Builders Encouraged to Enter "Building WITH Trees" Awards of Excellence Competition

05/19/00
Nebraska City, Neb.– Conservation-minded builders and developers are invited to enter the 2001 Building With Trees Awards of Excellence competition, sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders. Deadline for entries is August 15, 2000.

The Awards of Excellence competition is part of the Building With Trees Recognition program, which was created in 1998 to recognize builders and developers who save trees during construction and land development. The annual Awards of Excellence honor the projects that best exemplify Building With Trees conservation concepts.

Residential, commercial, retail, industrial, public, and mixed-use projects of all sizes are eligible. Only completed developments can be entered, with projects of 200 units or more considered complete if at least 75 percent of the homes have been built. Projects must also be submitted within three years of completion.

Judging will be done by a jury of development industry and urban forestry professionals. Awards will be presented at the Arbor Day Foundation’s national Building With Trees Conference in March of 2001.

Judging criteria include creativity in and attention to protecting and planting trees during planning, design, and construction, and in providing for long-term tree care; commitment to tree protection by having a tree professional on the development team; inventorying existing trees and using that information to preserve trees; and communication of and adherence to tree protection goals throughout construction.

To receive entry information, write to Building With Trees Awards of Excellence, National Arbor Day Foundation, 211 North 12th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508, or contact the Awards Coordinator at (402) 474-5655.

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