PRESIDIO, TEXAS—Recycling is becoming a way of life in the border communities near Big Bend National Park thanks to the generosity of Forever Resorts. Extending their environmental ethic and friendship across the border of Texas to Mexico, Forever Resorts’ Big Bend Resorts, the concessioner in Big Bend National Park, in partnership with J.V. Manufacturing of Arkansas, recently presented a recycling baler to the community of Ojinaga, Mexico.
C. Ing. Jorge Jesus Montoya, Presidente Municipal of the city of Ojinaga along with Ing. Ma. Isisdro Olivas, Eduardo Castillo and students from the Cetis 98 School accepted the generous gesture of friendship presented by Betty Jo Roundtree and Rafael Del Campo on behalf of Forever Resorts’ Big Bend Resorts.
This story began more than two years ago with the volunteer training efforts of Forever Resorts’ team member and former resident, Rafael Del Campo. Del Campo volunteered his time to train elementary students of Ojinaga on how to recycle in school and the benefits of recycling at home. Rafael, with representatives of the National Park Service, Cetis 98 School and Forever Resorts, collaborated with Jorge Montoya, Presidente Municipal of Ojinaga, to assist in establishing a recycling program for the community of 40,000 people. The new training alliance allowed Ojinaga to benefit from their efforts with a cleaner community and created community awareness plus much needed jobs.
The students of Cetis 98 are taking recycling one step further by looking for new ways to recycle including an ingenious display of talent in the creation of a dress painstakingly woven from newsprint, baskets, fruit and recycled aluminum soda tops woven with ribbon fashioned into belts. The items are on display for sale in the local artist gallery of Ojinaga.
In 2005, the Department of Interior honored Chisos Mountains Lodge and their partnership with Big Bend National Park when they awarded an Honorable Mention citation for an Environmental Achievement Award commending their dedication to recycling.
Environmental Excellence
Forever Resorts was the first multi-site marina, hospitality, and lodging operator in the United States to have their environmental management system, Forever Earth, certified to the International Organization for Standards ISO 14001:2004 for all its domestic operations. By 2006, 23 Forever Resorts properties, including Big Bend Resorts and its corporate headquarters, were accepted into the EPA National Environmental Performance Track program by demonstrating environmental excellence.
J.V. Manufacturing was recently presented with the Arkansas Performance Excellence Challenge Award by the Arkansas Institute for Performance Excellence, encouraging Arkansas organizations to engage in continuous quality improvement and to provide education and recognition to those organizations. The program has met with statewide acceptance by organizations that understand the value of quality in today’s workplace.
Click here for additional information on Cram-A-Lot equipment. Also go to Big Bend Resorts and Forever Earth.
