The best time for planting trees is late winter or early spring. In the Mid-Atlantic, the moderate weather typically seen in late April and May allows newly planted saplings to take root and thrive.

Spring is also the season of Earth Day, which has been observed on April 22 since the first Earth Day was celebrated by 22 million people in 1970. According to Earth Day Network, more than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

In 2010, Earth Day Network held a climate rally that brought 250,000 people to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it launched the world’s largest environmental service project — A Billion Acts of Green® — a global tree planting initiative that now involves 22,000 partners in 192 countries observing Earth Day. 

To help celebrate Earth Day 2018, volunteers from WGL Energy (WGL Energy Services and WGL Energy Systems) joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at WGL Energy’s 8th annual tree planting event at Orcina Farm in Rohrersville, Maryland on Saturday. WGL Energy employees, family members and friends planted 1,000 native trees and shrubs in an effort to help restore a forested buffer along nearby streams.

The trees and shrubs will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, reducing greenhouse gases, and will capture and filter out pollution from storm water runoff. These trees will also provide a habitat for wildlife, stabilize the stream banks from runoff and erosion, and help keep rivers cool in the summer.

Since its first tree planting in 2010, over 300 WGL Energy volunteers have helped to plant 25,865 trees in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, with an environmental benefit of absorbing 2.93 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As shown in the infographic below, this is equivalent to taking 285 cars off the road for one year.

The WGL Energy tree planting event is supported by contributions made by WGL Energy and its clean energy partner, Sterling Planet. In turn, those contributions were made possible by home owners, businesses and government agencies that purchase carbon offsets from WGL Energy.

Carbon offsets represent a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions made in one place to compensate for emissions created in another place. WGL Energy carbon offsets are independently verified and sourced from emission reduction projects such as landfill gas capture and destruction projects in Virginia, as well as more efficient transportation.  Learn more about how carbon offsets work by watching this short video:

WGL Energy carbon offsets are unique because they go one step further by including investments in the Carbon Reduction Fund. Every time carbon offsets are purchased, WGL Energy and Sterling Planet jointly invest a portion of the proceeds into the Carbon Reduction Fund. The Carbon Reduction Fund is managed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and supports new greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, such as tree plantings and urban lot clean ups, while also helping to improve air and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Go ahead. Plant a tree this Earth Day weekend and reduce your carbon footprint. It’s an important step toward a more sustainable future for all of us.