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RACHEL VOCAIRE TAKES
the environment
seriously. So seriously, in fact, that she
pursued a degree in environmental geol-
ogy fromCleveland’sCaseWesternReserve
University and spent six years developing
decontamination strategies for companies
cleaning up decades’ worth of ground and
water pollution.
Now, as United’s Manager of Envi-
ronmental Compliance for the Midwest
region, Vocaire approaches pollution from
a different angle: preventing it altogether.
Sheoverseesa regionthat includes theMid-
west, Canada, Mexico and the Pacific, and
works with a team of environmental spe-
cialists and coordinators who collectively
ensure the airline complies with environ-
mental regulations regarding air quality,
spills, waste handling and water issues.
“We use a lot of materials to run an
airline—fuels for jets and ground-service
equipment, various oils, paints and other
chemicals for maintaining aircraft and
support equipment—andwehave toreport
to local, state and federal agencies,” Vocaire
explains. “It’s a rapidly expandingfield. You
get your arms around it one day, and the
next day there’s something new.”
Vocaire andher teamoversee the storing
and handling of waste; pollution preven-
tion plans for stormwater; and plans for
how to respond to a spill. They also handle
recycling, which does not involve govern-
ment regulation but which Vocaire sees as
critical to the company’s environmental
responsibility as well as its bo om line.
“Recycling at the airport terminals has
proven very effective,” she says. “We made
a small change, but it has a huge impact.
Think about all the people traveling every
day. Theyproduce a lot ofwaste. I see them
looking for ways to recycle. People want to
do the right thing.”
And that caring a itude isn’t limited to
passengers. “Employees atUnited care too,”
she says. “Being environmentally friendly
benefits the planet and our futures, but it’s
also cost-effective. If we reduce our fuel
burn and improve our fuel efficiency, we
save money. It’s an all-around goodmove.”
Vocaire saysUnitedmaintains a teamof
37 people to oversee environmental issues,
plus hundreds of environmental coordina-
tors at United stations, which shows how
seriously the company takes its role as an
industry leader and even an innovator in
keeping our surroundings clean. She also
is looking forward to the airline launching
Eco-Teams at its hubs on Earth Day, April
22, whichwill give employees away to focus
on environmental issues not covered by
regulations, andprovide community-based
volunteering opportunities like stream
cleanups and tree planting. (To learnmore
about Eco-Teams and other United initia-
tives, go to united.com/ecoskies.)
“Wehavedonea lot ofworkreducing fuel
burn, buying newer, fuel-efficient aircra ,
addingwinglets, and testingandadvancing
biofuels.We also started in-flight recycling.
We did a big rollout to recycle cans, bo les
and newspapers,” Vocaire says. “And the
company does a lot behind the scenes—
recycling used oil and a whole laundry
list of products, as well as finding ways to
minimize the materials that we use in the
first place.Whereverwe can, we reduce our
waste and our costs by recycling as much
as possible.
“But we can never get complacent. We
always have to look at how we can do this
be er. What’s the next phase? We can cel-
ebrate what we’ve set up, but we can’t just
se le for the low-hanging fruit.”
The drive to recycle and cut down on
waste extends beyond Vocaire’s profes-
sional life to her private life, too: She and
husband Jay recycle and compost, buy
local food and use cloth diapers for their
10-month-oldson, Silas (forwhomtheyalso
make baby food from scratch). “I’ve found
that having a child causes me to focus on
what I want to pass on,” Vocaire says. “It’s
worth it to go through the effort to make
the world a li le be er for my son.”
Taking Green to
NewHeights
Rachel Vocaire and the Environmental Affairs team
look for newways to helpmake United’s environmental
awareness soar
BY A. AVERYL RE
14
APRIL 2012
•
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