Working with private and government stakeholders over the last five years, Devon employees in the Canadian Division have developed innovative ways to build smaller access roads in heavily forested areas and reduce pipeline footprints on both agriculture and forested lands.
Their work has led to recognition by the Alberta Chamber of Resources with the 2011 Major Reclamation Award, the division’s third time to be recognized for reclamation efforts. The award recognizes Devon’s commitment to reclamation as reflected by both corporate policy and real-world innovative performance on the environmental front.
Two division managers, who have led the charge to implement these programs, say it has truly been a team effort that continues today.
Marc LaBerge, Construction and Facilities Engineering Manager, and Kevin Stark, Surface and Land Construction Manager, credit the willingness of their teams to take on these challenges as the reason for the success of both these programs.
“This has taken off the way it has because of the guys in the field that do this every day,” Stark said. “It is also our partnerships and relationships we’ve created with Alberta Environment’s Partners in Resource Excellence regulatory body. Their input and know-how to bounce questions off of has been very beneficial.”
LaBerge said innovation fosters more innovation.
“All you need is a spark to start it and the perseverance to break down paradigms,” he said.
Both programs show how the trust that is built through collaboration and success benefits everyone involved and leads to a desire to do things the right way all the time.
(See Part 2 and Part 3 under the right-hand navigation bar)