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April 25, 2008
Nearly 20,000 Students Planting Trees as Part
of Dominion's "Project Plant It!"
- 20,000 trees is the equivalent of 40 acres of new forest land
- Environmental program includes classroom instruction on trees
and their benefits
RICHMOND, Va. — Nearly 20,000 elementary students in
217 schools in four states are participating this week in Dominion’s Project
Plant It! program, a community effort to educate children, plant trees
and improve the environment.
More than 15,000 students in Virginia and more than 4,000
students in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are participating in
the Project Plant It! partnership among Dominion, the Arbor
Day Foundation and selected school districts where the company does business.
The program was successfully piloted last year in Virginia and will reach more
than twice as many students this year.
The Project Plant It! program includes classroom
lessons and activities about trees. Each child will receive a tree seedling
to plant at home or other special place, and some classes will plant trees on
school grounds on Arbor Day, which is Friday, April 25. The Virginia Department
of Forestry equates Dominion’s donation of 20,000 tree seedlings to planting
about 40 acres of new forest land.
"Project Plant It! offers students a
hands-on experience as they learn about the value of trees in the ecosystem,"
said Eva T. Hardy, Dominion executive vice president-Public Policy & Corporate
Communications. "The students can watch the trees grow as they grow. Project
Plant It! is both educational and fun."
Teachers participating in the program received lesson plans
and classroom materials that are designed to help meet specific educational
standards in their state.
"Project Plant It! is enabling nearly
20,000 children to recognize the many benefits that trees provide. Through Dominion,
this partnership is helping us achieve our mission to inspire people to plant,
nurture and celebrate trees," said John Rosenow, chief executive of the
Arbor Day Foundation.
Additional information on Project Plant It!
for students, teachers and parents is available by visiting the program’s
Web site at http://www.projectplantit.com.
The interactive site includes videos featuring Dominion foresters and enables
students to ask the foresters questions and tell them stories about the trees
they plant.
The Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of nearly
one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and
celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be
found at http://arborday.org.
Dominion
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio
of approximately 26,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy
customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's
Web site at http://www.dom.com.
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