Why Plant Trees?

 

Can planting a tree really make a difference? Yes. As soon as a seedling is planted, it starts pulling carbon dioxide out of the air. Over the tree's lifetime, it can absorb approximately one ton of CO2. That adds up when you consider an entire forest. Native trees also help to control flooding, clean up local water supplies, and create habitats for birds and other wildlife.
Trees improve air quality, recycle water, create shade, and provide food and homes for living things across the planet. The simple act of planting trees helps sustain the environment in countless ways.

Suffer from allergies? Trees improve air quality—eradicating pesky pollen, dust, smoke, and ash.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide and create oxygen. An acre of trees produces roughly 65,000 lbs of oxygen—enough to supply 168 people with a yearly supply of oxygen.

Wooded areas prevent erosion by holding soil and prevent rain runoff by holding moisture in leaves, branches, and roots. This replenishes ground water supply and decreases flood potential. One hundred mature trees can catch nearly 250,000 gallons of water each year.

Condolence Note, Years Late

I’ve always said it’s never too late to send a condolence note. Although your situation gives new meaning to the word “belated” and goes beyond what I had in mind, the advice still applies. As for what to write, I recently came across a note that was shared with me by someone in a position similar to yours. Perhaps it will inspire you to find your own meaningful words. The note read:

Dear ----:
It was so nice to see you Thursday night. It reminded me once again that I hadn’t sent a condolence note when I heard your son had died. I sat down to write at least a dozen times, but no words came out that I felt could comfort you. Maybe it’s because I have children of my own and couldn’t imagine the pain you were experiencing—or didn’t want to.
Whatever the reason, I’m sorry. I thought of you and what you were going through many times.

The writer signed off with “Regretfully.”

These words come across as honest and deeply felt. The note’s brevity adds to its power, and it’s hard to believe your colleague wouldn’t appreciate your own sincere version, despite all the time gone by.

Which also raises another issue: Maybe the writer of the note above would have sent it sooner if she hadn’t tried to comfort the parent. The fact is it’s rarely possible to provide comfort—unless you had a very close relationship with the person (or with the deceased). Attempts to allay sadness tend to be misguided and may backfire. Often the bereaved actually resents such efforts. What you can do is acknowledge the loss and express sympathy. That is the purpose of a condolence note in most cases.

Additionally, we tend to assume the bereaved expected us to write and/or noticed that we did not. The reality is we’re just not that important. It’s highly unlikely the devastated parent paid attention to who did not send a card or note after the death.

    

In lieu of flowers...

As we head into the gift giving season full steam ahead, I’ve been paying particular attention to the “gifts” that are suggested in obituaries – the donations made to honor a person’s memory their favorite charity or their life’s work.

For years I have sent checks to whatever followed the phrase “in lieu of flowers,” but it seems now that, like everything else connected with dying these days (memorial services, do-it-yourself obituaries, funeral attire, parting gifts, etc.), there is a lot more creativity in what is suggested in place of plants.

The more common suggestions often target the disease that caused the death: heart, cancer, diabetes, ALS and more. There are donations to animal groups, churches, schools, foundations and libraries. Money is even suggested to fight suicide, drugs or depression:

Donations will be contributed to an anti-drug education program in his memory…

Here are some others that offer creative but still meaningful alternatives, the first one especially important during the holiday period when blood banks run low:

In lieu of flowers, please give the gift of life by donating blood and platelets to your local blood bank…

In lieu of flowers, which she always hated, she would love if people donated to her favorite charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

…gifts to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and The Blue Ocean Institute would serve her intentions appropriately…

Donations will be used to plant trees and park benches, honoring his love for life.

Please consider an adoption from your local “life” animal shelter…

This one leaves the creativity entirely up to the reader or friend:

His children ask that you make a donation to the charity of your choice.

In a time of grief, words often fail us. We want to express our heartfelt sympathy, but finding the gift that can share our sentiments and provide comfort is not always easy.

When you plant a tree in memory, you are leaving a living legacy behind.

This UNIQUE and ELEGANT certificate will bring care and compassion for today and hope and healing for tomorrow to the family of your loved one.

A Tree Instead Corp. will ensure that your gift is delivered with care and sensitivity.

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And, finally, the ultimate reminder that life is fleeting and that no expression of love should go untold lest it be too late:

In lieu of flowers, please hug a loved one and take a moment to express the value they bring to your life.

