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Online enrollment for Project Plant It!, a free environmental education program created by Dominion Energy to teach children about the role of trees in the ecosystem, is now open across regions served by the company. The program is available for children of all ages and grade levels, including those in schools, scout troops, civic and church groups, environmental clubs and other entities that work with youth.
A hallmark of the program is the distribution of free tree seedlings to all enrolled participants in honor of Arbor Day. In 2018, the program will distribute 60,000 redbud tree seedlings, a 20 percent increase over the amount in 2017, in states served by Dominion Energy.
Spring 2018 marks the 12th year of Project Plant It! since the program launched in 2007. This year, to further engage children about trees in the ecosystem, a new lesson plan about conservation of natural resources has been added to the Educator's Guide on the website. The Guide now includes 12 lesson plans supporting third-grade learning standards for math, science, language arts and social studies, which can be downloaded at no charge from the website. The website also features free instructional tools such as interactive games, educational videos, and outdoor activities that families can enjoy together.
Educators, group leaders and parents interested in participating can register by visiting http://projectplantit.com and clicking on "Request Your Free Tree Seedlings" from the home page. If a zip code is confirmed as being in an eligible area, free redbud tree seedlings can be requested. The deadline to register is February 19, 2018 or while supplies last.
Tree seedlings are grown and shipped to participants in April by the Arbor Day Foundation, a longtime partner with Dominion Energy. Since 2007, more than 500,000 tree seedlings will have been distributed. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, this equates to about 1,250 acres of new forest if all seedlings are planted and grow to maturity.
