Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota Grant 40 Trees to the University of Illinois at Chicago Through Tree Campus USA
date 04/12/12
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Jeff Salem, Director of Communications & Public Relations, emailChicago, Illinois (April 12, 2012) – Students and staff at the University of Illinois at Chicago planted 40 trees from the Arbor Day Foundation this morning, in celebration of the university's commitment to improving tree care and sustainability. This is the first year of Tree City USA recognition for the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The volunteer effort at UIC is among 13 tree planting events sponsored by the Foundation and Toyota during the spring of 2012 and one of seven co-sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE
Today, 28 trees were planted by Daley Library on the eastern side of campus, and 12 were planted on west campus.
"UIC is pleased to get recognition for our dedication to our trees," said Cynthia Klein-Banai, associate chancellor for sustainability. Campus trees are important not only for aesthetics, she added, but also for reducing the "heat-island" effect and to offset carbon emissions.
The Tree Campus USA program honors colleges and universities for promoting healthy urban forest management and engaging the campus community in environmental stewardship. Tree Campus USA is supported by a generous grant from Toyota.
During 2011, the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota helped campuses throughout the country plant 30,000 trees, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities have invested more than $22 million in campus forest management. More information about the Tree Campus USA program is available at www.arborday.org/TreeCampusUSA.
About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization of one million members, with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.
About Toyota: Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed over half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S. For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.