The BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana and the Wildlife Habitat Council parlayed their long-standing relationship into educating students on the value of re-introducing native plants to the area. BP employees and WHC biologists worked with students at the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST) on designing and building a garden. Click here to view the video.
Local News & Updates
Navistar’s New Lisle Campus Hub for Green Initiatives
Navistar‘s new campus in Lisle, Ill. is positioned to be a hub for green initiatives in the social, environmental and economic spheres. While Navistar has always been a leader in green products, fuel efficiency and emissions technologies, the company is taking its leadership efforts one step further with sustainable practices that will be built from the ground up into Navistar’s new world headquarters in Lisle, Ill. “Some people think that sustainability is just about being a leader in the environmental arena, but it’s more than that. At Navistar, it ties in with our three pillar strategy of great products, a [more...]
Regional Partnership Summit
On July 26-27, the Wildlife Habitat Council hosted the a regional summit in the Midwestern states, “Valuing Ecosystems in the Calumet, Prairie Parklands and the Chicago Regions.” With support from ExxonMobil, Lafarge and Vulcan Materials Company and with generous in-kind contributions for the USDA/Forest Service, the event was held at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. The US Forest Service kicked off the two-day workshop with an in-depth tour of the restoration efforts taking place at the Midewin—the site of the former Joliet Arsenal—which is slowly being restored to a function prairie ecosystem through the application of cutting edge restoration techniques [more...]
Partnership Summit
Join members and partners of the Wildlife Habitat Council for a regional Partnership Summit at the US Forest Service’s Midewin Tallgrass Prairie on July 26-27, 2011, in Wilmington, Illinois. With inspiring habitat restoration and educational programs provided by the US Forest Service and member facilities, we will explore the issues and concerns surrounding the cherished ecosystems of the region—forests, savannas, prairies and rivers. We will also look at how our members and partners are working to protect and enhance these natural communities, in the context of dense urban and suburban areas by connecting wildlife habitats to the human community. By [more...]
BP Works with Students to Build Park in Hammond
BP is partnering with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) to fund and facilitate an interactive environmental learning project for at-risk students at the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST). During this six-month project, students learn about plants that are native to Northwest Indiana, and develop the knowledge and skills they need to design and build a native plant landscape for their new school in downtown Hammond. “This interactive project is a wonderful learning experience for our students,” said Deb Snedden, curriculum director at HAST. “ Students who have struggled in school for years are now excited and motivated to [more...]
BP Grant for Work With Hammond School
BP Whiting Refinery renewed a grant to WHC’s NWI-Chicago office for projects with 9th grade students at Hammond Academy of Science and Technology (HAST) in Hammond, Indiana. HAST is a new charter school managed by Purdue University and to be located in the downtown of Hammond, an urban-industrial community on Lake Michigan watershed. We will be working with a group of 20 students designing and building green infrastructures: a native landscape garden, a green rooftop, a green-permeable parking lot. More grant opportunities are envisioned for 2011 for up to three separate projects in Whiting, Hammond, and East Chicago. BP Classic [more...]
US Forest Service Grant Progress
US Forest Service American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project continues successfully out of the Chicago-Northwest Indiana office with a total of 170 acres of dune and swale, oak savannas, and wetlands restored at Heinze Land Trust properties and ExxonMobil Hammond Tank terminal. Projects include five miles of Little Calumet River log jam removal and shoreline restoration with the Towns of Porter and Chesterton, Indiana. A half- acre native landscape project was completed with BP Whiting refinery employees at the Franklin Academy Middle School in East Chicago, Indiana. The crew is mobilizing to start construction of locust Timber Bridge and [more...]
