FEATURE

The Flight of the Monarch

Most known for their winter and spring migrations spanning more than 3,000 miles, the monarch butterfly plays a key role as a pollinator. Monarchs from the eastern part of North America migrate to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, while those from west of the Rocky Mountain range overwinter in California. TMNA received the 2021 Monarch Sustainer of the Year award from Pollinator Partnership for showing exceptional leadership and action in providing habitat and awareness for monarchs along their migratory corridors.

 

Toyota’s 17 pollinator gardens span over 300 acres across North American manufacturing, R&D, office and distribution center locations. The gardens provide food and shelter to monarchs along their migration paths as well as many other pollinator species.

 

TMNA is a member of Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP), a partnership between automobile original equipment manufacturers, their suppliers and U.S. EPA. In 2019, the SP Biodiversity Work Group, co-chaired by Kevin Butt (TMNA) and Sam Qureshi (Waste Management Sustainability Services), issued the SP Pollinator Project Challenge to member companies, asking them to make a commitment to implement or expand a pollinator project at one or more sites. SP member companies participating in the Pollinator Project Challenge are collectively managing more than 2,500 acres of corporate lands as wildlife habitat for pollinators.