'Clean Corporate Citizen' Bosch Donates $40K to Farmington Hills Parks

Officials from the State of Michigan visited Farmington Hills Wednesday to present Robert Bosch LLC with environmental stewardship awards, on a day when the company showed its commitment to the city's environment. 

Bosch officials accepted Clean Corporate Citizen (C3) awards for its facilities in Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Novi and Flat Rock, and handed over a $40,700 donation to Friends of the Parks, to develop a fishing pier and environmental programming in Founders Sports Park. 

The C3 is among the highest environmental stewardship honors offered by the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ). 

"It recognizes companies who have gone beyond compliance to create stewardship opportunities and create sustainable goals," said Bryce Feighner, chief of the DEQ's Office of Environmental Assistance. 

The number of companies honored varies from year to year, program manager Jeff Spencer said, but averages around 20. Companies apply for the honor. 

"Over the past 125 years, Bosch has been committed to the idea of sustainability," company president Mike Mansuetti said. "We're committed to protecting the environment and creating a sustainable future ... It's part of our culture, but it's also good for our business. It does make good bottom line sense."

State Rep. Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills), who attended the Wednesday event, pointed out that Bosch is also working on sustainable technology for market, like clean diesel.

According to a company press release, funds for the Founders Sports Park project come from Bosch's Community Fund, which provides $3 million every year in grants to "enhance communities and the lives of students and families." The fund also supported $25,000 in grants to Farmington Public Schools teachers to support innovative and creative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum and the Hackbots robotics team. 

Correction: A misidentification of the company in a quote attributed to Bosch president Mike Mansuetti has been corrected.