VW Helped Purchase Land for Cherokee National Forest
In its continued effort of sustainability and eco-friendliness, Volkswagen worked with The Conservation Fund to purchase, conserve, and transfer about 1,500 acres of land to the U.S. Forest Service. The land will be added to the Cherokee National Forest and will help protect wildlife habitats and cultural resources as well as benefit the local area with improved water quality and recreation access.
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“Forests are one of the most important life-sustaining systems on the planet because they play an integral role in cleaning the air we breathe and water we drink, absorbing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and offering natural habitat for wildlife to thrive as well as opportunities for people to explore the outdoors,” said Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund. “Our collaboration with Volkswagen continues to deliver tangible benefits for forests and wildlife, while supporting local communities.”
The land that was purchased and transferred spans across three counties — Cook, Monroe, and Polk — which are east of Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant in Tennessee. The idea behind conserving the land was not only to help the environment but to also benefit VW’s local community of more than 3,800 employees and their families.
This was just the start for Volkswagen, as transferring the land was only one part of an ongoing initiative to protect the local area. In total, VW donated $1.25 million to conserve the land. However, there was some money set aside to award five grants, of up to $50,000 each, to charitable organizations via the Volkswagen Community Grant Program. In years past, the grants have been awarded to organizations like WaterWays — an environmental education program for K-12 students — and the National Forest Foundation, which brings children from the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma to their ancestral homelands in Cherokee National Forest so they can learn and explore.
These efforts completed by Volkswagen will no doubt benefit the local area and will hopefully incentivize other automotive brands to follow suit.
Ben never thought he’d be writing about cars for a living, but here he is, knowing more about the Kia Stinger than he’d care to admit. When he’s not devoting his time to researching engine specs and other oh-so-exciting car details, he can be found enjoying time with his wife and dogs. See more articles by Ben.