For over three decades, Alliant Energy has partnered with Trees Forever to plant trees in Cedar Rapids, more than 17,200 to date. In addition, the company has given Cedar Rapids nearly $875,000 in tree-planting grants, $500,000 of which went specifically to ReLeaf Cedar Rapids for tree canopy recovery from the August 2020 derecho.
“Trees Forever’s partnership with Alliant Energy has benefitted our communities through a mutual goal of improving the quality of life and physical benefits of a flourishing urban tree canopy,” said Deb Powers, interim CEO of Trees Forever. “We truly could not reach as many communities or improve the lives of those living in nature-deprived neighborhoods without this partnership.”
The Alliant Energy Community Tree Planting program provides funding and support to plant trees. Trees Forever administers the community grants in Cedar Rapids and throughout Iowa and Wisconsin; it also helps organize tree-planting events in which Alliant Energy employees work alongside community volunteers to plant trees. The Community Tree Planting program works as part of the company’s nationally recognized One Million Trees initiative. The goal is to plant a million trees in the Alliant Energy service area by the end of 2030, about one tree for each of the company’s customers.
“It will take many hands to reestablish the tree canopy we once had in Cedar Rapids,” said May Farlinger, Alliant Energy’s vice president of customer and community engagement in Iowa. “We are grateful for our partnerships with the city of Cedar Rapids, Trees Forever and many other local organizations working to make this possible.”