Sustainability at Hitachi Global Air Power: Connecting the Dots

What does it mean for an air compressor manufacturer to pursue “harmony with nature”? As Director of Sustainability at Hitachi Global Air Power, this question both challenges and inspires me every day. I’ve found success comes from making connections – aligning goals across department, finding supportive community members, and engaging neighbors and employees.

Ten years ago, I bought a house in my home state of Maine just up the street from an abandoned junkyard. Where others (including my real estate agent) saw liability, I saw potential. Together with my neighbors, we reimagined the site – rejecting short-term development in favor of long-term vision. Today, the land is fully remediated, with infrastructure in place for six new homes. It’s a powerful example of what persistence, collaboration, and shared purpose can achieve.

I applied this same mindset when I joined Hitachi Global Air Power nearly two years ago, where our headquarters had a typical grass lawn. By partnering with the LaPorte County Soil and Water Conservation District and Clean Water Indiana, we transitioned it to native plants. The benefits are shared: less upkeep for our facilities team, significantly lower water usage, reduced stormwater runoff, and measurable progress toward our sustainability.

What’s most exciting is that this model is both replicable and scalable. The same principles I applied in my neighborhood guided our success at headquarters, and they continue to drive new initiatives. We’ve launched a similar native plant restoration project at Friendship Botanic Gardens. Within our operations, we’re finalizing a retrocommissioning study to improve energy and water efficiency across our operations.

Given the durable, long-lasting nature of our air compressors, we’re also able to extend product life through remanufacturing – keeping machines out of scrapyards. In a way, we’re helping prevent the kind of future junkyard challenges I once faced in my neighborhood.

With committed teammates and community partners, we can get the sustainability journey started in our own backyards. But what about when it’s time to expand? That’s where being a part of Hitachi, an $83 billion global company, provides a unique benefit. And it’s how I know what we do will make a difference – because other Hitachi companies that are part of this international network are working toward these goals alongside me.

From our own campus to sites across multiple continents, finding the right connections can accelerate our progress. Local lessons can inform largescale planning. And the wins are always more meaningful when they’re shared.