Notable Quotes “Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.” - John Muir, Naturalist, Writer, and Conservationist What is the most common kind of tree used in paper manufacturing? Do you know the answer? E-mail your guess to us. If you give the correct answer, we will send you a bag of Arbor Day® Gourmet Coffee!

With ever-increasing postage rates and printing costs, electronic services like online statements, bill paying, and e-mail services have become a viable – and often preferable – option for many of us. A tree-planting program to promote “paperless” services is fast becoming an effective way to increase customer sign-up rates and save companies thousands of dollars in printing and postage fees.

A “paperless” tree-planting program is easy and inexpensive to administer. Companies donate $1.00 – which is just a small portion of what is saved in reduced paper usage, printing costs, and postage – to plant a tree on behalf of each customer who signs up for electronic services. The Arbor Day Foundation plants the trees in America’s National Forests that have been damaged by wildfires, disease, and insects in recent years, providing wildlife habitat, protecting rivers and streams from runoff, and helping restore the beauty of these national treasures.

An Excellent Marketing Tool
Companies like SBC Communications Inc., E*TRADE (see story below), Datek Online Brokerage Services, Prudential Financial, Lincoln Financial Group, and MetLife have all found that a tree-planting program makes an excellent promotional tool that can quickly increase customer sign-ups for paperless electronic services. Response to the program has drawn as much as a 30% single response rate and, in some cases, has doubled the daily sign-up rates for electronic services.

Why it Works
Everyone wants to save money and time and reduce everyday paper flow, and everyone wants healthy air, clean water, and beautiful forests to enjoy. A tree-planting incentive promotion draws attention to the convenience, time- and money-saving features, and environmental impact of using paperless, electronic services. And planting a tree says “thank you” to your customers for their business and shows a company’s concern for the environment.

To plant trees for your “paperless” customers, call Kevin Sander, Corporate Marketing Director, at The Arbor Day Foundation, (402) 473-9543, or e-mail him at ksander@arborday.org.

E*TRADE FINANCIAL Plants Trees in National Forests

E*TRADE FINANCIAL Corporation, one of America’s top brokers, is planting trees for customers who sign up to receive documents electronically.

In a promotion that runs through the end of 2005, E*TRADE is planting one tree for each E*TRADE Securities customer who elects to receive online account statements or trade confirmations in lieu of mailed paper statements. With an appeal to “Be Good to Mother (Earth),” E*TRADE offers its customers the benefits of electronic statements – quick delivery, convenience, and secure mail.

E*TRADE’s tree-planting program provides a triple benefit: cost savings and convenience to customers; trees to beautify and improve the environment; and reduced paper, printing, and postage costs to help increase the company’s bottom line.

Kids and Nature

When most of us were kids, our parents told us to “go outside and play.” Did Mom and Dad simply want us to run off some pent-up energy? Or get some fresh air? Or did they have some special insight into how important our tree climbing and explorations would become later in our lives? Maybe they knew the treasures that lay waiting for us outside our front doors, beyond the pavement, in the grass and trees and rocks and leaves.

Today’s children often find their amusements – their adventures – in computer games and videos and television. Children can grow up without knowing much at all about the natural world or its gifts. And, in worst cases, they may even develop a fear of nature and never appreciate the wonderful outdoors that we grew up in.

We have many opportunities to help kids connect with the world around them. The Arbor Day Foundation has always been involved in nature education, and we have increased our programs over the past year to include the Kids Explore Club, a junior membership program that is aimed at getting children and the adults in their lives outdoors and closer to nature (visit www.arborday.org/explore/parents to learn more). In addition, Nature’s Classroom, the newest attraction at Arbor Day Farm’s Tree Adventure in Nebraska City, Nebraska, offers children a place for hands-on, unstructured interaction with nature to inspire spontaneous, fun learning and a sense of discovery.

Simply by helping children get in touch with nature, we can make a difference in their lives, the skills they gain, and their interest in and ability to take care of the earth for future generations. You can support The Arbor Day Foundation’s nature education programs, like Kids Explore Club, Nature’s Classroom and other exciting educational projects. Contact Kevin Sander at (402) 473-9543 or ksander@arborday.org for more information.

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