What is Subaru doing to set itself apart from all other automakers? They have the 2020 Outback, Forester, Crosstrek and Ascent SUVs, but they have created a brand that has become a lifestyle choice, not a car company. Subaru Corporation just released its inaugural corporate impact report but who really cares about that stuff? You should because it reveals much about why they exist and what it means for their customers in 2020. Subaru has done a masterful job of creating a brand identity that resonates with consumers that goes far beyond the dealer showroom and their automobiles, and their new corporate impact report reveals what they are about. Subaru promises to you they will be about “positively impact the communities in which we live, work, and serve.” 2020 Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek Subaru of America (SOA) CEO Tom Doll believes its success of 11 consecutive years of record sales comes from being more than a car company. Subaru promises four things beyond building quality all-wheel-drive vehicles. Diversity Subaru has been about diversity since the 1990s when they reached out to the LGBTQ community when no other company would touch the issue. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles are woven into the fabric of the Camden, N.J. automaker and the reason SOA has received one-hundred percent on the Human Rights Campaign Equality Index year over year. Subaru encourages volunteers Volunteerism Subaru doesn’t just say its important to give back to the communities where they do business, they encourage and practice volunteerism. To support its employees, Subaru of America offers a dynamic volunteer program with an average of 160-plus events each year they can choose from. A majority of them take place during the workday, and Subaru even offers paid time off for employees to volunteer. Green Initiatives Subaru’s work with the National Park Foundation demonstrates its commitment to the planet. Subaru believes who we are is what we leave behind, which is why the automaker has environmental programs established to reduce its footprint and give back to the planet. Some other initiatives include: LEED-Certified Facilities, Bulk Oil and Bulk Coolant Programs, TerraCycle recycling program, Returnable Shipping Container Initiatives, Leave No Trace, and the Reman Program. Giving back to local communities Being more than a car company has a foundation built on the automaker’s “Love Promise” offered through its dealer network that gives customers an opportunity to pump dollars into their communities. Across the U.S., SOA develops partnerships that align with its values,. Subaru’s partnership with organizations like ASPCA has affected the lives of over 10,000 animals. The automaker also has the “Make a Dogs Day” campaign, they have teamed up with Make-A-Wish, Adopt A Classroom, Center for Pet Safety, Meals on Wheels, National Park Service, Philidelphia Cherry Blossom Festival and other charitable organizations around the U.S. Where will Subaru expand its reach in the future? Subaru says they will improve in all the areas above, and they will work to reach the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. They will also plant 500,000 trees in California regions impacted by wildfires over the next four years, as part of the Forester Reforesting program, and they will partner with REI to place a TerraCycle container in each of its 154 stores. 2020 Subaru Forester Subaru brings you vehicles like the 2020 Outback, Forester, Crosstrek, and Ascent known for their all-wheel-drive, safety, and utility. But they believe their success also comes with the responsibility to continue being more than a car company. Photo credit: Subaru USA

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — In an effort to keep wrapping paper, bows, garland, and more out of Utah's landfills, a local car dealership has teamed up with a recycling company to give you the chance to recycle your Christmas waste.   Mark Miller Subaru is teaming up with Terracycle to help you get rid of hard-to-recycle items that often go in the trash bin.   From December 25 - January 4, you can bring any type of wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper or party supplies such as garlands, and confetti for proper recycling at two Mark Miller Subaru locations: Midtown and South Towne.   According to a news release, Terracycle is "a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept."

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — In an effort to keep wrapping paper, bows, garland, and more out of Utah's landfills, a local car dealership has teamed up with a recycling company to give you the chance to recycle your Christmas waste. Mark Miller Subaru is teaming up with Terracycle to help you get rid of hard-to-recycle items that often go in the trash bin. From December 25 - January 4, you can bring any type of wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper or party supplies such as garlands, and confetti for proper recycling at two Mark Miller Subaru locations: Midtown and South Towne. According to a news release, Terracycle is "a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept."

Santa and his reindeer are back at the North Pole, the treats are all gone, and gifts are unwrapped. The mess can be overwhelming.   While you’re working on cleaning everything up the next few days, set aside the wrapping paper and tissue paper for recycling.   Mark Miller Subaru and TerraCycle are making it easy.   Just bring your wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper, and party supplies like garlands and confetti to Mark Miller Subaru in Midtown or South Towne now through January 4th.   The Midtown location is at 3535 State Street and the South Towne location is 10920 South State.   TerraCycle is a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept.   Check with your city for a complete list of items accepted in your recycling receptacle.

  SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — In an effort to keep wrapping paper, bows, garland, and more out of Utah's landfills, a local car dealership has teamed up with a recycling company to give you the chance to recycle your Christmas waste.   Mark Miller Subaru is teaming up with Terracycle to help you get rid of hard-to-recycle items that often go in the trash bin.   From December 25 - January 4, you can bring any type of wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, tissue paper or party supplies such as garlands, and confetti for proper recycling at two Mark Miller Subaru locations: Midtown and South Towne.   According to a news release, Terracycle is "a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials that most city recycling programs do not accept."  

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced the return of Subaru WinterFest presented by Harman Kardon®, the automaker’s highly anticipated, music and lifestyle tour offering one-of-a-kind experiences for winter warriors across the country. Featuring weekend stops at nine of the nation’s top mountain resorts, the 2020 Subaru WinterFest tour will feature live music, complimentary snacks and refreshments, dog activities (at select resorts), daily giveaways and gear demos to create a truly unique experience for outdoor enthusiasts and Subaru owners alike. To eliminate and divert waste from landfills, the automaker will again implement green event practices including expanded recycling collection with TerraCycle® and waste reduction education with Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. In partnership with POWDR, one of the last family-owned adventure lifestyle companies with multiple mountain resort destinations, each stop on the Subaru WinterFest tour will include live music sponsored by Harman Kardon®, the premium audio partner for Subaru vehicles. Subaru WinterFest will include shows from national touring bluegrass, indie and Americana bands such as Shakey Graves, Billy Strings, The Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, The Lil Smokies, Fruition and more. Attendees are encouraged to demo the latest gear from top brands such as Nordica, Lib Tech, SHRED, Thule, and other partners offering daily giveaways on-site. Mountain-goers are invited to play lawn games, relax in hammocks, or warm up at upgraded hangout zones with fire pits by Solo Stove while enjoying winter comforts from Chocolove, KIND Healthy Snacks, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, and SMASHMALLOW. The latest Subaru vehicles will also be on hand for exploration including the all-new 2020 Outback. Through dynamic programming executed by POWDR’s experiential marketing team, weekend guests are encouraged to engage with experts and like-minded adventure seekers – making time off the slopes just as exciting as on them. In addition to guest activities, Subaru owners are invited to partake in the “Subaru Weekend Takeover” featuring special experiences for Subaru owners such as exclusive mountain gondola rides, tram jam sessions, intimate backcountry YURT concerts, and much more. Subaru owners will also receive VIP parking and special gifts (while supplies last). “Subaru has long been known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles that help power skiers and snowboarders to countless winter adventures,” said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America Inc. “We are delighted to once again help winter warriors seize the snow days and enjoy a memorable experience at the nation’s top mountain resorts.” Subaru Loves the Earth  In line with the automaker’s Subaru Loves The Earth initiative, Subaru will again work alongside TerraCycle to collect hard to recycle waste generated during Subaru WinterFest and Leave No Trace Center to educate consumers on zero landfill practices. Additionally, Subaru has provided co-branded TerraCycle Zero Waste Box™ to all Subaru WinterFest resorts, offering a convenient way for attendees to recycle snack wrappers accumulated from outdoor activities. In partnership with Klean Kanteen, Subaru and Klean event teams will also provide attendees with reusable bottles, mugs, apparel (while supplies last), and daily Klean bundle giveaway prizes, all of which help reduce the environmental footprint. Subaru Loves Pets Dogs and their people are welcome at select Subaru WinterFest resort locations, where they will find games, guided training sessions, photo ops, and giveaways at the Super Chewer Outpost by BARK. These basecamps for dog adventures are built at select tour stops (excludes Snowshoe Mountain, WV and Snowbird, UT) in partnership with BARK, the makers of BarkBox. In collaboration with longtime partner the National Ski Patrol® (NSP), Subaru will continue to put a spotlight on outdoor safety by celebrating the mountain communities’ canine heroes. During WinterFest events this season, for every Subaru information form received, Subaru will donate $1 to the Subaru National Ski Patrol Avalanche Rescue Dog Scholarship Fund, created together with NSP to send avalanche rescue K-9 teams of dogs and their handlers to the biannual Wasatch Backcountry Rescue’s International Dog School. To date, Subaru of America has donated more than $35,000 to the avalanche dog scholarship fund. Avalanche rescue dogs are an amazing resource for ski patrols as one dog can search a far larger area in much less time than even a dozen trained humans.

