Dominion Energy’s Project Plant It! celebrates 15 years of environmental education

This spring, 51,000 students in 15 states will participate in Dominion Energy’s Project Plant It! and learn about the benefits trees and pollinators provide the ecosystem.

Each student enrolled in the program will also receive a tree seedling and a packet of wildflower seeds designed to attract bees and other pollinators.

Dominion Energy established Project Plant It! in 2007 to nurture the next generation of environmental stewards. To celebrate the fifteenth year of the company’s popular Arbor Day program, a pollinator feature was added to highlight the essential role of bees and pollinators to the sustainability of our food system and the environment. This year’s 51,000 seed packets and 51,000 tree seedlings bring Project Plant It!’s total amount of planting materials that have been distributed to students and nonprofits to more than 730,000 across Dominion Energy’s footprint since 2007.

The tree seedlings and wildflower seed packets are shipped to participants in April by the Arbor Day Foundation, a longtime partner with Dominion Energy for Project Plant It!. In 2021, Arbor Day is April 30 and National Wildflower Week is May 3-7.

“We’re helping connect students to the environment in a very personal and meaningful way,” said Shai West, Project Plant It! coordinator and associate community affairs representative at Dominion Energy. “Planting trees and wildflowers helps improve the air quality, support our food supply and ensure a sustainable environment.”

The Educator Resources page of the Project Plant It! website includes STEM-focused lesson plans, reading lists, games and other instructional resources about trees and pollinators. Most of the new pollinator materials are available in English and Spanish.

From the east coast to the Rocky Mountains, Project Plant It! is embraced by participating schools and organizations that serve youth in the communities where Dominion Energy operates.

“We absolutely love this program and have used it in previous years to plant trees around the scouts’ school,” said Nicole Rosario, a Girl Scout leader in Charlottesville, Va. “The girls enjoy seeing how tall the trees get each year and knowing they were responsible for planting them. Project Plant It! is such a fun learning opportunity about the environment, especially with the new bee pollinator feature.”

“Our school system really appreciated the invitation to participate in Project Plant It! for the first time this year,” said Jaraun Dennis, chief technology officer and facilities director for the Uinta County School District in Evanston, Wyo. “We distributed the tree seedlings and wildflower seed packets to several of our elementary schools. I know that the students will have a very special connection with nature by caring for their tree and watching their wildflowers attract bees and other pollinators. Project Plant it! really brings science to life.”

To culminate the season with a hands-on outdoor activity, Dominion Energy’s team of foresters and environmental specialists will provide expertise and assistance at a number of Arbor Day events that are planned in Virginia, Connecticut, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

For more information, visit projectplantit.com or “Like” Project Plant It! on Facebook.