WASHINGTON D.C. (JUNE 8, 2016) – Toyota North American manufacturing plants share space with all creatures great and small – from the furry to the feathered. And a main mission for the automaker is to keep those critters content.
 
From building woodland duck nesting boxes to planting pollinator gardens to managing feral hog populations, Toyota team members work diligently to ensure wildlife around the plants flourish. The co-habitat collaborations are as varied as a vehicle line-up, and now, species beyond birds, beavers and butterflies are beginning to notice. 
  
Toyota Motor North America, jointly with Wildlife Habitat Council and GM, was honored with the Keystone Leadership in Environment Award today at the 23^rd annual Keystone Policy Center awards dinner. Both automakers partnered with the Wildlife Habitat Council to expand wildlife habitat, support pollinator health and enhance biodiversity at manufacturing locations.

“Protecting species biodiversity is a key focus area for Toyota North America,” said Kevin Butt, regional director, North American environmental division. “Our team members are doing their part to ensure Toyota operates in harmony with its environment and supports healthy ecosystems for future generations to come.”

Birds of a Feather
Toyota’s partnership with Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) began in 2008, when Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, became the first Toyota plant to obtain certification to WHC’s “Wildlife at Work” and “Corporate Lands for Learning” programs.
 
But its other plants soon flocked to the program. Today, Toyota has more than 1,000 acres across nine sites certified “Wildlife at Work,” including: 
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Cambridge plant
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Woodstock plant
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana
·       Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi
·       Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas
·       Bodine Aluminum (Jackson, Tennessee)

The WHC’s Corporate Wildlife Habitat Certification/International Accreditation Program recognizes commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs. Sites must demonstrate programs have been active for at least one year and have a management plan listing goals, objectives and prescriptions as well as complete documentation of all programs. A panel of WHC wildlife biologists and staff reviews the materials for certification eligibility and recognizes deserving projects in appropriate categories.

The Keystone Policy Center established its Leadership Awards program in 1994 to recognize extraordinary leadership by individuals and companies whose work embraces the nonprofit’s model, spirit and mission: inspiring critical thinking, seeking multiple perspectives in decision-making and advancing public policy. The Keystone Policy Center presents awards each year in various categories within its areas of practice including energy, environment, agriculture, public health, and education. Keystone also recognizes leaders in government and those who have an impact in the public interest.