Expressing condolences via technology

An acquaintance had an aggressive form of cancer. I was kept in the loop via text messages and Facebook and so it seemed natural to learn of her death through a text. A friend of the bereaved sent a mass text, not one but a series, with funeral notifications, meal requests, and donation preferences. Friends of the bereaved began writing condolence messages on her Facebook wall.

My first thought upon hearing of the death was to send a condolence note; but I changed my mind when I saw the bereaved added a “like” to every Facebook condolence message on her wall.

One of the text messages had indicated that the deceased had requested donations be made to the American Cancer Society. I chose to write an email and honor the deceased’s wish for the donation.

I crafted a condolence message in Word. I edited until I was comfortable with the final text. I copied and pasted the condolence message from Word and sent it. I knew that I had handled the contact correctly when the bereaved quickly responded, telling me how much my message had meant.

This was rather unconventional for me. I find text communications concerning death to be awkward; it’s hard to be quick on your feet while trying to be tactful and compassionate. I do not post condolence messages on a Facebook wall nor do I like to send condolence messages via email. But in this case, the email was the correct thing to do. The bereaved is part of the generation that relies on text and Facebook messages and she found these communications very comforting.

In a time of grief, words often fail us. We want to express our heartfelt sympathy, but finding the gift that can share our sentiments and provide comfort is not always easy.

When you plant a tree in memory or celebration, you are leaving a living legacy behind.

If you decide to go traditional way and send a sympathy gift, this UNIQUE and ELEGANT certificate will bring care and compassion for today and hope and healing for tomorrow to the family of your loved one; A Tree Instead Corp. will ensure that your gift is delivered with care and sensitivity. But you can plant a tree and send a eCard which is more convenient www.plantatreeinstead.com

How to Write a Condolence Note to a Customer or Client

It’s hard to write any condolence note because the subject is death. But it’s especially difficult when the bereaved is a client or customer. The challenge is to strike just the right tone and choose words carefully. The wrong ones can make a poor impression and even damage the business/professional relationship.

I would start your note, “Dear Janet,” rather than just “Janet.” Omitting the “dear” would be acceptable in an ordinary note, but it’s much too casual for a condolence message. This is a sad and very sensitive situation. I would begin the first sentence with, “I am very sorry to hear...” for the same reason. “So very sorry,” which omits the “I,” seems almost flippant.

The next sentence gives advice, which is a common mistake in condolence notes. Advice is the last thing any bereaved wants to hear – especially from someone who isn’t personally close. The words can seem presumptuous, and make the recipient feel very angry. You don’t know your client well yet, and probably have no knowledge of her relationship with her mother. The same is true of the line, “It will help carry you through the dark.” The person’s reaction very well might be, “How would you know?!”

Realize that writing a condolence note is not about being profound. It’s about acknowledging a death and expressing genuine sympathy. Period. Here is one possibility:

Dear Janet,
I’m so sorry to hear about your mother’s passing. You are in my thoughts and prayers at this time of sadness. I send my deepest condolences.

Follow with your signature. Here is another option:

Dear Janet,
I just heard about your mother’s death. I’m so sorry for your loss. Please accept my heartfelt sympathy.

And simply sign your name. Such brief notes are both powerful and appropriate, and they keep you from getting into trouble.

In a time of grief, words often fail us. We want to express our heartfelt sympathy, but finding the gift that can share our sentiments and provide comfort is not always easy.

When you plant a tree in memory, you are leaving a living legacy behind.

This UNIQUE and ELEGANT certificate will bring care and compassion for today and hope and healing for tomorrow to the family of your loved one.

A Tree Instead Corp. will ensure that your gift is delivered with care and sensitivity.

www.atreeinstead.com

Twenty Reasons to Plant a Tree

1. Trees Combat the Greenhouse Effect

Global warming is the result of an excess of greenhouse gases, created by burning fossil fuels and destroying tropical rainforests. Heat from the sun, reflected back from the earth, is trapped in this thickening layer of gases and global temperatures rise as a result. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of trees absorbs the amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.

2. Trees Clean the Air

Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

3. Trees Provide Oxygen

In one year an acre of trees can provide enough oxygen for eighteen people.

4. Trees Cool the Streets and the City

Trees cool the city by up to 10�F by shading our homes and streets and breaking up urban “heat islands” – and by releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.

5. Trees Conserve Energy

Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50%. By reducing the energy demand for cooling our houses, we reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions from power plants.

