Tree Canada Receives $100,000 from U-Haul Customers in Last Year
Industry leader in DIY moving and self-storage recognized as a Gold Level Sponsor
PHOENIX, Ariz. and OTTAWA, Ont. (April 21, 2021) — U-Haul has achieved Gold Level Sponsor status with Tree Canada, the country’s only national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments.
Through the ongoing consideration and generosity of its loyal truck- and trailer-share customers, U-Haul has contributed more than $100,000 to Tree Canada’s environmental efforts in the last 12 months.
Only seven companies have given that amount within the span of one year to be named a Gold Level Sponsor.
U-Haul customers have the option at checkout to contribute a dollar amount of their choice to plant trees and help offset a portion of greenhouse gas emissions from their move. Tree Canada receives 100% of the funds contributed at Canadian rental locations to help restore the health of forests, protect mature urban trees from pests, and plant edible trees for schoolyards and communities nationwide.
“I am incredibly proud of our alignment in values and accomplishments with our partners at Tree Canada,” said Jake Spelic, U-Haul Canada Area District Vice President. “The result of achieving this milestone clearly indicates our customers share these values. Together, we are reducing our carbon footprint while continuing to serve our communities as a critical essential infrastructure provider.”
U-Haul began its partnership with Tree Canada in 2011. With growth in customer contributions each year, this marks the first 12-month period of U-Haul qualifying for gold-level recognition.
To date, 27 planting and tree protection projects have been completed utilizing U-Haul customer contributions, including nine forestation projects and 18 community projects. More than 100,000 trees have been planted or protected as a result of these efforts.
“We applaud U-Haul for their ongoing commitment to sustainable practices ensuring the health of our urban and rural forests and the communities that rely on them,” said Danielle St-Aubin, CEO of Tree Canada. “Tree Canada and U-Haul have been proud partners since 2011 and since that time, together we have greened communities across the country and educated Canadians about the importance of trees. Through our combined efforts, our work has been instrumental in growing cleaner and greener spaces that communities and future generations will be able to enjoy for years to come.”
In 2016, Tree Canada honored U-Haul with its prized Eterne Award, presented to companies that exemplify the very best in environmental stewardship.
“U-Haul has a decades-long history of providing support to the communities we serve,” noted Michelle Sullivan, U-Haul Corporate Sustainability manager. “Leveraging that support and our need-based business with the contributions of thousands of customers each year creates a ripple of positive impacts across all of Canada and beyond.”
As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while offering contactless business programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people’s homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and countless other dependent groups, in addition to the household mover.
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is the only national non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments. Through our programs, research and engagement efforts, we have helped restore tree cover in areas hit by natural disasters, guided communities in managing their urban forests, supported over 700 schoolyard greening projects and organized urban forest conferences. To date, with our community partners and sponsors, we have planted more than 83 million trees. treecanada.ca
About U-Haul
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S. uhaul.com
Contact:
Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-760-4941
Website: uhaul.com