Trees make our community greener – in more ways than one.
In addition to adding natural beauty and color to our cityscape, trees mitigate the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and combating the urban heat island effect, reducing our need for air conditioning.
That’s why TEP is supporting the City of Tucson’s efforts to expand our tree canopy through its Tucson Million Trees initiative. TEP is contributing $100,000 to Tucson Clean and Beautiful (TCB) in support of the initiative, from corporate resources that won’t be recovered through our rates.
The contribution supports a commitment to equity by prioritizing greenery in areas that need it most. In partnership with TCB’s Trees for Tucson program, the initiative prioritizes low-income communities that are most impacted by climate change, extreme heat, and environmental degradation. More information about the initiative is available here.
“I am extremely grateful for Tucson Electric Power’s generous donation in support of the Tucson Million Trees initiative,” said Mayor Regina Romero. “The COP26 Conference in Glasgow this past week highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration in meeting our climate action goals. Trees are the lungs of our city – and nature-based solutions like TMT will play a critical role in ensuring the livability of our city and our planet for future generations.”
Susan Gray, TEP President and CEO, said, “TEP is pleased to support Mayor Romero’s efforts to add new trees to our community, particularly in neighborhoods where greenery is most needed. Properly planted trees create shade that can help reduce energy use while keeping our community a little cooler.”
Next year marks TEP’s 30th year of working with local partners to distribute free or discounted shade trees to help homeowners and neighborhoods save energy while keeping our community a little cooler. Nearly 150,000 more trees are growing throughout our region as a result of these efforts.
Our Trees for You program is just one of many ways we’re helping our customers use energy more efficiently. Our programs have contributed to cleaner air while conserving natural resources and saving more than 15 million tons of CO2 emissions over the last decade. When combined with the expansion of our renewable energy resources, they’ll help us achieve an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions, ensuring that Tucson is supporting the global fight against climate change.
TEP volunteers also joined Mayor Romero, veterans, Tucson Clean and Beautiful and neighbors in a tree planting event Nov. 13 in the neighborhood surrounding Rudy Garcia Park, 5001 S Nogales Highway.
