Project Plant It!

One of the most interesting and complex CSR/Green Marketing efforts I’ve been involved in has beenDominion’s Project Plant It!

This award winning program is a partnership between Dominion, the Arbor Day Foundation and elementary schools in regions served by the company. Project Plant It! was successfully piloted in 2007, when nearly 8,000 elementary school students in Greater Richmond, Va., learned about the value of trees in our ecosystem and how to recognize and care for trees. Project Plant It! enhanced the classroom learning experience and increased comprehension of subject matter to meet state learning standards content by providing a hands-on experience for each child.

Results of last year’s pilot program showed that elementary school students learned about the value of trees, including how they help to moderate climates, improve air quality, absorb carbon, harbor wildlife, prevent soil erosion and reduce heating and cooling costs. In celebration of Arbor Day, students planted trees with their classes and families. This year’s program reached nearly 20,000 students in four states, or more than twice as many as last year, culminating with Arbor Day celebrations on Friday, April 25.

Working with my colleague Chris DeRoco, we developed the concept for the program, contacted and successfully partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation, conducted countless presentations on the program for school administrators, principals and teachers, wrote and produced an extensive curriculum, coordinated special events and managed all media relations efforts.  

The media relations component of the program generated several broadcast news reports and more than 500,000 media impressions.

Late last year we conducted a focus group of teachers who had participated in the process.  I wrote the moderator’s discussion guide, moderated the session and wrote the topline report.  We found that all of the teachers who had participated viewed the program positively and we came away with a lot of great suggestions on how to make the program more teacher friendly in the future.

Project Plant It! is a great example of a CSR program that combined the right resources, expertise and a winning concept.