Following the close of 2022’s New York International Auto Show, 1,000 plants used in its exhibits were donated to local organisations to help green New York City’s five boroughs.
The show worked with one organisation, GrowNYC, to spread the plants in Subaru’s exhibit and the show’s electric vehicle test track around New York City after the convention had ended.
Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, commented: “For Subaru, part of their whole marketing approach has always been, even going way back, a lifestyle-type of company.”
To reflect the company’s values, Subaru created an exhibit filled with live plants and foliage as an interactive “wilderness experience” according to Mark Lacher, dealer principal at Koeppel Subaru.
“They probably could have done it with artificial flowers and plants, but that would’ve been the opposite of what they were trying to communicate - the idea of sustainability and being considerate to the environment,” Schienberg added.
Schienberg explained that Subaru’s exhibit, which aims to demonstrate its partnership with the US National Park Foundation, usually travels to different shows. However, the plants often do not survive the journey. To combat this, the Subaru team donate the display to local organisations.
At Subaru’s request, the event partnered for the first time with Grow NYC, the largest environmental organisation in New York City, which builds and rejuvenates community and urban farms throughout the city’s boroughs.
The company’s exhibit and a 250,000-square-foot indoor electric vehicle test track distributed live plants to more than 25 community groups. These included community gardens, churches, housing associations, outdoor greening associations, and over 15 senior centres.
Lacher added, “Supporting so many community organisations as they help promote sustainability across New York City is a great thing to be a part of and it fits perfectly with Subaru’s core values.”
Schienberg hopes the initiative encourages others in the trade-show industry to make similar efforts to promote good corporate social responsibility.
