SANTA ANA, Calif.—When it comes to sustainability and environmental outreach, count Yokohama Tire Co. in.
To this end, the U.S. arm of Tokyo-based Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd is continuing its volunteering partnership with the Tread Lightly! non-profit organization. The Utah non-profit protects public land and works to address problems caused by off-road vehicles.
Tread Lightly! began in 1985 as a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of off-road vehicles used by the U.S. Forest Service. In 1990, it became a non-profit group focused on education and stewardship.
Tread Lightly! has partnered with Yokohama since 2023.
"We're glad to renew our partnership with Tread Lightly! and we support their ongoing mission to protect off-road trail access and public lands," Alan Holtschneider, YTC's director of marketing, said in a statement. "It's also been a great avenue for our dedicated employee base to volunteer on a variety of activities across the country, such as forest clean-ups, building infrastructure, trail remediation and major off-road post-event clean-ups."
Tread Lightly! focuses on "protecting the fun" of natural environments throughout the U.S., the group said. The organization has five main principles for achieving its goals, including traveling responsibly and avoiding sensitive environmental areas.
Matt Gaskins, executive director of Tread Lightly!, thanked Yokohama for its continued support through its Geolandar-brand off-road tires. The Japanese tire company has already helped the organization with a number of projects throughout the U.S. since 2023, he said, including pavilion repairs at the Shawnee National Forest outside of Herod, Ill.
"Industry support is critical to furthering (our) mission, and we look forward to our next project with Yokohama," Gaskins said in a statement.
