A Green Mountain Energy® Sun Club Project

Trees for Houston                                            

Trees for Houston
Trees for Houston
Trees for Houston
Category

Nature Center

Location

Houston, TX

Dedication Date

March 1, 2019

Donation Type

Rainwater capture system, fruit tree plantings and biodiesel truck

Size
Claim to Fame

Rainwater capture system makes tree farm water-neutral

Project Overview


Through a $141,500 donation, Sun Club worked with Trees for Houston to help the planet and its wallet. A rainwater capture system at its tree farm was designed to collect and store enough rainwater to provide for every tree on the farm, all year long. This eliminates the organization’s $2,000 monthly water bill, resulting in $24,000 in savings every year! Plus, trees watered with rainwater outgrow trees watered with city water by 20 percent.

The second component of the Sun Club grant was to fund the planting of fruit trees at 10 school campuses around Houston, increasing Trees for Houston’s impact on schools by 40 percent. Students will get to take the learning outside to use the fruit trees in science and math classes.

Finally, Sun Club provided funding for the purchase of a new biodiesel pickup truck to replace Trees for Houston’s diesel truck. The biodiesel truck will provide a 20 percent drop in unburned hydrocarbons and an 11 percent drop in carbon monoxide. As an added bonus, the new truck will result in a 7 percent fuel savings for Trees for Houston, or $3,300 dollars per year.

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Our customers have avoided

 

pounds of CO2

That’s like planting

 

new trees.