schools and universities.

Safety, Health and the Environment

Boeing is committed to providing a safe and healthful workplace for our employees and to protecting the environment. Safety, health and environmental improvements are an integral part of the company’s efforts to become more efficient and productive.

In 1994 we began a major companywide initiative to improve safety. Our goal was to reduce the rate of lost workdays due to job-related illness or accident by 50 percent in two years. By the end of 1995 we had achieved a 31-percent reduction—short of our objective but a good start. In our determination to improve safety we are moving away from traditional slogans and stop-gap measures to a more comprehensive approach that seeks to eradicate the root causes of accidents. With the tools of continuous quality improvement, and the active leadership of senior management, we are striving to incorporate safety concerns into the design of every manufacturing process and the organization of every workplace.

Since 1991 Boeing has invested more than $40 million to qualify new, safer and more environmentally friendly materials and processes and tens of millions more to implement them into our operations.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 33/50 program challenged industry to voluntarily reduce the use of 17 key chemicals from 1988 levels by 33 percent in 1992 and 50 percent in 1995. Boeing achieved the 50-percent goal two years ahead of schedule, and we continue to push for further reductions in the use of these chemicals.

Reducing hazardous waste is a priority throughout the company. Our Commercial Airplane Group reduced hazardous waste by 50 percent over the past two years, and the Defense & Space Group has achieved a 70-percent reduction in hazardous waste since 1990.

Boeing is the most aggressive recycler in the aerospace industry, reaping both economic and environmental benefits from our innovative programs to reuse materials. In 1995 we recycled nearly 20,000 tons of solid waste, and sold more than 37,000 tons of scrap, which included more than 50 million pounds of aluminum and steel. Because of the high volume and quality of our recyclables, we have secured long-term relationships with many recyclers in the Seattle area. These companies and others are working with Boeing to take waste materials and transform them into useful business products.

In 1995 Boeing received the National Recycling Coalition’s top honor for corporate recyclers. The award commended the achievements of our Everett facility north of Seattle, site of Boeing 747, 767 and 777 final assembly. The Everett facility employs more than 22,000 people and recycles 57 percent of its total annual waste materials, including 20 different commodities.

Small Business Programs

Boeing leads the aerospace industry with programs designed to provide small and minority-owned firms, including those owned by women, with an equitable opportunity to compete for contracts. In 1995 Boeing received the first Nunn/Perry Award from the Department of Defense, named for Senator Sam Nunn and Defense Secretary William Perry, for our work in mentoring small business. Total subcontract awards to small and minority-owned companies totaled $1.9 billion in 1995.