Kennecott Land: Partnerships and Major Sponsorships

Partnerships and Major Sponsorships

"Rio Tinto and Kennecott are partners with the Museum in many ways beyond providing copper and financial support for the new building. Our collaboration is focused on our shared interest in sustainability. Rio Tinto and Kennecott have been active participants in LEED design workshops for the new home of the Museum, the Rio Tinto Center, and we are discussing ways to make Museum operations more sustainable now and in the future. We are discussing opportunities to train students in sustainable principles and practices. It is an honor to work with such a generous community supporters." Sarah George, Executive Director, Utah Museum of Natural History

We take a unique approach when engaging communities. We emphasize the formation of active relationships that enhance our sustainable development work, and we partner with organizations that will benefit from their association with us. We seek partnerships with organizations that have similar sustainable development philosophies and are looking for a true partner, not just funding.

With this partnership philosophy, we are able to contribute technical and business management skills, and participate in the planning and implementation of each project. This is as important as providing funding.

Utah Museum of Natural History
Through a $15 million partnership between Rio Tinto, Kennecott and the Utah Museum of Natural History, a world-class educational opportunity has been created for the citizens of Utah and its many visitors worldwide. This partnership created the Rio Tinto Center, which will house the new museum located along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Research Park. The Rio Tinto Center will be built to LEED-certified building standards and adorned with approximately 42,000 square feet of copper on the building's exterior. The donation includes copper mined from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine.

The Utah Museum of Natural History at the Rio Tinto Center will create leadership in education, providing education to more than 300,000 local students a year through onsite and offsite exhibits, classes, science lectures and state-wide education outreach programs. Kennecott is passionate about educating students on natural resources and how they are an integral part of everyday life.

As the museum’s founding sustainability partner, Rio Tinto and Kennecott will collaborate with the museum to create a “sustainability trail,” one of several internal road maps that will guide visitors through the museum’s galleries. This trail will feature exhibits and activities on how to create a more sustainable environment. It will also address topics on geologic resources, water use and climate change.

Rio Tinto Stadium
In September 2008, Rio Tinto made the decision to purchase naming rights for a new soccer stadium that hosts ReAL Salt Lake, a Major League Soccer club. The stadium is now called Rio Tinto Stadium. In addition to naming rights, this investment provides the opportunity for Rio Tinto to be involved in education and youth sport programs in the Salt Lake area. Through this sponsorship, we have a unique opportunity to educate the larger community about mining and to partner on community events. Soccer transcends cultural and economic boundaries, as it did when Rio Tinto employees introduced soccer to Spain in the late 1800s. This was done to create recreational opportunities for those living in the village and bring people together.

Within the Stadium, Utahns and visitors from around the world will learn about our operation. The stadium provides unobstructed and breathtaking views of Kennecott Utah Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine from the stadium’s northwest plaza, which is now called Kennecott Plaza. You can also see the Daybreak community as it grows in the foreground of the mine. Visitors can see the mine from the Plaza through several magnifying viewers while learning about Kennecott’s place in Utah's rich mining and natural history and Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainable development. Our place in history will live on for many decades to come.