6. Trees Save Water

Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week, the equivalent of two toilet flushes. What’s more, as trees transpire, they increase atmospheric moisture.

7. Trees Help Prevent Water Pollution

Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree. This prevents stormwater from carrying pollutants to the ocean.

8. Trees Help Prevent Soil Erosion

On hillsides or stream slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place.

9. Trees Shield Children from Ultra-Violet Rays

According to a National Skin Cancer Prevention Education Program report released in 1996 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, skin cancer is the most common and most rapidly increasing form of cancer in the country. Trees provide protection from cancer-causing ultra-violet rays, especially on campuses and in playgrounds where children spend hours outdoors.

10. Trees Provide Food

An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot. Aside from fruit for us, trees provide food for birds and wildlife.

11. Trees Are Teachers and Playmates

Whether houses for children or creative and spiritual inspiration for adults, trees have provided the space for human retreat throughout the ages.

12. Trees Mark the Seasons

Is it winter, spring or summer or fall? Look at the trees.

13. Trees Create Economic Opportunities

Fruit harvested from community orchards can be sold, thus providing income. Small business opportunities in green waste management arise when cities value mulching and its water-saving qualities.

14. Trees Bring Diverse Groups of People Together

Tree plantings provide an opportunity for community involvement and empowerment that improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. All cultures, ages, and genders have an important role to play at a planting.

15. Trees Add Unity

Trees as landmarks can give a neighborhood a new identity and encourage civic pride.

16. Trees Provide A Canopy and Habitat for Wildlife

Sycamore, and oak are among the many urban species that provide excellent urban homes for birds, bees, possums and squirrels.

17. Trees Block Things

Trees can mask concrete walls or parking lots, and power lines and poles. They muffle sound from nearby streets and freeways, and create an eye-soothing canopy of green. Trees absorb dust and wind and reduce glare.

18. Trees Provide Wood

In populated areas, trees can be selectively harvested for fuel and craft wood.

19. Trees Increase Property Values

The beauty of a well-planted property and its surrounding street and neighborhood can raise property values by as much as 15%.

20. Trees Increase Business Traffic

Think about the most pleasant places to shop in your community. Chances are, trees provide shade for pedestrians and cars.

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Trees have many economic, environmental and social benefits

Trees have many economic, environmental and social benefits. They improve our lives and the places we live. Here are some reasons to plant and care for trees:

Economic Benefits

• Planting shade trees on the south and west faces of your house can reduce winter heating bills by up to 15% and summer cooling bills by up to 50%.
• Studies have shown that well-treed businesses project a warm, welcoming and inviting atmosphere for shoppers who tend to linger and spend more time shopping, resulting in some cases in a business increase of up to 11%.
• Fruit trees provide delicious and free supplemental nutrition for the entire neighborhood.
• A well-landscaped, tree-lined yard can raise the property value of a home by 5 to 15%, increasing neighborhood desirability and speeding up sales.

Environmental Benefits

• Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. The average tree can clean up to 330 pounds of carbon dioxide annually while emitting enough oxygen for a whole family.
• Trees reduce the need for heating and cooling, thus decreasing the need for more power plants in the future.
• During a storm, the canopy and root systems of trees act as a both a sponge and a filter, cleaning the water as it seeps into the water table and reducing storm water runoff.
• Forested areas are far less prone to flooding and soil erosion.
• Trees provide a habitat and refuge for urban wildlife, as well as wildlife that may have otherwise been displaced by development.
• All of the above benefits are important factors in reversing the effects of major environmental crises such as global warming, species loss, and drought.

Social Benefits

• Trees are shown to have a calming effect on people; people suffering from high stress tend to feel calmer in the presence of trees, thus improving overall health and well-being.
• Studies show that neighborhoods with significant greenery report fewer instances of crime and less insecurity, resulting from a greater sense of community.
• In today’s world we are growing increasingly insulated and isolated from our neighbors. A community tree planting is a great way for people to interact with one another, work side by side toward a common goal. Planting trees is also a great way to instill in members of the community a sense of civic pride and a stronger connection to place.
• Closely-spaced trees along roads tend to slow traffic by giving the impression of narrow roads and speed as they zoom past your windows. They also serve as a buffer zone between streets and sidewalks, creating safer environments for joggers, pedestrians and children at play.
• Trees have been shown to increase levels of concentration in children, and girls who are exposed to nature or live in greener communities tend to exhibit higher levels of self-discipline and decreases in impulsive, risky behavior.

www.atreeinstead.com