Arbor Day Foundation and Publix Celebrate Florida Clean Water Collaboration

More than 100,000 Trees Planted to Protect and Restore Critical Water Ways

LINCOLN, Nebraska - (April 27, 2017) – The Arbor Day Foundation and Publix are pleased to announce the initial impact of their inaugural watershed partnership focusing on the cleaning and restoration of the Ocklawaha River Watershed in Alachua, Marion and Lake Counties in Florida. This year Publix planted 105,000 long leaf pine trees throughout the counties, encompassing 198 acres of land. Because of the success of the plantings Publix is helping restore water bodies deemed impaired by the Environmental Protection Agency, providing critical habitat for a variety of wildlife and aquatic species as well as expanding important conservation lands in the state of Florida.

"Publix's leadership and commitment to the watersheds of Florida illustrate how positive and large an impact that can be accomplished through the planting of trees," said Dan Lambe, Arbor Day Foundation, president. "We are grateful for Publix partnership and are pleased at the example they continue to set for other companies concerned about clean water in our great nation."

The initial impact will benefit the region over the next half-a-century and will result in the reduction of more than 34,000 tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from an average vehicle driving over 74 million miles. Additionally, more than 11 trillion gallons of rainfall will be intercepted by the trees which will help prevent harmful run-off and provide natural filtration of water as it is stored in the aquifer. This project also preserves critical habitats for a variety of wildlife and aquatic species, as well as expands conservation lands in the state of Florida.

"Reducing our water use through process improvements at our retail and support locations is an important way to minimize our impact on natural resources," said Maria Brous, Publix director of media and community relations. "Balancing our consumption through strategic collaborations that protect and restore watersheds is another way to make an impactful difference. We are excited about our work with the Arbor Day Foundation as we continue to work together towards strengthening the sustainability of our water sources."

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About the Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. During the last 44 years, more than 250 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.

As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

About Publix
Publix is privately owned and operated by its 190,000 employees, with 2016 sales of $34 billion. Currently Publix has 1,145 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. The company has been named one of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for 20 consecutive years. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company's website, corporate.publix.com.

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