As part of its Philanthropy Summit & Impact Awards ceremony on November 20, the Portland Business Journal honored Lithia & Driveway (LAD) with the Environment Impact Award based on its partnership with SOLVE, an environmental nonprofit, to host a statewide trash cleanup on Earth Day.
Receiving the Environment Impact Award highlights LAD’s overall commitment to fostering sustainability throughout its operations and encouraging community engagement. To support this mindset, we embrace six sustainability goals that embody the idea of what’s good for the environment is also good for business.
Our Partnership with SOLVE
Our long-standing work with SOLVE enhances our social sustainability goal to “Strengthen Our Communities” by giving back through nonprofit sponsorships and employee volunteerism.
SOLVE is dedicated to protecting and restoring Oregon’s diverse and scenic landscapes. Every year, it mobilizes thousands of volunteers to clean and restore neighborhoods and natural areas across Oregon and southwestern Washington.
Thanks to Chuck Lietz—one of our senior vice presidents (at right in photo)—and his passion to keep Oregon green, LAD has been partnering with SOLVE for several years and sponsoring its annual Oregon Spring Cleanup.
2025 Oregon Spring Cleanup
Every April, SOLVE organizes the Oregon Spring Cleanup, a one-day event where thousands of volunteers collect trash along beaches and within communities. In 2025, to have a greater impact, the LAD Community Relations Team expanded participation from the Portland Metro Area to the rest of the state, by inviting all Oregon-based stores to participate.
As a result, on Earth Day, LAD volunteers cleared litter from parks and neighborhood blocks in four Oregon cities: Portland, Bend, Springfield, and Medford. A total of 115 team members from 17 dealerships participated, collecting approximately 800 pounds of trash.
To help haul the trash away, a few dealership employees brought new electric vehicle (EV) pickup trucks to follow our crews around. In a nod to the day’s event, these EV pickups sported signage that read “Environmental Pickup” and “Earth Day Trash Pickup.”
This EV pickup truck effort was sponsored by GreenCars, Lithia & Driveway’s online resource for educating consumers about sustainable cars, such as EVs, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids. GreenCars plays a major role in supporting our sustainability goal to “Increase GreenCars on the Road.”
In a follow-up event impact report, SOLVE stated, “Lithia & Driveway’s continued support—both through funding and the unstoppable energy of your team members—help build a better Oregon and region for everyone who lives, works, and plays here.”
A Big Shout Out to our Amazing Volunteers!
