The U.S. Conference of Mayors and The Home Depot Foundation Announce Winners of Annual Awards of Excellence for Community Trees Program MIAMI, June 20
MIAMI, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors(R) and The
Home Depot(R) Foundation today announced Sacramento Tree Foundation and New
Jersey Tree Foundation as winners of the third annual Awards of Excellence for
Community Trees at The Conference of Mayors 76th Annual Meeting in Miami. The
grant awards program was created to showcase the success and benefits of
public/private partnerships in developing healthy communities through the
strategic use of trees.
The City of Sacramento, Calif. led by Mayor Heather Fargo and Sacramento
Tree Foundation won first place and $75,000 in the Large City Category for its
Greenprint Initiative, a regional partnership between government agencies,
nonprofit organizations and businesses to increase investment in urban tree
planting, urban forest management and community education. This initiative is
a critical component to the region's sustainability and livability goals.
Elected officials throughout the Sacramento region have participated in the
initiative and have shared best practices, developed community partnerships
and committed to planting five million new trees.
The City of Camden, N.J. under the leadership of Mayor Gwendolyn Faison
and New Jersey Tree Foundation won first place and $75,000 in the Small City
Category for its Urban Airshed Reforestation Program. Developed in 2002 with
$1 million from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the
community-based tree planting initiative has established 77 partnerships
between community groups; planted more than 2,500 trees; engaged more than
4,600 volunteers; and created an environment where residents are unified and
motivated to improve their neighborhoods with trees.
"As our nation focuses more and more on environmental preservation, the
health and economic benefits of trees become increasingly evident," said
Douglas H. Palmer, president of The U.S. Conference of Mayors and mayor of
Trenton, N.J. "We are grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for its commitment
to helping raise awareness about the importance of city trees and rewarding
communities that leverage the social, economic and environmental benefits of
their urban forests."
Both The Home Depot Foundation and The Conference of Mayors understand the
pivotal role trees play in improving quality of life. This program encourages
nonprofit partners and government officials to recognize and utilize green
infrastructure in cities across the country.
"Now in the third year of the program, we have seen a definitive shift in
the way mayors and city governments view urban forestry. More and more we're
seeing cities valuing their trees as a part of their infrastructure, just like
sidewalks and sewers, and recognizing the return they receive on their
investment in trees," said Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot
Foundation. "The programs being recognized are stellar examples of the
sustainable, green communities that can be achieved through strong
partnerships between city governments and nonprofit organizations."
From nearly 100 applicants, 10 award submissions were selected as
finalists and reviewed and debated by an independent advisory committee
comprised of experts in the fields of urban forestry, environmental science
and sustainable community development. Committee members included
representatives from the USDA Forest Service, National Arbor Day Foundation(R)
and Alliance for Community Trees(R), among others.
In addition to the winners, five cities and their nonprofit partners were
presented with runner-up and honorable mention awards. In total, The Home
Depot Foundation is awarding more than $210,000 to support urban forestry
initiatives across the country. While both the city and the nonprofit partner
were recognized, the grants were awarded to the nonprofit partner to be used
at their discretion to further the goal of promoting healthy, more stable
communities through the strategic use and management of trees in these urban
areas.
Award Recipients:
Large City Category (population 100,000 or more)
-- Winner ($75,000) - City of Sacramento, Calif. and Sacramento Tree
Foundation
-- Runner-up ($25,000) - City of Atlanta and Trees Atlanta
-- Second Runner-up ($5,000) - City of Seattle and Cascade Land
Conservancy
-- Honorable Mention ($2,500) - City of Milwaukee and Greening Milwaukee
Small City Category (population 100,000 or less)
-- Winner ($75,000) - City of Camden, N.J. and New Jersey Tree Foundation
-- Runner-up ($25,000) - City of Carmel, Ind. and Citizens For Greenspace
-- Honorable Mention ($2,500) - City of Waverly, Iowa and Trees Forever
The overarching goals of the Awards of Excellence program is not only to
celebrate the achievements of local organizations, but also to provide
opportunities for The Home Depot Foundation's nonprofit partners - both new
and existing - to share their experiences, key learnings, challenges and best
practices. For more information and to view case studies of past award
recipients, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org/award_winners.html .
Information about the Awards of Excellence for Community Trees and Urban
Forestry application process for 2008 will be available in November at
www.homedepotfoundation.org .
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community
building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to
building homes for working families that are healthy to live in and affordable
to own. To make homes healthy and affordable, the Foundation encourages
developers to incorporate responsible design and use durable and quality
materials to ensure that homes are more energy and water efficient, have good
indoor air quality, and provide a safe and healthy space to live. Since its
formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $70 million to nonprofit
organizations and supported the development of more than 50,000 affordable,
healthy homes. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org .
About U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of
cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the
country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected
official, the mayor.
SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
