On June 16, 2014, twin EF4 tornadoes ripped through the small town of Pilger, NE. More than three-fourths of the town was destroyed, and two people lost their lives. Black Hills Energy, the energy provider for the community, was onsite shortly after the storm to provide emergency service. But these people were like family to the BHE employees, so the company wanted to do more to help support the future of the town.

Because Black Hills Energy provides free trees to customers through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program to help reduce their energy bills, it only seemed natural for them to work through the program to help replant trees in the community. They teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation and headed out with trees and shovels. This effort was about not only providing future energy savings but also greening up the community and providing some much-needed hope. Watch the recap video now to see the impact first-hand.

Is your energy provider an Energy-Saving Trees partner? If not, talk to them about the benefits of helping reduce energy use through strategic tree planting.