Shell donated $1 million to the CRCL in 2013 to help launch and support Louisiana’s first Oyster Shell Recycling Program as part of the Social Investment strategy for the Mars B project.?
“When developing Mars B, we were looking for opportunities to give back to Louisiana and the communities where we operate in a meaningful way and the Oyster Shell Recycling program was a natural fit,” said Rick Tallant, Asset Manager for the Gulf of Mexico East, “It's wonderful to see the success of this program and I am thrilled that Shell employees are out there volunteering to help shape a sustainable energy future for Louisiana alongside our great partners from Dickie Brennan and Co. and the CRCL”.?
25 restaurants in the Greater New Orleans Area participate in the program and, after one year of collecting oyster shell, it has become the largest oyster shell recycling program in the United States.?
“I knew this program would be successful. But what I didn’t know was that right out of the gate it would become the largest oyster shell recycling program in the country, “ said Dickie Brennan, Managing Partner of Dickie Brennan & Co. “It’s great to be a part of it.”
Participating restaurants separate the used shell from other waste and put them in purple bins that are collected and taken to Buras, LA, to cure for roughly 6 months before being used to build a new reef.?
More information about the Oyster Shell Recycling program and upcoming volunteer opportunities can be found on the CRCL’s website?
Shell’s Social Investment program awards grants to nonprofit organizations that are primarily focused on environmental protection and restoration, education and community development. ?Consideration for grants is based on a number of criteria including prioritizing charitable contributions to eligible nonprofit organizations with projects in communities where Shell operates and that align with our business drivers and specific project needs. You can learn more about Shell’s commitment to safely and responsibly developing energy resources by reading Shell’s 2014 Sustainability Report.