Celebrating Earth Day across Marathon Petroleum

Community News

Findlay, Ohio, San Antonio, Texas, sustainability, Robinson, Illinois, Detroit, Michigan, Denver, Colorado, Madison, Wisconsin, Anacortes, Washington, Galveston Bay, Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Texas City, El Paso, Canton, St. Paul Park

Earth Day is a time to celebrate our planet and learn about ways to protect our environment. Our employees spent time volunteering to make their communities better, learning and collaborating with others about how we can continue to make a positive impact.

Anacortes, Washington

In Anacortes, 18 refinery employees, contractors and interns volunteered for the annual Adopt-a-Highway Spring Cleanup and collected 82 bags of trash. This is the third year that Marathon Petroleum has sponsored a 2-mile section of the highway near the refinery. To keep volunteers safe during the cleanup, members of the Safety department used a brush truck with lights flashing to alert drivers to crews in the area.

Canton, Ohio

Our team in Canton hosted its annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event at the refinery. The free event gave employees and contractors the opportunity to drop off hazardous materials that are illegal to dispose of during weekly garbage collection. This year, about 100 team members dropped various items off, including household chemicals, pesticides, paints, batteries, tires and electronics. The refinery then properly disposed of the items.

Catlettsburg, Kentucky

Employees from our Catlettsburg refinery have been busy since March cleaning and preparing Savage Branch Wildlife Reserve for the spring. Since then, the 340-acre wildlife reserve owned and managed by Marathon Petroleum has hosted local school children on three occasions, with additional visits planned in May. The wildlife reserve is used to introduce students to their natural world in a safe setting and reinforce classroom lessons.

Denver, Colorado

LF Bioenergy, an emerging producer of renewable natural gas (RNG), presented an overview to our Denver office employees about the company and the vital role dairy farmers play as stewards of the land. LF Bioenergy has been focused on developing and growing a portfolio of dairy farm-based, low carbon-intensity RNG projects. In 2023, Marathon invested in RNG production by acquiring a 49.9% interest in LF Bioenergy.

Elk City, Oklahoma

Employees at the MPLX Gathering & Processing field office in Elk City, Oklahoma, picked up trash along the roadway of the industrial area by the office and near other major intersections. Together, the 12 participating employees filled up five large garbage bags with litter.

El Paso, Texas

MPLX employees in El Paso brought a tank truck to the city’s Earth Day celebration to show how our transport drivers work to protect the environment. They demonstrated the procedure for recovering vapors when trucks are being unloaded. MPC co-sponsored the Earth Day event, which was organized by the city of El Paso’s Environmental Services Department.

Evansville, Indiana

At our Evansville terminal, four butterfly bushes were planted and the team installed a purple martin birdhouse. The purple martin is a unique bird to the area that requires a special birdhouse with a restricted opening for entry and to ward off starlings so the birds will flourish.

Findlay, Ohio

Our campus in Findlay hosted employees for a fun Earth Day celebration. The celebration included a jeans recycling drive, plant swap and sustainability trivia. Nearly 100 pairs of jeans were recycled and everyone in attendance received a free succulent or native tree sapling.

Galveston Bay, Texas

Employee volunteers from Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery planted dozens of new trees at its Texas City facility. In partnership with Trees for Houston and students from a local high school, nearly 100 volunteers planted 83 native trees in the refinery’s greenbelt. 

Los Angeles, California

Our refinery team in Los Angeles took part in activities from supporting the Aquarium of the Pacific’s habitat restoration efforts at the Los Cerritos Wetlands to hosting its annual Electronic Waste Collection event for employees. Employees attended the SBCC Thrive LA’s resource fair, where Marathon Petroleum was recognized by SBCC Thrive LA for its continued support of the organization's urban farm. There, employees from Marathon Pipe Line sponsored a booth to distribute educational resources about pipeline safety to residents.

Madison, Wisconsin

Virent employees hosted a highway cleanup in Marshall, Wisconsin, along County Road T. The team of volunteers collected 16 garbage bags of trash. Employees also participated in the Run for the Trees Happy Little 5K to raise money to support forest health in Wisconsin.



 

Robinson, Illinois

Employees from our Robinson refinery hosted a nature walk and kite flying for 2nd graders from a local elementary school. Students visited Washington Park, one of Marathon Petroleum’s 16 certified wildlife habitats. During the fun-filled day, employees also talked about the importance of recycling and practiced sorting recyclable materials in the proper categories with the students.

Romulus, Michigan

Employees at our terminal volunteered to build and install three mounted bat houses to help control mosquitoes caused by standing water. Each house can host up to 65 bats and includes multiple living chambers.

San Antonio, Texas

Employees at our office in San Antonio were invited to an Earth Day Fair to learn about organizations in the area that specialize in sustainable products and services. Some employees received giveaway items like plants and reusable utensil packs. Employees recycled old electronics and household goods, including clothing, during April.

St. Paul Park, Minnesota

Employees from our St. Paul Park refinery celebrated Earth Day at Freedom Park, located just southeast of the facility where the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers come together. The annual event focuses on sustainability and includes a variety of hands-on activities for kids to learn about the area's natural habitat, rich with native plants and wildlife. In 2023, Marathon Petroleum provided the popular nature spot with a $25,000 grant to support preservation and educational upgrades at the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center where the Earth Day event is held.

Vinvale, California

At the Vinvale terminal, the team worked on its hop beds and installed two additional support poles to help with growth. In addition, they installed two bat houses, one on each side. The terminal also has started using water coolers, eliminating the use of bottled water.