Verizon Honored With Arbor Day Foundation's Friend of the Forest Award

Arbor Day Foundation Award Recognizes Commitment to Using Trees in Sustainability Goals

LINCOLN, Neb., May 1, 2019 – The Arbor Day Foundation has announced today that Verizon has been awarded the Friend of the Forest award, which recognizes a corporation and its leaders for their commitment to using trees and forests to achieve corporate sustainability goals and targets. The award will be presented on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at a tree planting event on Verizon's corporate campus in Southlake, Texas.

Verizon has helped plant more than 724,000 trees in the last 10 years and has set a goal to plant 2 million trees in communities around the world by 2030, with a special focus on planting in communities affected by natural disaster.

"We applaud Verizon's commitment to sustainability and its efforts to highlight the importance of trees in our communities," said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. "Verizon has made its corporate social responsibility goals become values that its employees can live by. We are proud of our work with Verizon and the stance they have taken to prioritize forestry as a sustainable solution to addressing global problems."

In 2017, the company committed to plant 250,000 trees in the next five years in communities and forests devastated by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria through the Arbor Day Foundation's Hurricane Tree Recovery campaign. Trees are being distributed to residents in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico, restoring lost canopy coverage and starting the process of recovery.

In 2009, Verizon created a Green Team comprised of employee volunteers dedicated to building sustainability into everything the company does. The Green Team has 28,000 employees in 44 countries. Many of Verizon's employee engagement events are centered around tree planting.
Since 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the inspiring and life-changing work of leading environmental stewards and tree planters through the annual Arbor Day Awards. Award winners from previous years include the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, the United States Forest Service and Procter & Gamble.

This award winner is one of six nationally being honored for their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. The remainder of the 2019 Arbor Day Award winners will be presented with their award throughout the month of May. More information can be found at arborday.org/awards.

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. Since 1972, more than 300 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.

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