Project Team: Corporate Affairs & Impact, Ethics & Compliance, Local Leadership Team in California, Environmental, Health, & Safety
In 2022, AES launched the Coastal Enhancement Program as part of the extension of its plants’ operations in California in addition to existing mandatory environmental mitigation activities. The first phase of the $1.5 million voluntary environmental benefits program partnered with the multi-agency Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority and environmental nonprofits, TreePeople and the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, to restore wetlands and expand environmental education opportunities for local communities in Southern California.
Through engagement with local communities, government, and program partners, AES identified key activities to ensure that the grant program would advance shared objectives in disadvantaged communities that historically do not benefit from these types of programs and are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. AES co-designed the program with its partners and stakeholders with flexibility and equity in mind to address some of the community’s pressing challenges, in alignment with the company’s values and global social impact framework.