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Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom & Habitat Earns Wildlife Habitat Council Certification And Nomination

WARREN COUNTY, Tenn. (Nov. 3, 2009) –The Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom & Habitat (BEECH) at the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) plant in Warren County, Tenn., has one more reason to celebrate: the BEECH recently received Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Corporate Lands for Learning certification and learned that the education facility has been nominated for WHC’s Rookie of the Year Award.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council, a leading environmental group,” said Ron Brooks, Plant Manager, Warren County, BATO. “Our BEECH program allows us to reach out to the community and young people with a hands-on environmental message, which is a key goal of our corporate ‘One Team, One Planet’ initiative.”

Instruction at the BEECH facility takes place on outdoor nature trails and in the advanced hands-on classroom equipped with both live and mounted animals to observe. Students learn about local wildlife, habitats, pollinators, forests, soils, water and the air, as well as important lessons about recycling, conservation and the shared responsibility to protect the environment. An estimated 5,000 students are expected to participate in BEECH programs in 2009.

“We are very proud of the program’s success, and we aim to keep growing,” Brooks said. “BEECH is a reflection of our commitment to conservation and environmental education.”

WHC’s Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) certification program recognizes businesses that effectively use their property to engage the community on environmental preservation efforts and promote environmental causes. The Rookie of the Year Award recognizes a newly certified preservation site for outstanding environmental stewardship and voluntary employee efforts. The winner will be announced at the WHC’s national symposium, held in Baltimore, Md., Nov. 9-10.

About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company's Latin American tire operations, the U.S. and Canadian consumer tire businesses and the U.S. and Canadian commercial tire businesses. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The business unit is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in the Americas. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.