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FRIEDLAND INDUSTRIES
WAS ONE OF THE
REGION’S ORIGINAL
GREEN RECYCLING
COMPANIES.

Over the last eight years, Friedland sustainable environmental principles
has invested millions of dollars in involving employees, the local
new trucks, containers, processing community and educational outreach
equipment, facilities, and employees. programs. ITC also integrates
a sustainable approach to the
“In 2020, during the height of the environment in its daily work, serving
pandemic, we completed a new most of lower Michigan plus seven
expansion to our warehouse and other states.
processing plant which added eight
new loading docks (for a total of 20), CONN “We’ve implemented a recycling ADARKA
an additional 13,000 SF of finished and waste reduction program and
goods storage and processing space, and two new jobs,” installed rain gardens to absorb storm runoff,” said Kwafo
said Conn. Adarkwa, director of public affairs, ITC Holdings Corp.
“We’ve also enabled habitat projects that support wildlife
Since Friedland’s inception, community has been at the and biodiversity on our grounds. This environmental
center of what they do. The company created the annual stewardship also applies to transmission projects that we
Scrapfest event (www.scrapfest.com) in Old Town which are building around the state.”
began as a scrap metal artwork competition, and has
grown into a full art festival that focuses on up-cycled When planning transmission projects, ITC reviews
and repurposed artwork. Friedland also sponsors an environmental assessments and applies best practices
annual Document Destruction month celebrating the for wetlands, threatened and endangered species and
end of Tax Day. The public — companies, organizations, other sensitive habitats. By incorporating these factors
and individuals alike — are welcome to bring their in the beginning of a project, they can adjust the
sensitive documents and hard drives to Friedland, and placement or timing of construction to avoid, or limit, the
they will confidentially shred them for a $5 donation to a environmental impact.
charitable cause.
Trees and high-voltage power lines are a hazardous
ITC Holdings: For the Greater Grid combination. ITC maintains an integrated vegetation
management program to ensure electric reliability and
Based in Novi, MI, ITC Holdings Corp. is the largest public safety.
independent electricity transmission company in the
United States. The company believes environmental “We have foresters and other trained field staff that
stewardship begins at home as reflected in its award- routinely inspect our transmission corridors where they
winning Novi headquarters campus which encompasses look to identify both compatible and incompatible
92 acres featuring a naturalized transmission corridor, vegetation species,” said Adarkwa. “We’re not saying don’t
diverse woodlands, open green space, wetlands, a nature plant anything ever around the lines, but you want to
trail and a large pond. ITC maintains the grounds using have compatible species in those areas.”

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