Easy Tips For Starting An Eco Initiative With Dan Lambe, CEO of The Arbor Day Foundation

Phillip Jeffries is proud to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation and offer a 1 to 1 program for our clients. This means that with every order placed, we plant a tree. We do this because it's important to us that we leave this world more beautiful than before.

Our goal may be to plant a million trees, but every designer can set their own goal. The ADF works with companies large and small making a difference by planting trees. From a fundraiser to volunteering your time to larger corporate partnerships, there are many opportunities to get involved. 

In honor of National Arbor Day today, we sat down with Dan Lambe, the CEO of The Arbor Day Foundation, to share his tips and make it easy for all of our clients and friends to start their own tree planting program. 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit international organization with a simple mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. Here are a few of Dan's must-know facts to get you started. 

•  For individuals: We help individuals who just want to plant trees in their front yards or backyards and figure out which tree is right for them and how to plant it, as well as cities, towns, and college campuses to make sure they’re taking care of the trees that are providing health benefits.

• For partners: Then we work with great partners like the US Forest Service and State Forest Agencies to help plant trees in forest lands all around the world
  

WHY SHOULD DESIGNERS START A TREE PLANTING PROGRAM?
DAN: Trees are the number one nature-based solution to the climate challenges that we are facing! They’re not going to solve it by themselves, but they’re the most affordable and scalable way!

• They provide so many other benefits from habitats to watershed protection.  
• We’re planting millions of trees for forest fire recovery efforts, but we’re also planting trees in cities and towns to shade homes and reduce urban heat and intense temperatures that we’re all feeling!  
  
• (PJ planting in Michigan) That’s a phenomenal project on habitat restoration for the Kirtland’s Warbler and other biodiversity opportunities! It’s a great partner. We work with the state of Michigan and the US Forest Service of Michigan it’s one of our favorite projects because it cuts across so many different lines of impact! 
• We’ve panted millions of trees in Madagascar and we’re so excited to work with you on this! We are creating habitats for lemurs, amongst other species! We have helped resurrect lemur habitat, and what’s really cool about this is not only is it good for the environment, but it’s creating jobs, economic opportunities, educational opportunities. This is one of those gifts that just keeps on giving! It has unfolded into the robust benefit for women, children, families, and the economy of Madagascar.  
  

• First, we ask our state and national forest partners and other public and private land partners to figure how we can make the greatest impact and where they are needed the most. Whether that is forest fire recovery in California, hurricane recovery in Florida, tornado in Kentucky or other parts of the nation, or whether its just critical forests that have been degraded that we can help restore, not just in the US, but around the world! 
• Every tree is different and grows at a different rate. We make sure that we plant the right trees in the right place at the right time!
• In divisive times, trees are about the one thing everyone can agree on!

Looking for a laugh? Read all 11 of Dan Lambe's Top Tree Jokes here. And let us know your favorite! Here is ours:

Why don’t trees like jokes?
They are afraid they will get stumped

Thank you for sitting down with us Dan & The Arbor Day Foundation! We’re proud of our partnership and promise to keep engaging others about trees!