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Subaru of America and National Parks Conservation Association Take Home 2020 Silver Halo Award for Best Sustainability Initiative

Partnership Recognized for Ongoing Commitment to Reduce Landfill Waste from America’s National Parks

Subaru of America and National Parks Conservation Association Take Home 2020 Silver Halo Award for Best Sustainability Initiative

Partnership Recognized for Ongoing Commitment to Reduce Landfill Waste from America’s National Parks

Published 05-28-20

Submitted by Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc., along with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), today announced they have been awarded the 2020 Silver Halo Award in the ‘Best Sustainability Initiative’ category by Engage for Good. The automaker and NPCA were recognized for the Don’t Feed the Landfills initiative, an environmentally focused campaign aimed at preserving national parks.

Since 2015, Subaru of America has worked with NPCA and the National Park Foundation (NPF) toward a shared goal of reducing landfill waste in America’s national parks. Through extensive research over the course of five years, the automaker and NPCA tested landfill best practices, piloting programs in three iconic national parks – YosemiteGrand Teton, and Denali. As part of this collaborative effort, Subaru and NPCA, in coordination with the National Park Service staff and many partners, work to find innovative solutions to lessen the environmental footprint in and around national parks. Since the launch of the initiative, the pilot parks have made significant strides by nearly doubling their recycling and composting capabilities, keeping more than 16 million pounds of waste out of landfills, which is equivalent to the weight of 40,000 grizzly bears.

“Our national parks represent the very best of the American great outdoors, and we feel a responsibility to keep them clean and free of waste for future generations to enjoy,” said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc. “We are honored that our ongoing work with NPCA and NPF has been recognized by Engage for Good with this Halo Award, and hope our efforts continue to inspire others to take care of the world around us.”

The successes and long-term impact of the initiative can be attributed to the collaborative community-based tailored approach. By first identifying the biggest waste items found in the pilot parks, which includes food waste, cardboard, single-use plastic bottles, plastic wrap and packaging, steel and aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, and single use portable propane canisters, each park set incremental goals in order to reduce the most.

“We set out to tackle an enormous challenge for all national parks – keeping millions of pounds of waste they produce out of the landfills,” said Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association. “With leadership from Subaru after successfully implementing zero landfill practices into their own operations, we joined forces and together have identified collaborative, innovative, and efficient ways to remove waste, and it’s making a big difference. Using the scalable zero landfill best management practices and lessons we’ve learned from the three pilot parks, we hope to expand this work so national parks across the country can adopt and implement these waste solutions, making parks more sustainable for generations to come.”

The Halo Awards, presented by Engage for Good, are North America’s highest honor for corporate social initiatives and cause marketing. This marks the 18th year that Engage for Good will honor businesses and nonprofits with Halo Awards for doing well by doing good.

“If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of companies leading with purpose. The companies that have been able to quickly pivot and make a meaningful impact are the ones that already had a strong corporate social impact foundation they could activate and further engage during this time of crisis,” said David Hessekiel, President, Engage for Good.

A total of 28 category awards will be given out to programs at the first-ever Engage for Good Virtual Conference taking place online today, May 28th. A list of the Halo Award winners can be seen at www.engageforgood.com/halo-awards.

Don’t Feed the Landfills is part of Subaru Loves the Earth, the automaker’s environmentally-focused philanthropic pillar of the Subaru Love Promise. To learn more about Subaru Loves the Earth and the environmental work Subaru does, visit subaru.com/earth and follow #DontFeedtheLandfills and #SubaruLovesTheEarth on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to learn more and see this initiative in action.

About Subaru of America, Inc. 

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $190 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram

About the National Parks Conservation Association

Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its nearly 1.4 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.

About Engage for Good

Engage for Good, producer of the Engage for Good conference and Halo Awards, helps business and nonprofit executives succeed together by providing practical information and inspiration, opportunities to build valuable relationships and recognition for outstanding work engaging employees and consumers around social good and cause-related marketing efforts.

A wealth of information on cause marketing, corporate social impact programs and Engage for Good’s offerings can be found at http://www.engageforgood.com

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Diane Anton
Subaru of America, Inc.
856-488-5093
 
Dominick Infante
Subaru of America, Inc.                                              
856-488-8615
 
Alison Zemanski Heis
National Parks Conservation Association
202-384-8762
Subaru of America, Inc. Logo

Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA), based in Camden, New Jersey, is the United States-based distributor of Subaru brand vehicles. SOA is a subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. The company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 retailers throughout the United States.

Subaru Love Promise: Environment 

Subaru works to reduce waste, safeguard resources for future generations, and preserve natural spaces – making real, meaningful commitments to these goals. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants. Subaru is also the largest corporate donor to the National Park Foundation, providing over $55 million in support and helping protect America's over 400 national parks. Follow #SubaruLovestheEarth or visit www.subaru.com/earth

Subaru Love Promise: Pets 

Subaru believes all pets deserve a loving home and we are the largest corporate donor to the ASPCA®. Subaru is proud to help make the world a better place for them with over $51 million donated to national and local organizations, which has supported the adoption, rescue, transport, and health of over 420,000 animals. Follow #SubaruLovesPets or www.subaru.com/pets

Subaru Love Promise: Health 

Subaru believes we all should have a chance to lead a healthy life. Through our partnership with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS), Subaru and our retailers have supported nearly 300,000 cancer patients nationwide, making us the largest automotive donor to LLS. Follow #SubaruLovestoCare or visit www.subaru.com/care

Subaru Love Promise: Community 

Subaru is dedicated to supporting those who need it the most in our communities. From donating food to Feeding America, providing essential items to homeless shelters, helping Meals on Wheels deliver meals to seniors, or supporting the American Red Cross in disaster response, Subaru believes communities get stronger when everyone is cared for. Follow #SubaruLovestoHelp or visit www.subaru.com/help.

Subaru Love Promise: Education 

Subaru believes that all students deserve an equal and fair opportunity at a quality education. Through our partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, Subaru and our retailers have supported more than 470,000 students nationwide and we are proud to be their largest corporate supporter. Follow #SubaruLovesLearning or visit www.subaru.com/learning

Subaru Share the Love® Event

Since the launch of the Subaru Share the Love Event in 2008, Subaru of America and our retailers have donated more than $256 million to charity, with customers choosing between four national charities and over 2,100 hometown charities, proving there's no limit to the amount of love we can all share. Follow #ShareTheLove or visit www.subaru.com/share.

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