TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, has selected Worcester Tree Initiative (a program of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill) to participate in TD Tree Days, a community-based program that expands urban forests and green spaces in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. Staff and volunteers of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill will join local employees of TD Bank to plant 36 native trees and shrubs on West Boylston Drive in Worcester on Friday, October 18, 2019.
“We’re excited to team with New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill during TD Tree Days to benefit the community and elevate the quality of the environment,” said Joe Doolan, TD Bank’s Head of Environmental and Community Partnerships. “At TD, we’re driven by a central belief that together we can break down barriers and help build inclusive futures, where everyone can succeed in a changing world. Through The Ready Commitment, TD’s corporate citizenship platform, we support initiatives that will ensure a sustainable future for all. TD Tree Days is one of many programs that help promote a more vibrant planet by providing green spaces where they are most needed. Trees do much more than beautify our communities – they produce oxygen; improve air quality and slow climate change by reducing carbon emissions, airborne pollutants and smog; provide cooling shade to reduce energy costs; and enhance quality of life.”
Now in its 10th year, the TD Tree Days program brings together community members and TD employees at planting events in communities from Maine to Florida. Founded in 2010, the program has positively impacted communities and the environment as TD’s flagship volunteer and urban greening program, planting nearly 400,000 native trees and shrubs, primarily in Canada and the U.S., and is managed with support from the Arbor Day Foundation. Under The Ready Commitment platform, TD pledges to plant 1 million trees in North America by 2030, and the TD Tree Days program will count toward that goal.
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is one of 18 organizations in the United States chosen to participate in TD Tree Days through an application process. The Worcester Tree Initiative (WTI) of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill works with community partners to plan and execute impactful plantings that benefit neighborhoods throughout the Worcester area and beyond. In the West Boylston Street neighborhood, they are joining a grassroots community effort in a multi–year project to reclaim an overgrown lot adjacent to a highway. “We are excited to participate in TD Tree Days because this project is so important to the people of this neighborhood. Seeing it completed will validate their years of hard work to beautify and improve their community,“ said Derek Lirange, the WTI Community Forester who will be leading this planting.
In addition to Worcester, TD Tree Days events are scheduled in these communities this fall: Hartford, Connecticut; Homestead, Jacksonville and Miami, Florida; Mattapan and Gardner, Massachusetts; Houlton, Maine; Detroit, Michigan; Jersey City, Newark and Atlantic City, New Jersey; Glen Cove and Ossining, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina; and Burlington, Vermont.
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a 171–acre botanic garden in Boylston, MA, and the headquarters of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Through on-site programming at the garden and through outreach programming of the Worcester Tree Initiative, THBG seeks to inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world.
Originally established to address the trees lost to the Asian longhorned beetle, WTI’s focus has expanded beyond strictly planting trees in the ALB zone to planting and maintaining trees in the city, educating residents on the importance of trees and tracking tree health. By increasing New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s presence in Worcester through WTI, they seek to educate the broader community about the value of public horticulture and the important role a modern botanic garden can play in supporting a healthy and vibrant city and region.
TD Tree Days supports TD’s longstanding commitment to community enrichment and forms one component of its newly launched The Ready Commitment, a multi-year platform that actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality, environmental wellbeing and health, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets CDN $1 billion (US $775 million) in total by 2030 toward community giving in four critical areas: Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through this platform, TD aspires to create a more inclusive tomorrow — helping people of all backgrounds feel more confident, not just about their finances, but about their ability to achieve their goals. For information, visit td.com/thereadycommitment.
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com/us.