The next time you unwrap a candy bar or rip open a bag of chips, think about saving those crinkly wrappers. Recycle boxes are now available for those items at all three schools in the Denali Borough.   The wrappers will be sent to a company called TerraCycle and made into durable plastic products like picnic tables and benches. The company is located in New Jersey and is a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials.   Kesslyn Tench, Tri-Valley School’s technology manager and technology teacher, launched this particular recycling, which falls right in line with the school district’s dedication to the boroughwide Zero Landfill Initiative.   Subaru spearheads this initiative, which seeks to divert solid waste from the landfill. Subaru partners with local agencies and Denali National Park to improve recycling options and helps educate consumers and visitors. Local student ambassadors have been promoting the program since it began a few years ago. Visitors to Denali now find recycling bins throughout the park for aluminum, glass and plastic Nos. 1, 2 and 5.   Denali Education Center was recently awarded the Alaska Tourism Industry Association’s Stan Stephen’s Stewardship Award for the key role they play in managing the program.   In past years, candy wrappers and chip bags were never specifically included as acceptable recycling products and Tench always wondered why.   “I saw an article about this in Illinois or one of the Midwest areas, and I was like, ‘Okay, I wonder if we can do that here,’” she said.   She discovered that a bus tour operator in Denali National Park, collects those items from its bus snack boxes. Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture Concession provides a 100% recyclable snack box, thanks to a partnership with TerraCycle, according to Dawn Adams with Denali National Park. In 2019, Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture Concession collected and shipped 6,815 pounds of crinkly wrappers from snack boxes, to TerraCycle, according to Adams.   Students from the Denali Borough had the opportunity to visit the TerraCycle facility last year, according to Tench. The group attended the national service learning conference in Philadelphia, toured the Subaru headquarters (because of their Zero Landfill Initiative connection) and then traveled to Trenton, New Jersey, to tour the TerraCycle facility. Later, that same group of students participated in a Skype conversation with officials at TerraCycle.   Collection boxes are available now at Anderson School, Tri-Valley School and Cantwell School. There are also collection boxes at McKinley Community Center, Tri-Valley Community Center and In His Shadows Church.   Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at kcapps@newsminer.com. Call her at the office 459-7546. Follow her on Twitter: @FDNMKris.  

Pack Rat sets high bar for businesses to follow Many businesses reside in buildings several stories high, but Packrat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville operates out of a building with a different kind of story — a mission-driven story of sustainable design. In an interview through email with Faebyan Whittle, director of sustainability at Packrat, that behind-the-scenes story emerged as an inspirational beacon that other businesses could follow.   Built in 2002 by co-owner couple Scott and Carolyn Crook, the huge log cabin is constructed of Loblolly pine trees killed in a forest fire in Kootenai National Forest in Montana. Because of their love for the outdoors, the owners didn’t want to cut down living trees for their building. Scott also hired mules to haul the logs from the forest without destroying the new growth emerging after the fire. According to Whittle, “our wood floors are made from second-grade cabin wood that would have normally been thrown away, and most of our wood fixtures are also constructed from reclaimed wood.”   Electricity usage was another concern. “Along with natural lighting from the skylights, we have energy efficient lighting throughout the building and water saving faucets.” Carolyn researched various options for solar panels and hired local company Richter Solar in 2014 to install 348 solar arrays. “Pack Rat has saved 300,000 kg of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air from coal plants. That’s the equivalent of removing 45 vehicles off the road for an entire year!”   While the pond and small island were originally built to provide a place for customers to test out kayaks and canoes, it’s also a filter for runoff water from the non-porous pavement. Since the early 2000s, the pond and island have been a nesting ground for families of geese. Usually just one goose family occupies the territory, but occasionally two families will share it. Whittle has seen six goose family generations hatched on the island since she’s worked at Packrat. “When Scott and Carolyn were designing the green space for our location, they were inspired to leave as much of the natural environment as possible, cutting down only the bare minimum of trees, and planting new ones to provide natural habitat for the animals that already live here.”   Through a partnership with TerraCycle and Adventure Subaru, anyone can recycle snack wrappers (from foods like energy bars frequently consumed by hikers) and disposable cups, lids and straws at Packrat. Ask at the front desk if you’re not sure if your items can be added to the bin. Whittle explained that Packrat has an “in-store waste diversion rate of nearly 90% because we work first to reduce the waste we create (we don’t need a waste solution if the waste stream doesn’t exist), then we figure out how to keep it out of a landfill through composting, recycling, and up-cycling.”   Shipping products is a huge part of the problem, and Packrat strives to address it. “A big environmental impact in the outdoor retail industry is the No. 4 plastic bags each item is shipped in from overseas — the amount can be staggering. Just this year we have recycled nine football fields of this plastic.” The packaging for products designed to help people enjoy the outdoors ultimately becomes composite decking material upon which people can spend more time outdoors, a happy ending to the cycle. With this model, competing businesses are collaborators, not enemies. “We have also partnered this year with Gear Head on Dickson Street to recycle their plastic bags.”   Sadly, Scott passed away this summer, leaving a legacy of sustainability. The store is now 46 years old and continues to put people and planet before profit, hosting trail maintenance and cleanup events and fundraisers. Since 2016, the store has raised over $75,000 for local nonprofits. Do a “green” approach and charity work make the store less profitable? The answer is no. “Our store is sustainable and profitable,” Whittle said. To be both is necessary; on the one hand, businesses that don’t make a profit aren’t businesses, but businesses that aren’t sustainable will eventually cease to exist once the natural resources are depleted.   Packrat is hosting its second annual fundraiser, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, next weekend. Tickets are $25 and benefit the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance. On Oct. 12 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Fayetteville Town Center, attendees can enjoy films that “inspire advocacy, conservation, preservation and environmental awareness” as well as live music, free food, a silent auction and art gallery. For more information, contact Packrat Outdoor Center at 521-6340.   Amanda Bancroft is a writer, artist, and naturalist living in an off-grid tiny house on Kessler Mountain. She and her husband Ryan blog about their adventures and offer tips to those wanting to make a difference at www.RipplesBlog.org.

