| The Nature Conservancy and
General Motors
(Note: This is a regular minefield of Aesopian language; please be aware that your emotions are being targeted, not your intellect.) March 2003 In 1994, The Nature Conservancy and General Motors began a relationship that was unprecedented for both organizations because of its size and scope; $10 million in cash and trucks over 10 years. General Motors was drawn to the Conservancy because its collaborative approach promotes a healthy economy and a healthy environment. It also generates innovative initiatives within local communities that preserve our landscapes, help local economies and save precious places around the world. During the past eight and one-half years, GM has donated more than $6.6 million in cash and more than 150 trucks to aid the often-rugged conservation work of the Conservancy. GM's funding supports many different projects within the Conservancy, including five preserves in the U.S. and four abroad. In addition, GM has provided $10 million to the Conservancy to restore and protect about 30,000 acres of endangered land in the Atlantic Rainforest Restoration Project in Brazil. In 1999 and 2000, the GM Card Group invited its cardmembers to donate a portion of their earnings to the Conservancy through the "Cardmembers for Conservation" program. Generous cardmembers contributed 19 Chevrolet trucks, including four Chevy S-10 electric pickups, and $175,000 in cash, for a combined donation total of $768,000. In 2001, The Conservancy celebrated its 50th anniversary with a photographic exhibition, "In Response to Place: Photographs from The Nature Conservancy's Last Great Places." The 4 ½-year traveling exhibit, featuring the work of 12 internationally recognized photographers, is sponsored by GM and its Cadillac division. GM employees also have been very generous. Through the employee-giving program, employees are allowed to donate a portion of their pay to The Nature Conservancy. Since 1998, GM employees have pledged and donated $395,000. GM Chairman Jack Smith sits on the Conservancy's international Board of Governors and co-chairs its billion-dollar Campaign for Conservation. The Nature Conservancy is a private, international, non-profit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 80 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. http://gm.com/company/gmability/environment/partnerships/conservancy/tnc_and_gm.html |