RONA Donates $100,000 to Reforest Canada's First Near-Urban National Park

Rouge Valley reforestation project kicks off partnership with David Suzuki Foundation

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, April 16, 2012 /CNW/ - RONA inc. announced today a commitment to reforest what will be Canada's first near-urban National Park - the Rouge Valley. The project is the first initiative of RONA's new partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) that supports reforestation in urban areas across Canada. At the end of the partnership, RONA will have donated over $300,000 to these reforestation programs.

The partnership kicks off with tree planting events on May 5 and June 2 hosted by RONA and DSF in the Rouge Valley in Toronto.  The Rouge Valley tree planting is open to the public and encourages consumers to help make their community healthy and green. Interested participants can sign up for Rouge Valley tree plantings at local RONA stores or at www.davidsuzuki.org/rouge.

"This partnership is part of our commitment to make sustainability a core tenet to our business.  Sustainability guides our choices and governs the way we operate - from our products to our people to our local communities," said Robert Dutton, President and CEO of RONA.  "Canadians want to make sustainable choices that limit their own environmental footprint, and we are proud to offer ways for them to do so - one tree at a time."

Homeowners are encouraged to 'reforest' their backyards with RONA's curated collection of 29 Ontario-grown trees and shrubs.  The collection was selected with the help of DSF and will carry a special DSF-tag that provides easy instructions on how to nurture and grow these new plants, and provide hints on the best places for growth around the home.  The DSF-tagged trees and shrubs will be available April 29 in select RONA stores across Ontario.*

"We are thrilled to partner with RONA to help restore and enhance nature in the Rouge and in people's own backyards," said Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation. "RONA's partnership will help reforest the future site of Canada's first near-urban National Park and make it easy for customers to find native species to plant in their neighbourhood. We commend RONA for this program and making sustainability a fundamental part of their business."

RONA is strongly committed to demonstrating leadership in sustainable development.  It is forging ahead on several fronts to make it easier for Canadian consumers to adopt more environmentally friendly habits, while striving to reduce its own environmental footprint.  RONA offers an extensive line of eco-responsible hardware and home renovation products that are approved by the International Chair in Life Cycle Assessment, a research unit of the CIRAIG at Montreal's École Polytechnique.  RONA ECO and eco-responsible products must leave a smaller ecological footprint than equivalent conventional products through at least one or more stages of their life cycle.

RONA also offers products sourced from sustainably managed woodlands certified under three recognized programs:  the Forest Products Marking Program (CSA), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). RONA has received Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certification for wood products purchased from every wood supplier and can trace the origin for softwood lumber sold in its corporate stores.

For more information on RONA and its sustainability initiatives, please visit www.ronaeco.ca.

* Selection may vary by store

About RONA
RONA inc. (TSX: RON,RON.PR.A), is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products and operates a network of more than 800 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores of various sizes and formats. With close to 30,000 employees working under its family of banners in every region of Canada, the RONA store network generates more than $6 billion in annual retail sales. Visit rona.ca

About David Suzuki Foundation (DSF)
The David Suzuki Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding solutions for living within the limits of nature and mobilizing Canadians to make their communities healthy and green. www.davidsuzuki.org

Media Contacts
Michelle Laberge
RONA Inc.
[email protected]
514.599.5114

Matt Roth
MSL Canada
[email protected]
416.847.1305

Jode Roberts
David Suzuki Foundation
[email protected]
647.456.9752