PHOENIX, March 16, 2017 /CNW/ -- U-Haul is pleased to
announce it has surpassed $300,000 in
customer contributions to Tree Canada, a non-profit organization
dedicated to planting trees in Canada.
Since 1945, U-Haul has been committed to conducting business in
a socially responsible manner to protect the environment. This
commitment is reflected in providing customers the option of
contributing to Tree Canada's Grow Clean Air program to offset their carbon emissions at
the time of moving equipment rental.
More than 140,000 customers at U-Haul locations across
Canada have contributed
approximately $305,000 since the
partnership began in December 2011,
helping to plant 38,031 trees to date. These trees will absorb
nearly 42,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide through their lives,
providing cleaner air to breathe. Every cent of contributions
collected go to Tree Canada for the planting and care of native
trees, which will provide habitats for wildlife and preserve
natural ecosystems.
"The partnership and alignment of values between Tree Canada and
U-Haul Canada are strong indicators of our commitment to the
Canadian citizens," said Jake
Spelic, U-Haul Area District Vice President based in
Ontario. "An optional donation to
Tree Canada at checkout offers our customers an opportunity to
offset their self-move carbon footprint and give back in the form
of tree planting, forest restoration and protection of existing
trees from devastating pests through immunizations. Overwhelmingly,
our customers get this and embrace the opportunity."
The first planting for the U-Haul-Tree Canada partnership
occurred October 2014 with 5,000
seedlings in Sudbury. In 2015,
U-Haul customer contributions provided 20,000 trees to reforest
Kamloops in an area severely
devastated by mountain pine beetles and wildfires. Thanks to U-Haul
customers, Tree Canada has protected and/or repopulated the tree
supply in Peterborough (2015),
Coquitlam (2016), Calgary (2016) and Niagara Falls (2016).
This spring, U-Haul customer contributions will help sponsor
Tree Canada's #OperationReLeaf Fort McMurray to reforest the areas
ravaged by the fires in 2016.
"Being a responsible corporate citizen in Canada is our Company's mandate," said
Jennifer Anstett, U-Haul Area
District Vice President based in British
Columbia. "We have helped to plant trees in a variety of
locations to support local communities and reforest areas so future
generations may enjoy them. I am truly looking forward to our new
initiative in which we will plant trees in Fort McMurray. The most recent fires
devastated the community and the forests surrounding it."
Michael Rosen, President of Tree
Canada, noted that he is extremely pleased to be partnering with
U-Haul for the Grow Clean Air program.
"U-Haul has clearly demonstrated its commitment to improving the
environment while continuing to provide excellent service to its
customers," Rosen said. "We look forward to continue working with
U-Haul on all their future greening initiatives."
Learn more about what U-Haul is doing in your community by
visiting myuhaulstory.com.
About U-Haul
U-Haul was founded by a Navy veteran who grew up during the
Great Depression. Tires and gas were still rationed or in short
supply during the late 1940s when U-Haul began serving U.S.
customers. Today, that background is central to the U-Haul
Sustainability Program: "Serving the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs." Our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle includes
fuel-efficient moving vans, neighborhood proximity, moving box
reuse, moving pads made from discarded material and packing peanuts
that are 100 percent biodegradable. Learn more about these facts
and others at uhaul.com/sustainability.
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a non-profit
charity dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians by planting
and nurturing trees. Since 1992, we've planted more than 80 million
trees, greened more than 550 schoolyards, helped restore places hit
by natural disasters and brought together urban forestry experts
greening cities all across Canada.
Get involved or learn more about us at treecanada.ca.
Contact:
Jeff
Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com
SOURCE U-Haul