Taking Time to Give Back
By Martin Gothberg
Senior Environmental Health & Safety Engineer
At Infinera we have fundamentally changed the way data is transmitted across optical networks with our industry-leading products and services. We are also committed to civic leadership and involvement that makes our local communities better and more resilient by providing volunteer opportunities to our employees throughout the year.
On a recent day in the Bay Area, the Infinera Community Fund and Infinera Green Team arranged for employees and summer interns to remove invasive plants so that native plants can retake a highly visible meadow at the entrance to historic McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino. Together we cleared an area around a fenced-in “island” of recently planted natives, removing thistle, bunch grass and exotic mustard plants that tend to take over if left unchecked.
“As a group, we removed more invasive plants over a larger area than expected,” said Sara Witt of Grassroots Ecology, who organizes volunteer habitat restoration and citizen science activities in Mountain View and Cupertino.
After about two hours of work under beautiful conditions, the team was treated to a tour of the property by Jeremy Merckling, a Restoration Specialist with Grassroots Ecology. Summer interns were especially delighted that they could make a difference in their community through this event. As one intern expressed it and others agreed, “Coming here was a great way to start the day.”
Related links:
- Web page: Infinera Corporate Social Responsibility
- Report: Infinera Sustainability Report