TD Bank has selected Keep the Midlands Beautiful to participate in TD Tree Days, a community-based program that expands urban forests and green spaces in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. Staff and volunteers of Keep the Midlands Beautiful will join local employees of TD Bank to plant 30 native trees and 60 native shrubs on St Andews Road, across from Shaw Industries in Columbia October 24.

“We’re excited to team with Keep the Midlands Beautiful during TD Tree Days to benefit the community and elevate the quality of the environment,” said Joe Doolan, TD Bank’s Head of Environmental and Community Partnerships. “At TD, we’re driven by a central belief that together we can break down barriers and help build inclusive futures, where everyone can succeed in a changing world. Through The Ready Commitment, TD’s corporate citizenship platform, we support initiatives that will ensure a sustainable future for all. TD Tree Days is one of many programs that help promote a more vibrant planet by providing green spaces where they are most needed. Trees do much more than beautify our communities – they produce oxygen; improve air quality and slow climate change by reducing carbon emissions, airborne pollutants and smog; provide cooling shade to reduce energy costs; and enhance quality of life.”

Now in its 10th year, the TD Tree Days program brings together community members and TD employees at planting events in communities from Maine to Florida. Founded in 2010, the program has positively impacted communities and the environment as TD’s flagship volunteer and urban greening program, planting nearly 400,000 native trees and shrubs, primarily in Canada and the U.S., and is managed with support from the Arbor Day Foundation. Under The Ready Commitment platform, TD pledges to plant one million trees in North America by 2030, and the TD Tree Days program will count toward that goal.

Keep the Midlands Beautiful is one of 18 organizations in the United States that was chosen to participate in TD Tree Days through an application process. “We are so excited to participate in TD Tree Days this year,” said Executive Director of Keep the Midlands Beautiful, Jacqueline Buck. “It is an honor to work alongside TD Bank as we continue to promote urban forestry in Columbia.”