Enterprise’s 50 Million Tree Pledge Accounts for 20 Percent of Arbor Day Foundation’s Reforestation Program Plantings
ST. LOUIS, 2014-04-22 — /Travel PR News/ — For the ninth consecutive year, the Arbor Day Foundation will use funding from the Enterprise Holdings Foundation to plant 1 million trees throughout the United States, Canada and Europe as part of the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge. The one million trees planted each year account for approximately 20 percent of the Arbor Day Foundation’s annual reforestation plantings.
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation established the 50 Million Tree Pledge in 2006 to thank customers for their support throughout the company’s first 50 years. The Pledge is part of a public-private partnership with Enterprise, the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service. By the end of 2014, Enterprise will have cumulatively planted 9 million trees in areas with the most immediate reforestation needs.
“When we began our long-term commitment to support reforestation, we wanted to ensure we invested in projects that would have a lasting impact in the communities we serve,” said Lee Broughton, head of sustainability for Enterprise. “As many states are currently facing severe drought and other urgent reforestation needs, several of this year’s projects were selected to help restore forests that provide critical watershed protection to areas in need of clean water.”
To date, more than 8 million trees have been planted through the program in forests across Alabama, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Canada, Germany, the U.K. and Scotland. An interactive map of the plantings is on the Enterprise sustainability website, DrivingFutures.com.
According to the United Nations, almost one-fifth of the world’s population lives in regions with absolute water scarcity. Additionally, water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of the world’s population. As demand for clean water increases, so will the need for healthy forests.
“Water originating from national forests is generally the highest quality in the country,” said Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation vice president of programs and corporate partnerships. “Trees intercept rain, slow runoff and filter out pollutants before they enter our streams, lakes and rivers. In fact, more than half of the U.S. population enjoys healthy drinking water thanks to forests.”
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the 2014 tree planting projects will greatly help enhance and protect water resources for areas of the country suffering from drought. In California, Enterprise has committed to planting 100,000 trees in Modoc National Forest to address the damage caused by a 2012 fire that significantly affected the health of northern California’s watershed system. Additionally, Enterprise is planting 250,000 trees in Bastrop State Park in Texas to help restore 32,400 acres of lost forestland. These efforts will help improve water quality in the drought-ridden region, fill the urgent need to heal the land, reestablish natural ecosystems and provide critical habitat for wildlife.
Highlights for 2014
In 2014, for the second consecutive year, Enterprise employees will volunteer their time to help plant 39,000 donated trees at the newly dedicated Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. The 2,200- acre park is a permanent, living tribute that includes 40 groves of trees to commemorate the 40 men and women who lost their lives there on Sept. 11, 2001. Enterprise is also planting 10,000 trees as part of a new partnership with Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Germany’s forests.
In addition to the nearly 400,000 trees being cumulatively planted in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and Germany, the 50 Million Tree Pledge planting projects for 2014 include:
- 215,000 trees in Huron-Manistee National Forest, Michigan
- 111,000 trees in Seminole State Forest, Florida
- 100,000 trees in Gallatin National Forest, Montana
- 25,000 trees in Pike & San Isabel National Forests, Colorado
- 38,780 trees in Swan Lake First Nation Indian Reserve, Manitoba, Canada
- 8,220 trees to Ontario, Canada, specifically in Essex County, Ausable Bayfield watershed and Upper Thames River Valley watershed
- 3,000 trees in Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, British Columbia, Canada
- 100,000 trees to the Woodland Trust in the United Kingdom, specifically in Angus, Edinburgh & Lothians, Northern Ireland and North Yorkshire
More information about Enterprise’s environmental initiatives can be found at www.drivingfutures.com.
About Enterprise Holdings
Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management together offer a total transportation solution. Combined, these businesses – which include extensive car rental and car-sharing services, commercial truck rental, corporate fleet management and retail car sales – accounted for $16.4 billion in revenue, employed 78,000 and operated 1.4 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2013. Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates the largest fleet of vehicles in the world through a global network of neighborhood and airport locations under the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Enterprise Fleet Management provides full-service fleet management to companies and organizations with medium-sized fleets. Other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name include Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Rideshare, Enterprise Car Sales and Enterprise Commercial Trucks. Operating through its regional subsidiaries, Enterprise Holdings is the largest car rental company in the world as measured by revenue, fleet and employees. The Enterprise Holdings Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Enterprise Holdings.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.