2021 Owens Corning Sustainability Report | Reducing Our Environmental Footprint | Protecting Biodiversity | 193 BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVES Protecting biodiversity is in many ways a highly localized endeavor, as our facilities around the world can engage their employees in addressing the very specific needs of their regions. Many of our sites around the world have taken up the challenge to make their areas more habitable for the species with which they coexist. ■ Wabash, Indiana, U.S. In July, the Wabash Green and Wellness Teams joined the Wabash River Defenders for their annual Clean Out the Banks event. The group rowed the Wabash River in kayaks and a canoe, pulling trash and debris from the water and along the banks. Among the items found were eight tires, shoes, a rusty barrel, a hub cap, a piece of a computer monitor and a cart. ■ Toledo, Ohio, U.S. In April, employees from the law department spent a day working with Metroparks Toledo to reforest the Fallen Timbers Battlefield in Maumee, Ohio, U.S. — a suburb of Toledo, approximately 12 miles from our world headquarters. The team helped plant a range of trees, including maple, oak, and hickory, all of which are native to the region. ■ Gous-Khroustalny, Russia. To celebrate Earth Day, the factory took part in an event known as Tidy Day, in which all departments joined in cleaning the grounds around the facility. In addition, the technical support team planted pine and mountain ash trees on-site. In August, Owens Corning hosted a biodiversity webinar featuring a representative from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, who discussed the importance of bats for biodiversity in Ohio. In addition to providing an overview of Owens Corning’s evolving approach to biodiversity at both the enterprise and site level, the webinar explained the value bats bring to the ecosystem, the environmental pressures facing bats in Ohio, and what individuals and companies can do to help support bats and biodiversity. Photo submitted by: Penny Ruppert | Wabash, Indiana, U.S. Snapping turtle found by the wellness team on their daily walk. Snapping turtles are an important part of the biodiversity around the Wabash River and Wabash plant grounds.