Boeing Deepens its Roots in Washington – One Tree at a Time

Mother Nature demonstrated her approval by holding back the rain clouds as elementary school students joined lawmakers and community leaders to start a multi-year partnership to plant one million trees in King County by 2020.  Together, they planted a slender Douglas Fir in White Center Heights Park to kick off a campaign aimed at simultaneously improving the environment and neighborhoods across King County, Wash.

“By mobilizing the community to plant one million trees across King County, we will reduce carbon pollution and produce healthier forests, streams and neighborhoods,” said King Executive Dow Constantine. “It’s an ambitious project – one that will help ensure our region remains a national leader in the effort to confront climate change.”

Constantine was joined at the kickoff of the One Million Trees campaign by leaders from The Nature Conservancy, Forterra, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, The Nature Consortium, and The Boeing Company, each of whom has committed to planting trees and expanding the partnership.

Boeing was the sole business represented at the environmental community effort. The company’s leadership in stormwater management includes collaborating with research and non-profit groups on new technology and solutions that can mitigate stormwater pollution, and in 2015, the company provided more than $2.5 million in grants to support 20 Puget Sound-based organizations, most of them focusing on stormwater management. Steve Shestag, Director of Environment, Health and Safety at Boeing said he was thrilled to roll up his sleeves to help with the planting.

"Boeing is continually focused upon improving the environmental performance of our products and reducing the environmental impact of Boeing operations and facilities in our communities," said Shestag. "But equally important to us is our partnership with communities and conservation groups on projects like this, since their intricate knowledge of environmental, community and business issues combined with their ability to bring people together to make real environmental improvements like the one million trees planting campaign is what great environmental leadership is all about."