Monday, April 20, 2009

Happy Earth, Happy People!


Thank you San Antonio for helping us make our 2nd annual Earth Day Event a smash! We are so excited to be a part of the neighborhood , community, and this big wonderful world. In the last 2 years we have given away over 500 trees in honor of Earth Day. Here's a little statistic to think about:
"The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day."—U.S. Department of Agriculture
"Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home." — American Public Power Association
"If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%." —Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research
"A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000." —Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers
"In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%." —Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests
"Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent."—Management Information Services/ICMA
"One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people."—U.S. Department of Agriculture
"There are about 60-to 200- million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs."—National Wildlife Federation
"Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 - 50 percent in energy used for heating."—USDA Forest Service

Some estimates conclude that 100 trees remove up to five tons of CO2, 400 pounds of ozone, and 300 pounds of small particulate matter. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service determined that trees in New York City annually removed more than 1,800 metric tons of air pollution from that city’s atmosphere, and estimated that the value of this service to society was approximately $9.5 million.

Keep it green!
Thanks San Antonio!
~Donna

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