Community engagement

How we in Grundfos involve ourselves in communities locally as well as on a global scale

Engage globally with local communities

Installing water pumps in water-deprived communities, donating learning materials to children in need and helping people with disabilities integrate into working societies.

From our employees walking for water, to creating awareness about the water crisis in developing nations, to our senior leaders creating and advocating sustainable mindsets, we believe that the key to engagement for sustainability is to get engaged and to stay engaged, both as people and as a company, wherever we are in the world.

This is a long term commitment that we must choose to make in our everyday lives.

Walk for Water

In 2011, Terry Teach of Grundfos Americas joined Water Missions event and carried a bucket of water for three miles to raise funds and awareness for the very first time.

The Walk for Water fundraising event took place in Charleston, South Carolina. It was meant to be a reminder of the millions of people who undertake a similar journey each and every day. 

Walk for Water has become very important to people in the Grundfos Illinois office. “It’s hard to fathom the fact that one-third of the world still lacks access to clean, safe water,” says Alyssa Phelps, Service Programme leader at Grundfos Americas. She continues, “The YCC office is happy and proud to donate our time to help others.”

The Houston office hosted their second Walk for Water in 2019.  Betty Nguyen, Associate HR Recruiter, joins Alyssa in her enthusiasm. “Many of our employees have had several experiences with hurricanes and inclement weather,” says Nguyen. “We definitely understand the importance of access to clean water, and are more than happy to do our part.”

In the hot, dry emirate of Dubai, they also walked the three-kilometre route, and Kostas Poulopoulos, Gulf Area Managing Director, was happy to see so many colleagues participate.

“I believe that truly solving water scarcity is a challenge that each and every one of us needs to take part in,” says Poulopoulos. “We need to start with ourselves, with our employees, their families, and friends, encouraging them to recognise the problem and to start conserving precious water.”

Grundfos North America raised DKK 734,500 through Walk for Water events held at various locations in 2018.

During 2019, the generous donation funded the installation of a water tower, off-grid solar inverter, and pump that will provide reliable and safe water to Mvumi Hospital, in  the rural Dodoma district of Tanzania, the only medical facility serving the 400,000 people living in and it has no onsite well.

Initiatives across the globe

Community engagement is about responding to local needs in communities. Throughout the world our colleagues have engaged in a myriad of different initiatives to make a difference.

In Brazil: Sharing is caring

In 2019, Grundfos Brazil colleagues donated 533 kg of food collected from different departments to Anjos da Sopa (Soup Angels), a local charity feeding the homeless. “The impact is easy to understand, and those who participate always return with more energy and meaning,” says Administrative Assistant, Tatiane Balbino.

They admit that volunteering requires an investment of time, but agree that the end result is worth it. “It does not matter what type of project you do. The important thing is to act! That is Grundfos,” says Tatiane.

Rebuilding the Bahamas

Catastrophic damage displaced tens of thousands when Category 5 Hurricane Dorian made landfall in The Bahamas on September 1, 2019. The most affected area was the Abaco Islands. The island chain’s water supply was contaminated by saltwater.

Senior OEM Account Manager for Water Treatment, MacKenzie Christie, spent three weeks of her vacation time helping bring clean drinking water to people in Marsh Harbour, a small town on Great Abaco Island.

Working side by side with residents, eight hours a day, Christie pulled in saltwater from the harbour. Using a reverse osmosis (RO) system, which is ideal for purifying water in areas with little to no fresh water sources, the project produced 8,000 gallons of clean drinking water per day using a  that can make 30,000 gallons at full capacity.

In Serbia it starts from the heart

Colleagues at our factory in Serbia have spent countless hours in service of young people in their community.

More than 100 computers that would otherwise have been thrown away were refurbished and donated to a local school, together with printers, toys, and school supplies. The initiative shows that service projects don’t have to be costly. With a little cleaning or repair, used items can often be brought back to life, bringing joy to someone in need.