Keep Tampa Beautiful and MetLife Foundation Host Community Tree Planting In Celebration of NeighborWoods® Month

TAMPA, Fla., October 2, 2017 /3BL Media/ - Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, a member of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Alliance for Community Trees program, is partnering with MetLife Foundation to plant trees to beautify two large areas anchoring the front of the Florida State Fairgrounds ExpoHall (4800 US 301), which welcomes 1.2 million visitors to Tampa annually.

The planting will take place on October 7, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The community event is made possible with the support of MetLife Foundation and is part of NeighborWoods Month, a national celebration of communities and trees.

Every October, tens of thousands of volunteers take action to improve neighborhoods across the county by planting and caring for trees. NeighborWoods Month supports local tree planting organizations and their efforts to make neighborhoods cleaner, greener and healthier.

Local residents are invited to come dig in the dirt with Keep Tampa Beautiful. Florida-friendly trees and shrubs will be showcased along with opportunities to learn more about trees.

“MetLife Foundation is committed to building healthy communities, and trees have a positive impact on the health and well-being of communities and the planet,” said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to support the planting of trees in Tampa Bay, where MetLife has a significant presence.”  

To illustrate the importance of trees in our communities, the Alliance for Community Trees commissioned the 2017 NeighborWoods Month Survey*, conducted by Wakefield Research. Key findings include:

Trees bring benefits to not only community infrastructure, but also the people who live there.

• 94 percent of Americans believe that having trees in their community makes them happier.
   
• More than 60 percent of people surveyed believe having trees in their community inspires them to be active outdoors.
   
• Nearly half (46 percent) of Americans say that trees in their communities help them relieve stress.
   
• 95 percent of people surveyed acknowledge shared benefits of having trees in their community including beautification, positive environmental impact and enticing birds and wild life to their areas.

“We are extremely thankful for MetLife Foundation’s support of this tree planting,” said Debbie Evenson, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful. “Because of their generosity, residents and visitors to Tampa will be able to enjoy the benefit of these trees for generations to come.”

NeighborWoods Month volunteering opportunities across the country are made possible by NASCAR Green, MetLife Foundation, DoubleTree by Hilton, and Procter & Gamble’s Family Care brands: Puffs, Charmin and Bounty.

To learn about how to get involved in additional NeighborWoods Month events taking place in your area, please visit NeighborWoodsMonth.org.

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About Keep Tampa Beautiful

Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Inc., a Keep America Beautiful Affiliate, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote a culture of environmental stewardship through volunteer and educational opportunities. Since 1989, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful has formed partnerships with local governments, corporations, schools and neighborhood organizations to engage individuals and provide opportunities to enhance the community through volunteer participation. To get involved, call (813) 221-8733 or visit KeepTampaBayBeautiful.org.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its founding through the end of 2016, MetLife Foundation has provided more than $744 million in grants and $70 million in program-related investments to organizations addressing issues that have a positive impact in their communities. In 2013, the Foundation committed $200 million to financial inclusion, and our work to date has reached more than 3.5 million low-income individuals in 39 countries. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit metlife.org. 

About Alliance for Community Trees

Alliance for Community Trees, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation, is a national network of local nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health and livability of cities by planting and caring for trees. With member organizations and program partner organizations throughout the United States, Alliance for Community Trees engages volunteers to take action to improve the environment where more than 90% of people live. Learn more about Alliance for Community Trees and its member organizations at arborday.org/alliance.

*Methodological Notes

The Arbor Day Foundation Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ between July 18 and 25, 2017, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.