In celebration of Earth Day 2022 (April 22), Trees For Houston partnered with LyondellBasell and The Astros Foundation to give away 2,500 native trees to Houston-area residents on the morning of Saturday, Apr. 23 at Minute Maid Park with the goal of beautifying their yards and helping the environment.
A steady stream of nature enthusiasts from nine counties representing 50 zip codes around Houston drove through the tree pickup line at Lot B, outside Minute Maid Park, with LyondellBasell volunteers loading three-gallon trees into vehicles. Trees For Houston staff and LyondellBasell volunteers helped individuals select the appropriate tree species based on the unique needs of the desired planting location. Over 1,000 people received new trees.
Species given out during the event included American Beautyberry, American Sycamore, Buttonbush, Common Persimmon, Loblolly Pine, Pecan, Sweetgum, and White Oak. Several of the attendees were first-time recipients of free trees from Trees For Houston.
Joining in the celebration and efforts was Astros pitcher Framber Valdez, who helped load trees into vehicles. Those in line were cheering on the Astros – hoping for a win big against Toronto Saturday afternoon. No matter the outcome, our city was a big winner this Earth Day adding 2,500 trees to our urban canopy.
Each year, residents in the greater Houston area look to honor Earth Day by planting a tree to help make the Earth – and our communities – cleaner and greener. Trees For Houston has held tree giveaways in recognition of Earth Day for many years and worked with LyondellBasell in 2021 as well.
“We are very happy with the community turnout to this event and appreciate the generosity of The Astros Foundation in hosting us and the strong volunteer commitment from LyondellBasell,” says Trees For Houston Executive Director Barry Ward. “Volunteers are critical to the success of Trees For Houston, with nearly 1,000 volunteers contributing more than 2,500 hours to planting, distributing, or potting up trees each year. These man-hours allow us to be responsible stewards for our constituents by saving on labor costs which translates to more trees for the community.”
“LyondellBasell has a commitment to Advancing Our Planet through community projects that support our sustainability initiatives. This giveaway makes progress toward our goal of replanting and distributing 6,000 trees across the greater Houston area by the end of 2022,” says Elizabeth Weiss, LyondellBasell manager of corporate relations. “We are proud to collaborate with Trees For Houston and The Astros Foundation. Together, we will have a positive impact in our communities and will create sustainable landscapes in Houston-area parks and neighborhoods.”
“We are thrilled to partner alongside LyondellBasell to support Earth Day by distributing 2,500 trees to local Houstonians this morning,” states Paula Harris, Senior Vice President, Community Affairs and Executive Director, Astros Foundation. “A special thanks to starting pitcher Framber Valdez for joining us to load trees and take pictures with our fans. We are proud to continue to help create a more sustainable Houston.”
Saturday’s giveaway was the first of two giveaways in partnership with LyondellBasell. With their significant philanthropic support and volunteer participation, Trees For Houston and LyondellBasell are giving away 5,000 trees.
Photo credits: Aaron Hatin and Randi Koenig, Trees For Houston