Union Pacific Railroad Joins GEMI

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) announced today the addition of its newest member company, Union Pacific Railroad.

"We are pleased to welcome Union Pacific Railroad to GEMI," said GEMI Chair, Moe Bechard, Vice President, Global Environment Health and Safety, Diversey, Inc. "Each GEMI member company brings an integral and unique perspective, and we look forward to the addition of Union Pacific Railroad, and the valuable insight they will bring to the organization."

Union Pacific Railroad will be represented by: Bob Grimaila, Vice President - Safety, Security and Environment; Joel Strafelda, General Manager, Environmental Management; Robert Toy, Director, Environmental Strategies; Mark Reimers, Director, Environmental Operations; and, Melissa Hagan, Regional Environmental Counsel.

"GEMI's mission of business helping business achieve environmental sustainability excellence aligns very well with Union Pacific's environmental management strategies and practices," said Bob Grimaila, Union Pacific, Vice President - Safety, Security and Environment. "We look forward to collaborating with GEMI members from other industries as we continue to improve our role as an environmentally responsible freight transportation leader," Grimaila added.

GEMI Membership Chair, Lindell Sneed, Manager, Environmental Programs, Abbott, concluded, "On behalf of GEMI, I would like to welcome Union Pacific Railroad to GEMI. GEMI is an organization that is dedicated to providing strategies and solution tools to help businesses improve their environmental sustainability initiatives.  Union Pacific Railroad will be an excellent addition to GEMI, and we are confident that their participation will enrich the organization as a whole."

GEMI members include: 3M; Abbott; Biogen Idec; BNSF Railway Company; Carnival Corporation & plc; ConAgra Foods; ConocoPhillips; CSX Transportation; Diversey, Inc.; Duke Energy; DuPont; Eastman Kodak Company; Ecolab, Inc.; FedEx; Johnson & Johnson; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Kraft Foods Inc.; MedImmune; Merck & Company, Inc.; Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Perdue Incorporated.; The Procter & Gamble Company; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Smithfield Foods, Inc.; Southern Company; and, Union Pacific Railroad.

For more information about GEMI please visit GEMI's website at www.gemi.org.

Contact: Amy Goldman, GEMI, 202-296-7449  

SOURCE Global Environmental Management Initiative