Bridgestone Firestone Turns Old Factory Into Eco-Oasis for Kids
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.30.07
What to do when you’ve made the business decision to close a plant in one city and move elsewhere? Well, many would look to sell the property outright, but Bridgestone Firestone has taken a different point of view, donating 60 acres of the land surrounding the recently shuttered Dayton Tire plant in Oklahoma City for the construction of a badly needed elementary school and nature reserve in that city. Granted, it was a bittersweet moment for many residents as 1,400 jobs left town in the process, but it looks to me like their children seem set to benefit from the best of a difficult situation.
Let’s face it, kids in urban areas often don’t have access to green, open spaces, so with 40 acres being set aside for the nature reserve and outdoor classroom, this really is a golden opportunity for teachers and parents to help them learn more about the environment despite the natural limitations of living in an urban area.
And I suspect it makes good business sense for Bridgestone Firestone as well, since they’re getting the tax break for donating the land, and the school in question will be named “Bridgestone Firestone Elementary”. Who knows, but maybe more corporate entities will find such positive uses for old plants that are, unfortunately, shuttered for one reason or another. At least it’s one way to turn lemons into a bit of eco-friendly lemonade…
If they also build a "green" school, using sustainable, renewable, reusable, recyclable products and techniques, I will be even more impressed. More natural light and less toxic building materials has proven good for learning environments.
Nature Reserve usually means the use of native plants, so that is great! I love the idea of the outdoor school type atmosphere. Those kids are going to be very lucky to have that.
Thank you to a corporation that has taken social and possibly environmental responsibility. AWESOME!!!!
If they would quit moving their factories to Mexico, Many people (me included) would still have jobs at this facility. They care about as much about the environment as they care about the U.S. and its workers.