  Subaru of America’s marketing messaging centers around the Subaru Love Promise, and one of those promises is “Subaru Loves the Earth.” While the brand is involved in a number of sustainable and earth-friendly initiatives, for the first time, Subaru aimed its promise at its events, creating for its National Business Conference for Subaru dealers, a zero-waste event experience. In fact, some 33,000 pounds of trash was diverted from landfills.   The show, held this year in June at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, attracted more than 2,000 attendees and was designed to celebrate the previous year’s successes and offer news from executives on the coming year as well as long-term goals. Ultimately, retailers leave the National Business Conference armed with insights to improve their businesses. And, as was the case this year, they left with insights to inspire green initiatives in their businesses, too.   “We’ve always strived to be environmentally-friendly. We definitely believe that in our plants, which are zero-landfill,” says Todd Lawrence, auto shows event manager, Subaru of America. “We figured if we can do it in our automotive plants making cars, we should be able to do that at a conference.”   For Lawrence, the idea of a zero-waste event seemed “far-fetched” at first. “We found ways to make it happen, so you have to just try to overcome obstacles and believe it can be done,” he says. Here, tips on keeping an earth-friendly promise, the Subaru way.  

Find a green partner.

  In addition to working closely with Mandalay Bay to determine waste streams and the best ways to solve them, Subaru partnered with the organization TerraCycle, which, according to its mission statement, can recycle “nearly everything.” Materials that could not be recycled and would have otherwise been sent to the landfill were donated to that organization, which turns waste into thinks like park benches, playground equipment and other civic-oriented products.  

Rethink your furniture.

  Rather than rent furniture from convention centers, Subaru buys it all directly through online retailer Wayfair. After its shows, Subaru then donates the furniture to local organizations. In Las Vegas, the furniture went to Veterans Village, which provides housing for displaced veterans. The carpet was donated to the local Habitat for Humanity chapter.   Food was donated, as well. Subaru donated extra food from the show to local charities and sent food scraps to local farms to feed animals.  

Build it into communications.

  Throughout the show, attendees were immersed in the zero-waste goal of the event. Subaru ceo Tomomi Nakamura discussed it as part of his general session address on the first night, and attendees were able to see the mission in action as they walked the grounds. In fact, at each recycling and trash station, there was a brand ambassador stationed to make sure attendees knew what the brand was doing, and exactly how to sort their waste.   “Subaru strives to be more than a car company. We want to do what’s right for the communities where we are and we push that down,” Lawrence says. “One of the goals of the conference is getting our retailers on board with that and we want our retailers to do similar things within their communities. This was a way to show that we’re walking the walk, not just talking the talk.” Agency: One10, Los Angeles.