Ideal Bite

Want to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Appleseed, minus the mileage?

04.27.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Thu, 04/27/2006 - 5:00pm.

The Bite:

This Arbor Day, spend a little green to plant a little green. Plant a tree, or contribute to an organization that plants trees and watch your donation grow, literally.

The Benefits:

Show your lungs some love. Trees purify the air and prevent global warming by absorbing up to 800 lbs of CO2 every year.
Spend money to make money. Trees provide wildlife habitat, scenery, and shade while increasing property values, and donations to the organizations we’ve listed are tax-deductible.
Cooler home, hotter savings! Trees planted on the west and south sides of a building can reduce cooling costs by 8-18%.
Curb erosion. Trees intercept up to 36% of the rainfall around them, minimizing floods and water pollution caused by stormwater runoff.

Personally Speaking:

When Heather was a kid, she brought an Arbor Day tree home from school to plant. It’s a monstrous shade tree now, thwarting her parent’s garden sunlight (note to self: trees get a LOT bigger over 25 years, so place them carefully).

Wanna Try:

American Forests - plants trees around the U.S. and specifically in regions affected by Hurricane Katrina. Also, you can purchase a planting in memoriam.
The National Arbor Day Foundation - receive 10 free trees with membership.
Adopt-a-Rainforest - preserve rainforest acreage worldwide.
Locate a tree-planting organization in your state and volunteer.

Cocktail Fact

Nebraska is the only state where Arbor Day is observed as a public holiday. Judges, librarians, and other state employees all have the day off to plant a tree or four.