KIB Receives $10,000 NeighborWoods Grant for 2012 Super Bowl Tree Initiative

INDIANAPOLIS – (March 4, 2010) Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. announced today that it will receive a $10,000 grant from Alliance for Community Trees and The Home Depot Foundation in support of its “2012 by 2012” tree planting initiative.

For this program, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful has partnered with the Indianapolis 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee and the Near Eastside Legacy Project to achieve the goal of planting 2012 trees on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis by the 2012 Super Bowl.

The “2012 by 2012” initiative is an extension of KIB’s NeighborWoods program; an urban forestry effort that aims to plant 100,000 trees by 2017. The trees planted as part of the program will continue to impact Indianapolis and the surrounding areas long after the 2012 Super Bowl. “Thanks to the leadership and financial support of The Home Depot Foundation, we’re making investments in neighborhoods where the benefits of trees are needed the most. Trees provide clean air, energy savings for homeowners, and healthier play spaces for kids,” said Alice Ewen, executive director for the Alliance for Community Trees. Studies show that:

• When planted to provide shade and windbreaks, as few as three trees can reduce residential utility costs by as much as 50%.
• Residential property values are 5-12% higher when landscaping includes trees.
• Children exhibit greater concentration and self-control, even displaying fewer symptoms of ADHD, when they are provided with daily access to green settings.
• Children who live on tree-lined streets have lower rates of asthma.
• Trees along roadways encourage slower and safer driving; tree-lined streets have fewer accidents.

For more information about the “2012 by 2012” tree planting initiative or other Keep Indianapolis Beautiful programs visit www.kibi.org.

About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit engaging neighborhoods in environmental and community improvement projects throughout the city. The mission of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is to unite people to build community and transform public spaces through aesthetic and environmental improvement. To learn more, visit www.kibi.org.

About Alliance for Community Trees
Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) is dedicated to ensuring clean air, green streets, and healthy neighborhoods by planting and caring for trees. With 160 grassroots affiliates in 41 states and Canada, ACT engages volunteers to take action to improve the environment where 80% of people live – in urban areas. Together, ACT member organizations have planted and cared for 15 million trees in cities with help from 10.7 million volunteer hours. For more information, visit www.actrees.org.

About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation was created in 2002 to further the community building goals of The Home Depot. The Home Depot Foundation is dedicated to building affordable homes for working families that are healthy to live in and affordable to own. To make homes healthy and affordable, the Foundation encourages developers to incorporate responsible design and use durable and quality materials to ensure that homes are more energy and water efficient, have good indoor air quality, and provide a safe and healthy space to live. Since its formation, The Home Depot Foundation has granted $120 million to nonprofit organizations and supported the development of more than 65,000 affordable, healthy homes. For more information, visit www.homedepotfoundation.org.