Florida children learn the didjeridoo
Bethune Academy in Haines City, Florida, is one of six schools 'adopted' by Rinker Materials Sands Division. The Academy recently took part in a very special project.
Aged from 10 and 11 years old, 146 children learned to paint in the traditional Aboriginal dot art style, then constructed scaled-down didjeridoos (Australian Aboriginal musical instruments) from PVC pipe. The students measured, cut, sanded, and then painted a didjeridoo of their own and also worked in teams to hand-paint 25 full-size paint-and-play didj kits. These hand-painted didjeridoos were used as prizes in a drawing.
Anyone making a dollar donation received a ticket that represented a chance to win one of the didjeridoos. The project culminated in America's first mass-didjeridoo concert held earlier this year at the Academy. A spectacular 150-piece dijeridoo choir - complete with wind wands, click sticks and bullroarers - performed in the production of an Aboriginal Dreamtime creation story.
Rinker Materials supports Bethune Academy with mentors. The school has a focus on science, mathematics and technology.
Fairfield 'win(d)s' project
The Rinker Materials Northern California Region's Fairfield Concrete Plant in Fairfield, has just completed a major supply contract for FPL Energy. The project involved setting up the impressive wind turbines for which California is so famous. The turbines are about 100 metres [109.36 yards] tall.
Solano supplied more than 136,000 tonnes [US 150,000 tons] of road base, over 18,000 tonnes [20,000 tons] of asphalt and roughly 15,000 cubic metres [US15,000 Yards] of concrete for the project.
FPL Group is the world's largest supplier of wind-generated power.
Photo courtesy of FPL Energy
Florida Materials Division embraces the Smith defensive driver system
The Rinker Materials Florida Division has implemented the Smith Defensive Driver Training. All employees - both management and hourly - who have authority to operate a company owned vehicle will be required to complete and pass the training.
The Smith System has been in existence since 1952, and over half of today's Fortune 500 companies have used the system's advanced driving techniques to achieve superior safety records.
Testimonials boast a 33% to 73% reduction in preventable incidents, on and off the road, after implementing the Smith System Training.
The training consists of 2.5 hours of classroom training covering five key areas. The students then move on to "on the road" training, where their driving habits are studied and critiqued by the instructor. The students return to the classroom to take a written exam.
The Smith Defensive Driver Training will help Rinker work towards our common goal of Zero4Life.
