What can a tree do for you? According to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees can help clean the air, contribute to our health, benefit wildlife and more.
This past Saturday, Sempra Energy and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) employees made a sustainable impact on their community – one tree at a time. Nearly 100 employees and their families volunteered their time at Balboa Park to plant 26 trees and help beautify the park’s natural environment. This effort is in line with the company’s commitment to doing the right thing by prioritizing environmental sustainability and strong corporate citizenship.
Given its size, Balboa Park is well-positioned to play a role in reducing harmful carbon emissions that lead to poor air quality. Trees planted in the 12,000-acre park can help reduce carbon emissions by absorbing the pollutants and releasing pure oxygen.
Team Sempra/SDG&E employees helped with planting the trees, raking, weeding and debris removal, all in support of the Balboa Park Conservancy’s Tree Balboa Park initiative, which aims to reforest the park with 500 new trees over two years. SDG&E also donated $20,000 to the Balboa Park Conservancy to help plant new trees and maintain existing trees within the park.
Saturday’s tree-planting effort was made possible through a special initiative with the San Diego Padres last season called “Broken Bats for Brand New Trees.” The initiative involved dedicating funds to the Balboa Park Conservancy for every bat broken at Petco Park during the San Diego Padres last season.
The Sempra Energy family of companies are committed to sustaining strong relationships in the communities they serve through projects like this one, which is part of the partnership with the Balboa Park Conservancy, an organization included in SDG&E’s Environmental Champions Initiative.
Other partners in the volunteer effort included Tree San Diego, Urban Corps and the City of San Diego Parks & Recreation Department.
