Daimler Truck partners with local elementary school to celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day has come and gone, but Daimler Truck North America’s commitment to helping the environment is here to stay, according to Daimler Environmental Engineer Michael Kedenburg.

On Friday, Daimler once again partnered with Pinewood Elementary School students, and this time, the groups planted a garden that will have a lasting impact on local pollinators.

“A pollinator garden helps our pollinators keep pollinating,” Kedenburg said.

The garden, planted on-site at DTNA, includes a variety of native plant species.

Kedenburg said the mixture of shrubs, grasses and perennials offer pollinators places to stop and lay eggs, take shelter during cold months, and find nectar.

According to DTNA General Manager Joanna Cooper, while the company is committed to working toward zero emissions, there are smaller ways to help the environment, too.

Cooper believes planting pollinator gardens and other Earth Day events show the community that there are ways they can personally contribute to the wellbeing of the planet.

It also gives the company an opportunity to connect with Pinewood Elementary students, with whom they have a long-standing relationship.

When students interact with Daimler, they see adults who look like them working engaging jobs, and that representation goes a long way, she said.

Daimler frequently works with Pinewood students, sponsoring them at Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grader, hosting a robotics event for the students in which they get to tour Daimler’s facility, and visiting roughly once per month for a small STEM program, according to Pinewood Elementary School teacher Rebecca O’Bryon.

O’Bryon said the Earth Day event will help students understand the importance of community and work ethic.

“We really value the time they put into us,” O’Bryon said. “It helps the kids feel important and allows them to see people in their community.”

Wyatt Carter, a fifth grade student at Pinewood Elementary School participated in the robotics program last year, and enjoyed touring the Daimler facility, he said.

Carter added that his favorite part of the Earth Day event was being outside and digging.

When he grows up, Carter would like to be a structural engineer, he said.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Daimler Truck partners with local elementary school to plant garden