Clayton Homes and Meritage Homes entered separate partnerships with the Arbor Day Foundation. Clayton will plant 2.33 million trees in forests around the country, helping to restore vital ecosystems, foster biodiversity, improve water and air quality, and combat climate change. Meritage will host 18 regional tree planting and distribution events in 2022 in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
As part of its partnership, Clayton plans to plant two trees for every estimated tree used to build a Clayton home in 2021. Planting projects will take place to help restore and revitalize ecosystems and habitats in Georgia, Pacific Northwest watersheds, Michigan state lands, and lands at the Tyndall Air Force Base.
“Clayton is dedicated to improving lives and building a better tomorrow,” says Clayton CEO Kevin Clayton. “For our team, this means building more than 60,000 homes with energy-efficient features for families across the U.S. in 2021, while doing good in our local communities. Planting these trees with the Arbor Day Foundation will help rejuvenate forest ecosystems to support the communities we serve.”
William Jenkins, director of environment and sustainability for Clayton, says the builder’s purpose extends beyond the homes it builds and includes “creating a better future through responsible building practices and impactful philanthropic partnerships.”
“It is our responsibility as a builder to drive change in our industry,” Jenkins says. “This partnership allows us to reexamine our role as home builders and expand the scope of our environmental efforts. Our reforestation efforts will contribute to clean air and water, combat climate change, and support the communities we serve today and in the future.”
As part of the builder’s partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, Meritage employees and community members will volunteer to plant and distribute more than 1,300 trees in an effort to build more environmentally resilient neighborhoods through improved tree canopy and green space. The projects will focus on areas that have been impacted by a variety of environmental and economic factors, such as storms, invasive species, urban heat island effect, low-income status, and environmental inequality. The partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation aligns with Meritage Homes’s ESG initiatives.
“Trees play a critical role in creating healthier, safer, more connected neighborhoods, and we believe that this partnership and the tree planting program will help enhance the sustainability of the greater communities in which Meritage operates,” says Meritage Homes CEO Phillippe Lord.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. Since 1972, the organization has planted nearly 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities, and forests throughout the world.
