Green thumbs are in season as ComEd deploys 3,300 trees just in time for Arbor Day
April 25, 2022
“The environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”—Lady Bird Johnson, former First Lady
What better way to celebrate the environment than to help broaden its life-preserving green spaces?
In honor of Arbor Day, ComEd will donate over 3,300 trees and shrubs to communities across northern Illinois to expand green spaces across its service territory. A collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program, ComEd recognizes the important role that trees play in maintaining clean air and community spaces, as well as the positive impact on energy efficiency for customers. This year’s distribution will provide trees to 255 communities over the coming weeks.
“At ComEd, we are committed to protecting green space and lowering energy usage and carbon emissions for all 9 million people in our service territory,” said ComEd CEO Gil C. Quiniones. “In collaboration with Arbor Day Foundation and communities across the region, we are donating 3,300 trees this spring to help neutralize carbon pollution, generate cleaner air, and promote green spaces that enhance quality of life across all our communities.”
Celebrated on the last Friday in April, Arbor Day is marked by the planting of trees and emphasizes caring for them to sustainably protect our planet’s natural resources.
“Trees are essential to creating more urban green spaces in communities across the United States,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “In addition, they provide important benefits to residents, including clean air, clean water, and vital tree shade. Service providers like ComEd demonstrate how easily trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and residents.
More than 30,000 trees and shrubs
Since the program launched in 2015, ComEd has donated more than 30,000 low-growing trees and shrubs— that will not interfere with power lines and cause outages—to residential and municipal customers. Some of the plant species include: Bayberry, Eastern Redbud, Meadowsweet, Ninebark, Dogwood, Hydrangea and Viburnum.
The Energy Savings Trees program has shown benefits including air pollution improvements, reduced storm water runoff, and lowered energy costs for customers by helping to cool homes. Since ComEd’s participation in the Energy-Saving Trees program began, the program has helped save over 51 million kilowatt hours and sequester 31.6 million pounds of carbon. The projections equate to taking 4,700 homes off the grid and 6,700 cars off the road every year, respectively. ComEd’s participation in the program is expected to generate air, water, carbon and energy savings valued at $247,000 this year alone, with the long-term impact of ComEd tree donations made to date expected to generate energy savings totaling $7.8 million over the next 20 years.
The annual tree giveaway is just one example of ComEd’s strong track record on environmental stewardship.
Click here to learn more about ComEd’s commitment to the environment.
