Maintaining and creating new green spaces are top urban greening priorities for Canadians

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation invites Canadians to help green where they live by planting 50,000 trees as part of TD Tree Days

• @TDNews_Canada & @TDFEF invite Canadians to #GreenWhereYouLive – sign up for a #TDTreeDays event in your community http://bit.ly/1xKEVNK (Tweet this)
• 67% of Canadians think green spaces are an important legacy for kids & future gens #TDTreeDays http://bit.ly/1xKEVNK @TDFEF @TDNews_Canada (Tweet this)
• 61% of Canadians think green spaces are important to the health of the community #TDTreeDays http://bit.ly/1xKEVNK @TDFEF @TDNews_Canada (Tweet this)

TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2015 /CNW/ - This September and October, TD FEF is inviting Canadians to roll up their sleeves and help green where they live by volunteering at TD Tree Days.  According to recent research from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), protecting existing green spaces (56%) and creating new ones (51%) are priorities when it comes to urban greening initiatives. Canadians polled strongly believe that these spaces are an important legacy for children and future generations (67%), important to the health of the community (61%), and help enhance economic value of the area (51%).

"We know that Canadians recognize the benefits of urban green spaces and care about environmental health," says Mary Desjardins, Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. "TD Tree Days is a fun, community event where a small investment of time pays off in lifelong environmental returns."

Now in its sixth year, TD Tree Days is a grassroots community tree planting program. As TD's flagship volunteer program – and part of TD Bank's TD Forests program – TD Tree Days provides TD employees and their families, customers and community partners the opportunity to support local environmental stewardship. In the last five years, thousands of volunteers have planted over 185,000 trees from coast to coast through TD Tree Days.

"By volunteering at TD Tree Days, I've been able to help green my community, which is something I'm very proud of," says Deon Jones, a long-time TD Tree Days volunteer. "It's been amazing to go back to the park where my nieces and I planted trees five years ago and see them flourishing. We've started a great family tradition of volunteering annually at TD Tree Days, and my hope is that they carry this passion for nature and the environment with them throughout their lives."

To see if there is a TD Tree Days planting in your community or for more information, visit tdtreedays.com.

About the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Poll
TD Bank Group commissioned Environics Research Group to conduct an online survey in English and French of 1,760 Canadians aged 18 years of age or older. Responses were collected between March 6 and 31, 2015.

About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
From schoolyard naturalization and energy conservation, to tree plantings and environmental education, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) is proud to provide funding to help sustain an incredible array of grassroots environmental programs across the country.  In 2014, TD FEF supported over 1,000 projects with $4.9 million in funding. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly basis, and TD Bank 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 funds environmental projects in the community in which the donation was made. For more information on how to donate and get involved in your community, visit tdfef.com.

About TD Forests
Launched in 2012, TD Forests is a major environmental program aimed at protecting critical North American forest habitat, and growing urban forests and green space. The program brings together TD's environment, community and employee programs related to forests and trees, as well as a major conservation initiative conducted through the Nature Conservancy of Canada and The Nature Conservancy in the United States that focuses on increasing the area of protected forest habitat in North America. 

SOURCE TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

or to arrange an interview please contact: Sheri Papps / Jessica Squibb, Paradigm Public Relations, 416-413-5207 / 416-413-5201, [email protected] / [email protected]; Amanda Tran, TD Bank Group, 416-983-7212, [email protected]