April 10, 2020

RE: Engaging Employees in Supporting Pollinators at Home – SP Pollinator Challenge 2.0

In February we distributed a letter encouraging all SP members to join in an SP Pollinator Project Challenge and work together with us in implementing pollinator conservation projects that are individually meaningful, yet have the potential to be collectively groundbreaking.

While we greatly appreciate those SP members that responded to our invitation with plans for pollinator projects at their sites and in their communities, we also recognize that many of those planned projects will need to be put on hold for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while our teams may not be able to get together to work on projects at our sites right now, there are still many other ways SP members can work together to support our collective conservation goals and help our employees in reconnecting with nature in this challenging time. Even relatively small pollinator projects around our employees’ homes for example – things as simple as adding a couple native planters or building an insect hotel – can have a meaningful impact.

We would invite all SP members to join in a new SP Pollinator Project Challenge by encouraging your team members to support pollinator-friendly activities at their own homes and to share a photo of their efforts.

Attached is a simple toolkit of information designed to support outreach to your team members, including a customizable PowerPoint template and list of resources outlining opportunities to support pollinators at home. Using the hashtags #SuppliersPartnership #PollinatorChallenge, SP will track and amplify the efforts of all participants.

Please let us know any questions and we look forward to your support of this effort.

Sincerely,

www.supplierspartnership.org

Kevin M. ButtDirector, Environmental Sustainability Toyota Motor North AmericaSP Biodiversity Work Group Co-Chair

Sam QureshiNational Business Development Manager WM Sustainability ServicesSP Biodiversity Work Group Co-Chair

Sample Communications Template for Employee Outreach

As you know, while many of the Earth Month activities and conservation projects we had planned over the coming weeks unfortunately cannot be safely conducted at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our company’s commitment to environmental sustainability remains steadfast. And while our corporate conservation events may be postponed, it’s important that we all take the time to reconnect with nature and wildlife whenever we can, particularly in these challenging times. One excellent way to do that while supporting our company’s conservation goals is by taking on small projects in your own backyard to support pollinators.

Why are pollinators important? Pollinators are species that feed upon the nectar and pollen provided by flowering plants,

helping plants reproduce by moving pollen between flowers in the process of feeding. There are approximately 200,000 species of animals that act as pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, beetles, wasps, flies, and many others.

Pollinators are critical to the health and economy of the world. Insect pollination is vital to food security, contributing to at least 35% of the world’s food production and pollinating many other plants needed for beverages, fibers, medicines and spices. However, pollinators are in decline globally, in part due to lack of habitat.

Thankfully, there are many ways that we can support pollinators both at work and at home. Pollinator projects can be quite simple and done at low/no cost, and even relatively small projects can have a meaningful conservation impact.

How can you support pollinators at home?• Create a small landscaping bed or container garden with pollinator friendly native

plants. Step by step guidance on where to start and ecoregional native planting guides are available from groups like Pollinator Partnership, US Forest Service and others. A quick Google search will return several options for ordering plants / seeds online or check if your local garden center is offering delivery or curbside pickup service, many are!

• Build an insect hotel (or other shelter) to support insects and other pollinators. There are a variety of fun and rewarding DIY projects that can be done with materials you likely have around the house. Consider opportunities to repurpose materials – think plastic bottles, cardboard toilet paper rolls, reclaimed wood, bricks, and so on.

• Monitor pollinators around your home to contribute to citizen science efforts. The iOS / Android Insight Citizen Science App, for example, is a good way to contribute meaningful scientific data by observing pollinators in your home garden and recording your findings in the free app.

• Educate your kids/family on the importance of pollinators. There are a wide range fun, easy family activities to connect with nature in your own backyard provided by organizations like Wildlife Habitat Council, National Wildlife Federation, the Wildlife Trusts and others.

• See the attached list of resources for more ideas!

If you are supporting pollinators at home, we want to hear from you! Take a photo of your efforts and share it on social media using the hashtags

#SuppliersPartnership #PollinatorChallenge. Or, e-mail a photo to info@supplierspartnership.org

Our partners at the industry group Suppliers Partnership for the Environment will be collecting these photos to demonstrate the positive impacts of our industry and team members, even in these challenging times.

Feel free to also tag [corporate social media account] and my [personal account] as well.

Thank you for all you do to support our industry and our environment, we look forward to seeing your efforts!

www.supplierspartnership.org

Resources for Pollinator Projects at Home

I. Creating a Pollinator Garden Pollinator projects need not be large or complex, simply adding a small native landscaping bed or a few containers can have a meaningful conservation impact. Pollinator Partnership has compiled a range of helpful resources outlining steps to

build a pollinator garden and adopt other pollinator friendly practices at home. P2 also offers ecoregional planting guides, Selecting Plants for Pollinators, tailored to specific areas of the United States

Gardening for Pollinators offers simple steps to create a pollinator-friendly landscape around your home, along with USFS regional planting guides.

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center provides information for native plants by state and ecoregion. Plant lists such as ‘Special Value to Native Bees’ can be filtered to find native species by bloom time, growing conditions, location, or even plant habit.

