As Magna’s sustainability leaders work on the future of mobility, they are mindful of the fragility ofthe planet and the need to protect precious resources. This care for the Earth stems from places thathold special meaning for them, from a beach in Canada to a city in Brazil dedicated to conservingnature. Here are their inspirational places:
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Darren Charbonneau
Director Global Lean Manufacturing and
Sustainability Magna Mechatronics, Mirrors and Lighting
Inspirational Place: Barrie Beach on Lake Simco, Barrie, Ontario
I walk my dog Ella at Barrie Beach every day. The setting is very calm, and gives me a chance to center mythoughts and clear my head. From a sustainability standpoint, the city of Barrie has done well, with everythingfrom recycling to planting gardens. It is also one of Canada’s Bee Cities, and is active in creating pollinatorspaces. As residents, we are encouraged to make environmental conservation a part of our daily lives. Soeverything I do at work and home ties into sustainability.
John Oilar
Vice President of Engineering Magna Seating
Inspirational Place: Monticello, Indiana
I grew up in Monticello, a small town on the Tippicanoe River, where I worked for farmers and raised animals. Myfamily had a small plot of land in town, and at one point in time we had more than 20 cats, in addition to rabbits,pigeons, a duck, and a dog. I love nature and animals. Today, my brother Ed has about 200 acres in nearbyDelphi, Indiana. I always go to his farm, walk his woods and hunt for mushrooms. My office in Michigan faces awooded area, and sometimes I look at the deer, turkeys and sandhill cranes with my binoculars. All of theseplaces give me a great desire to do everything possible to help this planet.
Kevin Kammerer
Magna Exterior Group Environmental andSustainability Manager
Inspirational Place: Harrison, Ohio
My childhood in Harrison molded the person I am now. I grew up on a small farm, where we grew our own food and raisedhorses. I’ve been riding horses since I was five, and I played outdoors in our creeks and forests my entire childhood. My firstenvironmental project as a child was to clean out the stalls from the horses and use the compost to grow a better garden.Another special place is the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Western United States. My wife and I love the scenery. We evennamed our daughter Sierra. Leaving the planet a better place for future generations is my goal.
Adriano Lima
Global Operational Excellence andSustainability Manager Magna Cosma
Inspirational Place: Curitiba, Brazil
I grew up in Curitiba, one of the world’s leading eco-friendly cities, which is why Iended up working in sustainability. The city is filled with lots of green spaces, parksand great places for walking, and Araucaria, big and beautiful pine trees that areprotected. It is illegal to cut them down. Resources like trees and rivers areprotected here. My maternal grandparents were farmers in Brazil and lived in themiddle of nature. When I was a child, we would visit the farm, and run and play.Taking care of nature is the way our family lived in Brazil.
Volker Ludwig
Director, Global Sustainability
& EHS Magna Powertrain
Inspirational Place: Forchtenberg, Germany and the Hohenlohe Region, Germany
My family has always been close to the land. My parents still have the farm in Forchtenberg, Germany where I grew up andlearned that every single plant is important. My brother and his wife have a vineyard in southern Germany in the HohenloheRegion. Like the farm, it’s a magic place surrounded by forest, so the only thing you see is green. I now have grandchildren,and these special places remind me of our responsibility to give all children a good place to live in the future.
Roman Pöltner
Director, Infrastructure Management and
Group HSE Magna Steyr
Inspirational Place: Egger’s Pond, Villach, Austria
I live near a protected nature area where I like to walk with my daughters, ages 6 and 7,and they are always asking me a lot of questions about the wildflowers, trees and birds,especially the hoopoes. Some of the birds come to our house and build their nests. Wetake care of the baby birds and talk about why it’s important to protect them. I’m alsoinspired by my workplace, where I always try to implement continuous improvement.Those two places inspire my dedication to sustainability.
Anton Mayer
Executive Vice-President and
Chief Technology Officer
Inspirational Place: Styria, Austria
The Styria region, which is home to Magna Steyr, proves that nature and industry can coexist. It has theAlps, skiing, vineyards, lots of lakes and forests, but is also home to the automotive, electronics and steelindustries. From its earliest days, even back to the 1600s, the intention was to make the region provide agood life for people and business. Universities are located here and education is one of the secrets tosuccess, along with a good sense for business. It’s a recipe for success when it comes to sustainability.