American Forests Announces Partnership with Microsoft to Host Native Desert Plant Restoration in Arizona
Washington, D.C. February 19, 2019 – American Forests is proud to announce a collaboration with Microsoft to co-host a Native Desert Plant Restoration on the morning of February 26th at North Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona.
In collaboration with the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, American Forests’ local implementation partner, around fifty (50) volunteers from all around the country will come together to plant trees, cacti, and other native desert vegetation to help restore the natural landscape at North Mountain Park. The park is a part of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve which offers a wide array of trail options for hikers of all abilities and boasts two of the best summit climbs in Phoenix.
“We are excited to partner with Microsoft and the Arizona Sustainability Alliance to restore North Mountain Park in Phoenix for better habitat, recreation, climate change resilience, and more,” said Jad Daley, President and CEO of American Forests. “Restoring local landscapes like this one will raise awareness about the significant environmental, societal, and economic benefits of restoring forests and other native vegetation while engaging community stakeholders in improving their community at the same time.”
Volunteers will include local community members and stakeholders, Microsoft employees, and attendees of GreenBiz 19, an innovative sustainable business conference held annually at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort to promote sustainable business practices across industries.
“Our mission is to assist in the mitigation of the top environmental issues present in our datacenter communities through partnering with community leaders and strengthening local partnerships,” said Holly Beale, Microsoft’s program manager of datacenter community environmental sustainability. “As an integral and contributing member of the communities in which we operate, our vision is to inspire the adoption of innovative approaches to environmental responsibility and ignite action in protecting the natural and human environment.”
American Forests plants millions of trees each year in eight threatened and endangered priority landscapes and promotes urban forestry in 20 cities across the country. To achieve these goals, American Forests is proud to partner with good corporate citizens like Microsoft, who take environmental stewardship seriously and help enable American Forests to accomplish its mission to create healthy and resilient forests as a natural climate solution.
“Building and maintaining a healthy canopy in the Phoenix Metro Area has been successful because of partners like the ones we have today,” says Ashley Camhi, Executive Director of Arizona Sustainability Alliance. “We recognize that sustainability is the core of continued improvement in the lives of Arizonans and the protection of the state’s natural resources.”
To learn more American Forests and all of our generous corporate partners, please visit www.americanforests.org.
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About American Forests (Event Co-Host)
Founded in 1875, American Forests is the nation’s oldest conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s forests, but our work today is more important than ever because forests are a natural climate solution. Since 1990 alone, we have planted over 60 million trees in forest restoration projects in all 50 U.S. states. We have also worked in dozens of cities across America, expanding tree canopy and making our communities more sustainable, beautiful, and livable. Together, these projects recover hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, safeguard vital watersheds, absorb millions of tons of greenhouse gases and protect some of the most stunning landscapes in America.
About Microsoft (Event Co-Host and Sponsor)
Building strong communities through partnerships and engagement is an essential part of the Microsoft mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft is committed to the long-term health of the local communities in which our datacenters are located. Through the Talent, Workforce and Community Development initiative, we work to build community partnerships that deliver economic, social and environmental benefits.
About Arizona Sustainability Alliance (Implementation Partner)
The Arizona Sustainability Alliance is a nonpartisan, nonprofit with the mission to create and support cutting-edge, project-based sustainability solutions in Arizona. We provide help to a number of cities by cleaning up our local parks, planting trees, installing solar panels, and much more. We are committed to protecting our environment and promoting sustainable living through action and advocacy through civic engagement, collaboration and education. Our efforts are focused in 8 priority areas: Renewable Energy, Adopt-a-Park, Education, Sustainable Business, Water Resources Management, Sustainable Food Systems, Urban Forestry, and Cities.
Media Contact
Michael Woestehoff | Director of Communications | 202-507-3043 (direct) | mwoestehoff@americanforests.org