Watch a video of
FirstEnergy employees planting company-donated
gardens
AKRON,
Ohio, Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall,
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) employee volunteers are donating their
time and company resources to plant community pollinator gardens
across the company's six-state service area, transforming unused
areas into new green spaces while creating food and habitat for
insects and small animals that pollinate plants.
View and download photos of FirstEnergy employees planting
pollinator gardens on the company's Flickr page.
FirstEnergy's 10 Green Teams – made up of employees who
volunteer their time and talents to support a wide variety of
environmental initiatives – are planting gardens filled with
nectar- and pollen-rich flowers ranging in various shapes, sizes
and colors at multiple locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia and
Maryland. The community pollinator
garden initiative is aligned with FirstEnergy's commitment to
environmental stewardship and its separate goal of developing 225
acres of pollinator habitat in its transmission rights of way and
other company properties.
Jessica Shaffer, advanced
scientist at FirstEnergy and Green Team leader: "This
initiative allows our Green Teams to work with local community
organizations to plant pollinator-friendly gardens that will make a
positive environmental impact and help beautify the communities
where our employees live and work."
Insects and small animals that pollinate plants such as birds,
bats, bees, butterflies and beetles help to sustain ecosystems. By
helping plants reproduce, they play a vital role in producing
natural resources such as fruits and vegetables, preventing soil
erosion and increasing carbon sequestration. Many pollinator
populations are in decline due to a loss in feeding and nesting
habitats, according to Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of
pollinators and their ecosystems.
Among the projects recently completed and planned in the future
include:
- FirstEnergy's Green Team members in northeast Ohio planted multiple pollinator gardens in
the Youngstown area, including at
a local school and church, in partnership with the Rotary Club of
Youngstown's "Operation
Pollination" initiative.
- FirstEnergy's Ohio Green Team members in northwest Ohio planted a pollinator garden at
Middlegrounds Metropark in downtown Toledo, Ohio, in October.
- FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Green Team planted a pollinator
garden at the Rostraver Public Library in Westmoreland County, part of West Penn Power's
service area, in September.
- FirstEnergy's Green Team members in West Virginia will plant a pollinator garden
in Fairmont at the Fairmont
Community Youth Development Center, which serves school-aged
children and underserved families in need.
- The West Virginia Green Team will also plant a pollinator
garden at HOPE Inc., a nonprofit that offers shelter and
confidential supportive services to victims of sexual assault and
domestic violence and their families.
In addition to the pollinator gardens, FirstEnergy's Green Teams
support a wide variety of environmental initiatives, including tree
donation and planting events and sponsoring fishing line recycling
bins at local parks and waterways.
Supporting pollinators is not new to FirstEnergy. As more areas
across the United States are
developed, the electric utility industry is positioned to create
habitats along transmission corridors that benefit a new generation
of pollinators. Pollinators thrive in the open areas along
transmission rights-of-way because they can find food, nectar and
cover that is unavailable in the deep woods.
With this in mind, FirstEnergy employs integrated vegetation
management practices along approximately 24,500 miles of
transmission lines to promote and protect pollinators. By replacing
incompatible vegetation that could contact power lines with
low-growing shrubs and wildflowers, the company is establishing
habitats where pollinators can flourish – all while keeping the
lights on for customers.
For more information on FirstEnergy's environmental and
corporate responsibility efforts, visit
www.fecorporateresponsibility.com.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.