WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Arbor Day Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., announce their new partnership promoting environmental stewardship on college campuses throughout America. The formal announcement of the partnership took place during the week of festivities celebrating the unveiling of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on August 25, 2011 at Howard University, Washington D.C., as a part of Alpha Phi Alpha's event entitled – A Tribute to King's Dream: Environmental Justice and Environmentalism in the 21st century. The event was held in the university's Blackburn Center from 1-3:30pm.
This partnership provides Alpha Phi Alpha collegiate fraternity members a way to become involved in the Alpha Goes Green initiative. Collegiate members will be trained through the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA program about the positive benefits of trees in our communities and metropolitan areas, and provided resources to help with education and outreach to underserved and disadvantaged communities about the social, economic and health benefits of green infrastructure. The Tree Campus USA program is sponsored by Toyota.
Through this joint effort, Alpha Phi Alpha collegiate members will celebrate Dr. King's Dream and keep his legacy alive by helping to build healthier, greener and more sustainable communities across the country.
"We are excited to partner with Alpha Phi Alpha to encourage campus chapters to adopt environmentally sustainable practices," said John Rosenow, Chief Executive and Founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. "Participation in the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree Campus USA program is a great way for these chapters to further the important work of planting and caring for campus and community trees. The efforts provide environmental and social benefits to this and future generations."
To earn Tree Campus USA recognition, schools must meet five core standards of tree care and community engagement: Establish a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campustree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body in sustainable efforts.
"Toyota is committed to giving back in our local communities and supporting programs that educate and empower diverse populations," said Pat Pineda, Group Vice President of Toyota Motor North America. "We salute the Arbor Day Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., for joining forces to educate and mobilize the next generation of environmental stewards through the Tree Campus USA program."
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Arbor Day Foundation share a commitment to address tree-related environmental issues within underserved communities and to expand the environmental conversation within these communities.
More information about the partnership between Alpha Phi Alpha and the Arbor Day Foundation is available at www.arbordaynow.org/AlphaPhiAlpha.
For more information contact:
Dan Lambe, 888.448.7337, dlambe@arborday.org
For event photos contact:
Christa Berry, 512.968.5840, christa@iando.com
About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities. Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 600 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit apa1906.net and follow on Twitter @apa1906network. For more information about the Alpha Goes Green initiative visit green.apa1906.net
About Arbor Day Foundation:
The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit conservation organization of more than one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at arborday.org.
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