100,000 Trees and Counting!

This month, Dominion is celebrating a major milestone for one of its most successful green education programs. Project Plant It! has provided 100,000 trees to students since the program launched in 2007. The equivalent of more than 250 acres of new forest land will be created if all 100,000-plus tree seedlings are planted and grow to maturity, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Now in its fifth year, Project Plant It!, is a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. It was developed to educate children about the important role of trees in the ecosystem and to improve the environment by planting trees. The program operates in seven states: Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and, the newest addition in 2011, Wisconsin.

Teachers participating in Project Plant It! receive a comprehensive kit of instructional materials, including creative lesson plans, posters, Arbor Day Ranger stickers and certificates for each student. At the conclusion of the program, each student receives a tree seedling to plant at home on Arbor Day, April 29th (tomorrow!). The educational materials and the tree seedlings are provided by Dominion at no cost to the schools.

Information about Project Plant It! and the lesson plans, as well as videos about planting and caring for trees, interactive games and family-friendly outdoor projects, are available at: www.projectplantit.com. A new feature to the website this year was "Tree Me!," a creativity contest that invited students to dress like different parts of a tree and submit a photo of their People Tree for a chance to win a $2,000 cash prize.

The Squirrels Nest is Going Green!

It’s that time of year again folks! April - what we like to call “Earth Month” around the office - is here again. April 22, this Friday, is Earth Day and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than taking part in one of Richmond’s (and America’s!) favorite pastimes.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels, our local baseball team, is celebrating Earth Day at Friday’s game. The field won’t be the only thing that’s green on Friday; in support of Earth Day and the Squirrels, the Dominion Green Power℠ program will be “greening” the event.

What does it mean that this event is “green” you ask? Dominion Green Power can purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) on behalf of an event to help reduce their environmental footprint and become more “green.” The purchase of RECs allows the event to claim and communicate the environmental benefits such as megawatt-hours of renewable energy supported and tons of carbon dioxide emissions prevented.

In addition to greening the event, the Dominion Green Power folks will be set up outside the nest educating attendees on the program. (Be sure to stop by and participate in the Green Resolution Contest we wrote about a couple of weeks ago!)

So grab all your friends and join the Energy Conservation team at the game for an evening of environmentally-friendly fun!

Walk to work and don’t forget your….

Ever since Tom rode his bike to work, there has been lots of buzz (and a little trash talking) going around the office for when I was going to walk to work. After months of hearing the taunting, I knew it was time I strap on the sneakers and make the trek. Never backing down from a challenge, there was no way I would let someone out do me on the eco-friendly scale!

Last Thursday, bright and early I was up and ready to conquer the walk to work. Not only does walking have a number of eco-friendly aspects such as no gas consumption and no pollution, it’s also one less day of wear and tear on the car. And with gas prices at $3.75/gallon, it’s nice on the wallet, too. My lunch was packed, clothes picked out, I was ready to roll…and then… I looked outside. I thought to myself, “it’s going to rain, I know it. You have to be kidding me.” In a half awake state, I made it over to the computer to check the forecast, rain all day. Okay, there was no way I could make the trek in the rain; I had important meetings that I needed to look professional for. Back to sleep for an extra 20 minutes, let’s table the walk for next week.

Fast forward to Monday morning and there’s no way I would wimp out again. I’m up over an hour earlier than normal, made my way downstairs and fixed a mega breakfast. I packed up my clothes, packed up my gym bag, and grabbed my iPod on the way out the door in shorts and my favorite Cubs t-shirt. It’s early, the sun is starting to peak up, and I have a 2.5 mike hike ahead of me.

• 10 minutes into the walk, this isn’t so bad. It’s refreshing, I’m feeling eco-minded, and the tunes are playing smooth. I’m diggin’ this walk, we’re onto something here.
• 25 minutes into the walk, this still isn’t so bad. I’ve got a nice sweat going, but if it’s for using less energy, I’m down for it.
• 45 minutes into the walk, I get into the office, head on down to the locker room with my gym bag, ready to take a shower and get ready for the official work day.

Dress shoes, check. Dress socks, check, Dress pants….YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! Awwww man, I left them at home. Is this really happening? I’m two and a half mile away from home, without a car…and without pants!!

After a coworker in the locker room calms his laughing, he tosses me his keys so I can drive home and grab some dress pants. Still can’t believe it, trying to be eco-friendly and here I am in a car, driving the same trip I just walked!

Once the workday came to a close, it was time to make the trek back home, hopefully this time I remember to bring everything I need with me. Right out of the gate, it’s 83 degrees and uphill, but walking in the shade makes it pretty nice. Richmond is much more alive in the afternoon; the VCU ultimate frisbee team is out practicing, countless other students are riding their bikes to class, and people are out grabbing happy hour drinks at the local bars. Walking home was a nice way to decompress from the workday and spend some time outside.

All in all, walking to and from work was a really easy eco-friendly/conservation thing to do. I saved a few bucks on gas; I was one less car on the road, and I got in a few more miles of exercise I wouldn’t normally have had. But the biggest take away from this experience: Don’t forget your pants.

Make Your Green Resolution

If you received your March bill in the mail, you might have also noticed an insert asking you to make an Earth Day resolution by enrolling in the Dominion Green Power program (which we also blogged about last month!).

Dominion Green Power is taking that Earth Day resolution concept a step further by encouraging everyone to think about how you can make your life a little greener this month by making your own Green Resolution - and be eligible to win a prize!

A Green Resolution can be anything from turning off the lights when you leave the room, using ceiling fans instead of air conditioning, starting a recycling program at work, or enrolling in the Dominion Green Power program.

All you have to do is think of what your Green Resolution will be, write it down on the leaf which you can download here, take a photo illustrating your Green Resolution, and submit your photo and resolution to GreenPower@dom.com. Then stay tuned to view submitted photos and see if your resolution won. Winning entries will receive a prize!

The options for being more green are endless, so get your creative juices flowing and let us know what your Green Resolution is!