ready willing - Darden Restaurants

eadyandwillingto protectEverglades FoundationThe Everglades Foundation and theDarden Restaurants, Inc. Foundationhave formed a unique partnershipcommitted to ensuring clean waterin Florida.The Everglades Foundation is dedicatedto protecting and restoring America’sEverglades, which provides economic,recreational and life-sustaining benefitsto the millions of people who dependon its future health. Through theadvancement of scientifically sound andachievable solutions, the Foundationseeks to reverse the natural damageinflicted on the ecosystem and providepolicymakers and the public with credibleresources to help guide decision-makingon complex restoration issues.Darden – whose headquarters inOrlando are located within minutes of theheadwaters of the Everglades ecosystem,a 16-county hydrologic region that ishome to more than six million people –has embraced sustainability efforts withinits corporate business model.Acknowledging its commitment to theconservation and sustainable use ofwater as one of the cornerstones ofits environmental initiatives, Dardenrecognizes that in Florida, populationgrowth coupled with rapid urbanization,changing lifestyles and economicdevelopment has led to a decline inthe quality and quantity of the state’sfreshwater supply. The company’sleadership and investment in the localcommunity, through support for theEverglades Foundation, embodies theobjective of “thinking globally andacting locally.”Darden has sponsored an EvergladesFoundation project to develop acomplete and fully analyzed plan torestore Florida Bay, a critical estuary thatserves as habitat for fish, Americancrocodiles, birds, manatees andother wildlife. Part of the Evergladesecosystem, Florida Bay encompassesthe southern end of Everglades NationalPark. This estuary offers recreational andcommercial fishing, as well as tourismopportunities that provide livelihoods forresidents of the Upper Florida Keys.Darden and the Everglades Foundationare proud of this partnership that willensure fresh water and a thrivingecosystem in Florida Bay.A Unique PartnershipOnce spread out over 8 million acres, the Everglades ecosystemreaches from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobeewhere waters from the lake slowly moved south towardFlorida Bay completing the Everglades ecosystem.1 4 / G O O D N E I G H B O R G R A N T S