by Sloan T. Wilson
April 23, 2022
CHICAGO – ComEd announced that it will donate over 3,300 trees and shrubs to northern Illinois communities to honor Arbor Day. In collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees program, ComEd has pledged to distribute trees and shrubs to 255 communities during the next two months. Since the 2015 launch of the collaborative program, ComEd has provided 30,000 trees and shrubs to Illinois communities.
“At ComEd, we are committed to protecting green space and lowering energy usage and carbon emissions for all 9 million people in our communities. In collaboration with Arbor Day Foundation, we are donating 3,300 trees this spring for to help neutralize carbon pollution, generate cleaner air, and promote green spaces that enhance quality of life across all our communities.” ComEd CEO Gil C. Quiniones said in a statement.
Quiniones, former CEO of the New York Power Authority, was brought in as CEO of ComEd in 2021 to lead the company out of its scandal plagued past and alleged connection to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan who has been indicted on federal corruption charges.
“Spring is one of the best times of the year for companies and organizations to go out and engage communities around environmental causes. ComEd’s continued investment in this program means cleaner air and water, and an overall increased savings in energy cost. The trees distributed by the Energy-Saving Trees program will provide innumerable environmental benefits for years to come.” Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation said in a statement.
The Energy-Saving Trees program, started by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2011, is powered by i-Tree, a credible research-based forestry tool. Using the i-Tree tool, which includes benefits estimations from the USDA Forest Service, customers can research the environmental impact for a variety of tree species, and where to plant the tree to maximize its benefits.
According to a ComEd press statement “The annual program is an initiative by ComEd’s vegetation management team, which performs maintenance and hazard mitigation to ensure safe and reliable power delivery, while protecting our green canopy and surrounding ecosystems. Some of the plant species include: Bayberry, Eastern Redbud, Meadowsweet, Ninebark, Dogwood, Hydrangea and Viburnum. All are low-growing trees and shrubs that will not interfere with power lines.”
ComEd, also known as Commonwealth Edison, is the largest electric utility in Illinois and the sole electric provider in Chicago. Founded in 1907, ComEd is today a unit of Exelon Corporation and serves some 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois.
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