PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Contact: Michael Brown, (309) 454-3169 x.11
In 2021, with the help of hundreds of donors and volunteers and multiple partner organizations, the Ecology Action Center (EAC) successfully led the planting of 10,000 new trees in McLean County under a new initiative called the Tree Corps. But that was just year one of a planned 10+ year effort; 2022 brings a new Tree Corps campaign–Putting Down Roots!
“Trees are the answer,” says EAC Executive Director Michael Brown. “Air quality improvement for public health. Carbon sequestration to reduce the impacts of climate change. Watershed protection. Increased habitat and food sources for native pollinators and other native wildlife. Increased shade for cooling of urban areas with a lot of pavement. Trees do it all.”
The Ecology Action Center is seeking donations and sponsorships to make this large-scale tree effort happen. “No donation is too small or too large,” says Brown, “whether you are covering the cost of one tree by donating $5 or 200 trees by donating $1000, it all makes a difference.” Donations are currently being accepted at the EAC’s Tree Corps webpages.
The EAC invites groups to work together towards a collective fundraising goal by forming a “Tree Team” with friends, coworkers, family, or other groups. Setting a larger goal of $500 or $1000 for more trees is much easier to achieve as group and the EAC’s website makes Tree Team collaboration easy.
Tree Teams or individuals are also needed to help with planting workdays to get the trees in the ground this spring. The first planting workdays are scheduled for April 9 and 10 at Heartland Community College.
The 2022 Tree Corps Putting Down Roots Campaign is a partnership between the Ecology Action Center, Heartland Community College, Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District, Sugar Grove Nature Center, ParkLands Foundation, and the Friends of Constitution Trail.
The Ecology Action Center is a not-for-profit environmental agency with a mission to inspire and assist residents of McLean County in creating, strengthening and preserving a healthy environment. The EAC acts as a central resource for environmental education, information, outreach, and technical assistance in McLean County.
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