Environment

Toledo Transmission Partners with Toledo-Lucas County Rain Garden Initiative

Aug 19, 2013 12:00 PM ET
Campaign: GM Resource Preservation
A ribbon is cut to mark the official completion of the rain garden at the Frederick Douglas Community Association in Toledo, Ohio.

GM BeyondNow

We have a long history in Toledo supporting educational initiatives in the community.

GM GREEN, the Student Watershed Watch Program (put on through the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government) and tutoring at local schools immediately come to mind.

And we recently launched a new activity in partnership with the Toledo Lucas County Rain Garden Initiative.

Manufacturing engineers from the Toledo site worked with volunteers from the City of Toledo Department of Public Utilities and the Lucas County Soil & Water Conservation District Office the week of June 24, 2013 to construct a rain garden at the Frederick Douglas Community Association in Toledo, OH.

The rain garden construction was part of a weeklong Junior Watershed Academy held at the FDCA.  The purpose of the Junior Watershed Academy is to introduce students to the importance of habitat, animals, soil conservation, watersheds and how they are impacted by litter and run-off. The rain garden will help alleviate a water run-off problem at the center.

Each morning, students had hands-on learning activities related to watershed management.  All week long, engineers from the plant supplied the equipment and manpower to remove sod, fill compost and prepare the rain garden area for planting.  At the end of the week, the engineers helped the kids plant a variety of native plants that will also provide habitat for pollinators.

When the project was complete, a certificate was presented and a ribbon was cut, giving the students the opportunity to unveil their hard work.

In addition, GM Toledo was presented with two rain barrels that the kids had decorated with habitat and watershed management themes, which will be placed on the grounds of the facility.

Lewis Campbell, Manufacturing Engineer Director, congratulated the students on their graduation from the academy and stressed the importance of continuing their education in the environmental and engineering fields.

This project in Toledo captures General Motors’ goal of serving the communities where our employees live and work. We strive to give back by participating in events that address the educational needs of area schools and students, while teaching them the importance of protecting the environment.