The Wildlife Trusts offers a series of simple guides and DIY projects for helping pollinators at home.

Wildlife Habitat Council offers a step-by-step guide for developing, managing, and maintaining your pollinator project, along with on-demand educational webinars such as Monarchs in Peril – How Can You Help?, You Too Can Create Positive Pollinator Projects, or Plants and Pollinators with Dr. Stephen Buchmann.

Insight Citizen Science App is a great way to contribute meaningful scientific data by observing pollinators in your garden and recording your findings in the free app.

II. Building Insect Hotels and Other Structures Part art, part habitat, insect hotels are an inexpensive, easy and fun way to provide food, shelter, and nesting and hibernation space to all manner of bugs. Build a Bug Palace – Learn How Easy, Inexpensive Insect Hotels Can Enhance Your

Habitat. On-demand webinar from WHC will give you the basic knowledge you need to create an easy, inexpensive Insect Hotel.

Building Native Bee Nesting Blocks. USFS outlines how to encourage native bees to nest near your wildflower gardens by providing man-made nesting blocks.

Make your own hummingbird feeder from recycled soda bottles. USFS outlines how to recycle materials from your house to make a hummingbird feeder.

Bee Hotels for Wild Bees . Guidance document outlines steps for building a bee hotel. Build a Bat House. Step by step guide from NWF for building a bat house. Build a Nesting Box. Ideas for building and placing a nesting box for birds from NWF.

III. Kid Friendly Activities to Support Pollinators / Nature There are many fun and easy opportunities for families to work together to support pollinators. Birds and Butterflies in Your Backyard. On-demand webinar from WHC on why native

plants are so good for nature and easy things you can do at home to make a difference.

Create a Butterfly Puddle. Make your butterfly garden even more attractive by adding a special water and nutrient source for them.

NWF Kids Garden for Wildlife. Tips on helping children create a wildlife habitat garden right outside their door and introduce them to the wonders of the natural world.

Project Learning Tree – In your Backyard. Some fun and easy-to-do nature activities, suitable for your backyard.

How to Make a Seed Bomb. Throwing, breaking up or digging ‘seed bombs’ into areas in your garden that need a little brightening up is a perfect way of spending an afternoon.

www.supplierspartnership.org

PowerPoint Communication Template

Download a customizable PPT template from the SP website at: https://www.supplierspartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SP-PollinatorChallengeSlideTemplate.pptx

www.supplierspartnership.org

Nature’s Activity Bank Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and in following CDC advice, many in-person conservation and education events will be cancelled or postponed. This presents an opportunity to shift efforts locally and perhaps activate even more employees and community members.

The following are activities that can be conducted safely, and will help communicate ongoing corporate commitment, engage with like-minded organizations and customers, and increase employee morale while many may be working from home.

Get OutsideGo for a walk or hike and:

Identify native birds as you hear and see Identify bugs and insects Identify plants you see – are they native? Invasive? Attractive to pollinators? Search for signs of wildlife (such as tracks, signs of grazing, nests, etc.) Collect materials for a bug hotel Collect leaves or flowers for identification and to press into a book

Support Biodiversity Build habitat for wildlife:

Install backyard Nest boxes for native birds Assemble a bee block or insect hotel for native pollinators Create a butterfly puddle Plant a rain garden Start native seeds inside and plant in your garden for pollinators

Engage StaffGather around nature-based themes:

Host a 5-15 minute toolbox topic about the importance of pollinators or other nature, wildlife, or environmental theme

Share the free WHC webinars (live or on-demand) or host your own conservation webinar in collaboration with WHC on a topic of your choosing.

Host a competitive or collaborative back yard nature scavenger hunt, sharing the number of species identified in each wildlife category.

Host a nature or wildlife photo contest

Remote Communication

wildlifehc.org | @wildlifehc

Leverage technology and social media at home and at work for lighthearted, positive, outcomes:

Share your favorite wildlife story Share your favorite natural place or outdoor activity Start a company environmental minute to highlight the many benefits of

engaging with nature Report wildlife and plant observations from the list above to citizen science

platforms Use interactive apps to identify native species and fun facts about nature Visit these great online learning activities

o Explore the catalogue of free live and on demand WHC Webinars o Contribute your outdoor time to a greater cause with Earth Day inspired

activities o Virtual Tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History o Expand your Nature Knowledge with the World Wildlife Fund Daily Activity

Planso Engage the family in nature with National Geographic Kidso Engage the family in a wide host of online and outdoor Project Wild

activities

Be sure to tag @wildlifehc on all your activity so we can share it as well.

Citizen Science and Wildlife Identification ToolsCommon applications can be used to identify species and support the documentation of your activities.App Name Plants Birds Amphibians Pollinators MammalsiNaturalist

Map of Life

EDDMapS -invasive species

PlantSnap

Budburst

Nest Watch

Merlin Bird ID

Ebird

Frog Watch USA

Monarch Watch

EchoMeter - Bats