2008 National Arbor Day Awards

Promise to the Earth Award

Doubletree Hotels

Doubletree Hotels launched a community outreach initiative in 2002 through the “Teaching Kids to Care” program, which has a mission to teach children about the importance of giving back in their own community. Since 2004, Doubletree has donated tree seedlings to schools, helped schools with special tree-planting events, provided opportunities for children to plant seedlings, and helped plant nearly 70,000 trees in America’s national forests. This year, Doubletree sponsored the production and launch of the new Nature Explore Traveling Exhibit, called “Exploring Trees Inside and Out.” Because of Doubletree’s generous contribution, thousands of children during the next three years will learn about the importance of nature.

Home Depot Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to creating healthy, livable communities through the integration of affordable housing built responsibly, and the preservation of community trees. In 2007 alone, the Foundation planted or restored more than 310,000 community trees and donated more than 530,000 hours of volunteer service by its employees. The Home Depot Foundation has teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation for 36 tree-planting events since 2006 throughout the country aimed at improving the health of community forests and creating inspiring experiences for thousands of children and adult volunteers.

This year’s winners are:

• Lifetime Stewardship Award

  • Dr. Peter Raven of St. Louis, MO

• Frederick Law Olmsted Award

  • Buck Abbey of Baton Rouge, LA

• Caroline French Morton Award

  • Jeunesse Park of Johannesburg, South Africa

• Lawrence Enersen Award

  • Debbie Mendelson of Woodside, CA

• Lady Bird Johnson Award

  • Green Streets for Omaha, NE

• Rachel Carson Award

  • Long Island Nature Collaborative for Kids of Long Island, NY

• Good Steward Award

  • Kurt Berger of Sugar Grove, PA
  • Johney Haralson of Denmark, SC
  • The Ziolkowski Family of Crazy Horse, SD

• Project Award

  • The City of Buffalo and Re-Tree Western New York of Buffalo, NY
  • Johnson City Housing Authority of Johnson City, TN
  • Rain to Recreation of Lenexa, KS
  • The USDA Forest Service Living Memorials Project of Newtown Square, PA

• Education Award

  • The Forest Where Ashley Lives by Mark and Ashley Vitosh of Ames, IA

• Media Award

  • If I Were a Tree by Dar Hosta of Flemington, NJ

• Celebration Award

  • Eastside Elementary School of Clewiston, FL

• Promise to the Earth Award

  • Doubletree Hotels
  • Home Depot Foundation