Goodbye concrete jungle, hello urban forest

- TD Green Streets announces 2010 grant recipients for tree planting initiatives -

TORONTO, April 27 /CNW/ - TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) and Tree Canada today announced the 20 chosen communities of the 2010 TD Green Streets program, which will each receive grants of up to $15,000, to green their neighbourhoods. The funds will be used for tree planting, inventory, maintenance and educational activities.

The selected applications for funding touch on a wide range of projects including removal of invasive species to revitalizing downtown streetscapes and supporting community planting programs. TD Green Streets received applications for funding from 110 municipalities, Business Improvement Areas and First Nations communities this year, making it a record year for the program.

"The overwhelming number of innovative ideas we received from communities across the country demonstrates a deep-rooted understanding that trees have a positive impact on our communities," says Mary Desjardins, Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. "We're proud to support other community programs to make greener streets a priority where we live and work."

The winning municipalities include:

    
    County of Prince Edward, ON             Ville de Laval, QC
    Township of North Dundas, ON            Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC
    Town of Collingwood, ON                 Town of Stratford, PEI
    Town of the Blue Mts., Thornbury, ON    Town of Annapolis Royal, NS
    City of Waterloo, ON                    City of Moncton, NB
    City of Mississauga, ON                 City of Leduc, AB
    Squamish BIA, BC                        Town of Drayton Valley, AB
    Snuneymuxw First Nation, BC             Town of Swan River, MB
    City of Surrey, BC                      City of Red Deer, AB
    District of West Kelowna, BC            Village of Montmatre, SK
    

"The City of Moncton is pleased that our application to the TD Green Streets program has been accepted. As a municipality, we are committed to environmental sustainability and we believe our citizens benefit from a greener city which increases the health of and quality of life in our community. Thanks to TD Green Streets we will be planting more trees along our riverfront to enhance the tree canopy in our downtown and along our riverside trails," said Mayor George LeBlanc.

How recipients were chosen:

Applications to the 2010 TD Green Streets program were open to Canadian municipalities, First Nations communities and Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) in Vancouver and Toronto. All submissions were reviewed by regional Tree Canada Advisors, Board Members, urban forest practitioners and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation representatives based on innovation, community involvement and technical expertise.

"Working with TD FEF is a significant step forward in our efforts to create successful, self-sustaining green spaces in communities across the country," says Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. "Green Streets began in 1994, and 2010 is the most successful year on record. We want to thank the Foundation and commend the municipalities, First Nations communities and Business Improvement Associations who applied for funding this year."

For more information on the 2010 TD Green Streets winning submissions, visit www.tdgreenstreets.ca.

About Tree Canada:

Tree Canada is a not-for-profit charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees. To date, more than 76 million trees have been planted, more than 450 schoolyards have been greened, and Tree Canada has organized 8 national urban forest conferences. More information about Tree Canada is available at www.treecanada.ca.

About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation:

Since 1990, TD FEF has provided more than $52 million in funding to over 18,700 grassroots environment and wildlife projects across Canada. In 2009, TD FEF provided more than $4.1 million in support of 899 projects. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly basis and TD Bank Financial Group contributes in excess of $1 million annually. TD also covers the management costs of running TD FEF, which guarantees 100 per cent of every dollar donated goes directly to funding environment and wildlife projects in the community where the donation was made. For more information on how to donate and get involved in your community, visit www.tdfef.com.

For further information: or to arrange an interview please contact: Gregory Harrison, TD, [phone], [email protected]; Karen McCullough, Sinead Brown, Paradigm Public Relations, [phone], [email protected], [email protected]; Melissa Nisbett, Tree Canada, [phone] ext. 224, [email protected]