Big Y Chairman Donald D'Amour and Big Y Cooley Street Store Manager Jeff Hamel plant a tree in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood, on July 27, 2012

Big Y Foods of Springfield has joined in the effort to plant new trees in  the city, and is assisting in Regreen Springfield’s latest initiative to regreen tornado impacted neighborhoods.

Big Y Chairman Donald D’Amour recently participated in a tree planting event in Springfield’s East Forest Park neighborhood, planting a Pin Oak tree on a property that was devastated by the June 2011 Tornado.  Mr. D’Amour was joined by Jeff Hamel, Store Manger of the Cooley Street Big Y store.  This tree is one of 700 mature trees that will be planted across the tornado zone by Regreen Springfield and the City of Springfield by the end of August.  Big Y is providing support

for this ambitious initative, and will be sponsoring a series of events aimed at increasing people’s awareness of this planting program and providing information on the importance of trees as a mechanism to cool temperatures, reduce energy use and provide shade to homes and businesses.

As part of this commitment to replanting the city, the Big Y store located at 300 Cooley Street held a registraiton event for residents on July 30th and August 1st.

Regreen Springfield is partnering with the Massachusetts Department of EnergyResources, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the City of Springfield in an effort to plant trees in your yard that can help to reduce energy consumption in your own home.  This program is available to you at no cost, and will provide you with one or more trees in your yard that will help to reduce your energy consumption… saving you money, while providing environmental benefits.

The correct placement of a tree near your residence can help to reduce the amount of energy needed to cool, and in many cases, heat your home.  Simple benefits, such as providing shade over your air conditioner can provide up to a 20% efficiency improvement.  Other direct benefits can be obtained by planting trees, and Regreen Springfield hopes to plant over 750 trees on private property this summer.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No more trees are available for this summer’s planting season.  This free tree planting program has reached its goal of finding locations to plant 750 mature shade trees within the tornado affected area of Springfield.  Thank you for your overwhelming support for this initiative.  If you would like to be placed on a waiting list for trees that might be available at a later date, please Click Here.  

If you have had your appointment with our team of arborists, you new tree(s) should be planted soon.  All trees will be planted by August 20, 2012.  Please call 413/285-3056 for additional information.

Funding for this initiative is made possible by  the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with additional support provided by the Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and Rebuild Western Massachusetts.

Nurserymen from Central Nurseries plant a new tree in East Forest Park.

On Wednesday, July 25th, the first of over 600 new mature trees were planted by Regreen Springfield and the City of Springfield, in the yards of residents living  in Springfield’s tornado impacted neighborhoods.  40 trees were planted on day one of this effort, and all trees are expected to be installed by August 20th.  This is the first opportunity for trees to be planted on private parcels following the storm, and it will go a long way to assist in the regreening of the impacted neighborhoods.  The trees are all being placed

A Hudson Street resident and her new tree.

in locations that will maximize shading on homes, in order to reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the homes in the summer.  It is estimated that in 5 years, these trees will reduce summer cooling costs by up to 30% annually.

Funding for this initiative is made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with additional support provided by the Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation & Recreation, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and Rebuild Western Massachusetts.