On the 2nd, the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee conducted environmental volunteer activities at the Gyeonggi-do Yongin City Giheung Lake Park area with 265 employees from Mercedes-Benz Korea as part of the 'Green Plus Plogging' initiative.
'Green Plus Plogging' is a carbon neutrality practical program by the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee that allows employees to directly participate and contribute to improving the local community's environment.
As the Giheung Lake Park, located about 2 km from the Mercedes-Benz Training Academy, suffered from increased blooms due to the heatwave, 'Green Plus Plogging' was activated to purify the lake's water quality and improve the surrounding environment.
Through this activity, Mercedes-Benz Korea employees created and donated 500 soil balls containing microorganisms that help purify water quality, and they also contributed to improving water quality by injecting 700 pre-prepared soil balls into the lake, while engaging in a plogging activity to collect trash around the park with the cooperation of the Yongin Volunteer Center. The soil balls are made by mixing loess and rice bran with beneficial microorganisms (Effective Microorganisms, EM) found in nature, which help in water purification through ecological restoration effects such as odor removal, turbidity reduction, and inhibition of algae growth when introduced into rivers, ponds, and reservoirs.
Matthias Weil, chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee, said, "It was meaningful to be able to contribute to improving the local community's environment alongside employees of Mercedes-Benz Korea through this volunteer activity," and added, "In the future, the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee will continue to carry out various activities to grow together with Korean society and create a sustainable future."
'Green Plus Plogging' has been ongoing since 2021, and by 2024, a total of 2,028 employees have participated, collecting a cumulative total of 12,535 liters of trash while performing environmental cleanup activities. Additionally, under the 'Green Plus' initiative, the Mercedes-Benz Social Contribution Committee has established a total of seven urban forests in downtown Seoul and is also conducting restoration projects in areas affected by wildfires in South Korea, planting a cumulative total of 33,424 trees and estimating an annual carbon reduction effect of about 83,560 tons.
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