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MidAmerican is making Iowa greener

The American poet Joyce Kilmer wrote a famous tribute to the beauty and wonder of trees on a February day in 1913. While it seems unlikely that our readers need reminding, that poem starts out:

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.”

It winds up with the famous lines:

“Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.”

With spring tantalizingly close, the time is near when trees and other wonders of nature will awaken from their wintry slumber.

MidAmerican Energy Co. is helping to keep Iowa’s environment green and luscious through its Trees Please! program.

Since the 1990s, this initiative has distributed tree-planting grants that have resulted in thousands of trees being planted across Iowa.

The list of grant recipients for 2016 was announced recently. Mid-American is providing $205,000 to 65 communities and governmental and community organizations. Most of the grants are $1,000 but some larger communities and projects are receiving bigger awards. Since 1998, Mid-American has distributed grants for this project totaling $3.6 million.

“We’re proud to give back to communities through the Trees Please! program,” said Tina Yoder, director, energy efficiency for MidAmerican Energy, in a statement announcing this year’s awards. “Trees provide many benefits, including energy efficiency.”

This year, MidAmerican’s Trees Please grants in north central Iowa will go to:

Bradgate Betterment, Humboldt County,

Pomeroy, Calhoun County,

Ruthven, Palo Alto County,

Sac City, Sac County,

Humboldt County Conservation Board, Humboldt County,

Humboldt Trees Forever, Humboldt County,

Manson Economic Development Corp., Calhoun County and

Pride in Community Appearance – PICA, Webster County.

Trees beautify our communities but they do a great deal more. They act as windbreaks and provide shade. In addition to contributing to energy conservation, they improve air quality and nourish the soil.

MidAmerican has been a leader in promoting programs that enhance energy efficiency. These grants are part of that effort.

Trees Please! is a superb example of corporate good citizenship that will benefit us all for many, many years to come.

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