Nearly One Year After Tornado Strike in Coal City, ComEd Goes Back to Plant Trees and Present Solar Education Program
April 29 2016 - 10:39AM
Business Wire
In honor of Arbor Day, ComEd volunteers plant
nearly 100 trees and educate Coal City High School students on
solar energy
In honor of Arbor Day on April 29, ComEd employees are heading
to Coal City in an effort to revitalize the city’s green spaces in
the aftermath of the devastating tornado that struck the area in
June 2015 and destroyed thousands of trees. Volunteers from ComEd
will plant nearly 100 trees around the city and also will give away
400 free saplings to local residents on a first-come, first-served
basis.
In addition, to bring greater awareness of the environment and
the value of solar energy, ComEd will be presenting its Solar
Spotlight program to students at Coal City High School. Through
Solar Spotlight, students will learn how sunlight becomes
electricity, see live solar demonstrations and have the opportunity
to construct their own solar-powered cells.
“ComEd cares and is committed to giving back to the communities
we serve. Last June, we saw first-hand the impact the tornado had
on Coal City and its residents,” said Fidel Marquez, ComEd’s Senior
Vice President of Government and External Affairs. “Nearly one year
later we are glad to be back celebrating Arbor Day with Coal City
community members and replacing trees lost to the devastating
storm, while also recognizing the dawn of a new day with positive
power of the sun through our Solar Spotlight Program.”
Trees for Friday’s event have been donated by local Spring Grove
Nursery, Lewis Tree Service, Davey Resource Group, Homer Tree
Service, and through ComEd’s partnership with the Arbor Day
Foundation, who last year launched a new program with the utility –
Power Planting – in which residential customers with trees impacted
by vegetation management work had the opportunity to receive
up to two free saplings.
“I can’t express my thanks enough for everything ComEd has done.
They went well beyond restoring power after the November tornado by
supplying water, having cooling buses, talking with residents and
working with everyone as a partner,” said Terry Halliday,
President, Coal City. “Now 10 months later, and they are working
with us again to supply and plant trees to help our residents
restore their yards. I think it is incredible that ComEd is able to
bring the Solar Spotlight to the Coal City High School honor
students and let them have a hands-on learning experience with
renewable power as part of this Arbor Day event.”
ComEd’s Solar Spotlight curriculum was developed by local
Illinois business owner Chris Williams of Millennium Solar Electric
and is presented with the help of ComEd engineers who serve as
mentors to the student participants. The program provides
instruction, insight and hands-on training into the various STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) aspects that go into
designing, building and installing the solar-powered lights.
As a part of this year’s Arbor Day efforts, ComEd has again
announced it will be giving away 3,900 low-growing trees to
residents throughout the service territory in conjunction with its
ongoing efforts to enhance reliability and promote environmental
stewardship.
Residents interested in receiving up to two free saplings should
visit http://energysavingtrees.arborday.org and enter the code
COMED15 in the promo box on the checkout page. Trees will be mailed
within one to two weeks and available while supplies last.
ComEd’s team of certified arborists is leading several Arbor Day
celebrations across Northern Illinois. Events include tree
plantings at schools, educational booths at community environmental
events, and volunteering at nature preserves.
In addition to Friday’s event in Coal City, ComEd volunteers
will also be planting trees and working on gardening projects with
students at the Gary Comer Youth Center in south Chicago.
About ComEd
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive
energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd
provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across
northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For
more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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