This summer, the Nature Conservancy and Honda teamed up for a sweepstakes that challenged locals to explore natural sites. Targeted at residents in Honda manufacturing states of Alabama, Indiana and Ohio, the "Natural Treasures" partnership program highlights beloved natural areas. The grand prize is a new 2014 Honda Civic Hybrid.
To enter the contest, Hoosiers could visit one or more of nine Indiana natural areas and record their visit by taking a photo of themselves, then upload the photo to the Natural Treasures website.
More than 1,300 enthusiasts submitted photo entries in the sweepstakes, which ran from Aug. 1 through Sept. 30. Many visited all of the specially selected sites and uploaded photo self-portraits from each site.
One of those entries – Julie Norlin of Greencastle – was randomly selected to win the grand prize, a 2014 Honda Civic Hybrid. Norlin and her family chose to spend a day hiking at Big Walnut Nature Preserve in Putnam County.
"Honda is very happy to present the grand prize for this sweepstakes, a very fuel-efficient and enjoyable Honda Civic vehicle, to Julie," said Bob Nelson, President, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC. "Our hope is that her enthusiasm spurs others to visit these natural areas which enhance our quality of life."
Norlin will be awarded her new Honda Civic Hybrid at Honda's Indiana manufacturing facility in Greensburg on Tuesday, November 18.
"Natural Treasures was a great way to introduce Indiana's amazing natural areas to new audiences," said Mary McConnell, state director for The Nature Conservancy's Indiana Chapter. "The goal of the contest was to get folks outside and enjoy nature, and it succeeded."
Since 1959, The Nature Conservancy has helped protect more than 80,000 acres of the most vital freshwater and forest habitats in Indiana. The Nature Conservancy and Honda developed the Natural Treasures Challenge as a way to help showcase some of Indiana's protected hidden gems, and to encourage learning about different natural features of the state.
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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. In Indiana, the Conservancy has worked for 50 years at over 195 sites to protect more than 80,000 acres. Working from eight offices across the State, the Conservancy works with local communities on issues of vital interest, including the quality and quantity of Indiana's freshwater. Visit us on the web at nature.org/Indiana.
Under its global environmental campaign of "Blue Skies for Our Children" Honda's is committed to preserving the environment through eliminating landfill waste and reducing CO2 emissions in both its products and operations. In 2014, for the seventh time, Honda automobile plants in Ohio earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR certification, signifying that the plant's rank among the top 25 percent of auto assembly plants in the nation with regard to energy performance. http://corporate.honda.com/
