LAKEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FirstBank, one of the nation's largest privately held banks with a focus on "banking for good," successfully planted 50,000 native trees for the second consecutive year with the global reforestation organization, One Tree Planted.
“Given the wildfires we’ve endured these past few years, we’re hopeful this will make a deep and meaningful impact for our communities and state parks,” said Jim Reuter, CEO of FirstBank. “By partnering with One Tree Planted, we’re restoring some of the hardest hit areas in Colorado and beyond, and living by our mission and vision.”
For each FirstBank Bloom Package opened between Jun. 1 and Aug. 31, FirstBank announced it would plant five trees to help improve air quality, filter and conserve water and support wildlife throughout Arizona, California, and Colorado. Since the partnership’s inception, 100,000 trees have been planted across the three states.
In Colorado, the work by FirstBank and One Tree Planted is one of the largest post-fire reforestation efforts in the state and will benefit three regions devastated by forest fires – the Spring Creek fire near La Veta, the Troublesome Fire in Grand County, and the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins. In total, the fires consumed over 49,000 acres of forest.
FirstBank is further supporting the environment by introducing Recycled Ocean Bound Plastic Visa Debit Cards to help reduce ocean waste. The bank has partnered with Second Wave, which uses recycled plastic sourced from the sea as the core of these debit cards.
“It’s important for us to protect not only our communities but also the planet,” added Reuter. “Around five to twelve metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually, and efforts to reduce that waste can dramatically affect the health of marine ecosystems. FirstBank is excited to do its part and contribute to more planet-conscious initiatives.”
Offering customers recycled ocean-bound plastic debit cards is just one of several ways FirstBank is helping the planet. The bank has taken several sustainability measures in the workplace and community.
To find out more about the FirstBank Bloom Package, go to efirstbank.com/green.
About FirstBank
FirstBank began providing banking services in 1963. Today, it’s known as an industry leader in digital banking. It has grown to be one of the largest privately held banks in the United States, maintaining more than $28 billion in assets and 100 branch locations across California, Colorado, and Arizona. FirstBank offers a variety of consumer deposit accounts, home equity loans, mortgages, rental property loans, and a full range of commercial banking services, including business financing, commercial real estate loans, treasury management, and more. Since 2000, FirstBank has been recognized as a top corporate philanthropist, contributing nearly $80 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. The company is also unique in that a large portion of its stock is owned by management and employees, giving employees a financial stake in the bank’s success through its Employee Stock Ownership Program. For more information, visit www.efirstbank.com.
About One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and experts to create an impact on nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provides jobs for social impact, and restores biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more, visit onetreeplanted.org.
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Chandra Brin
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Chandra.Brin@efirstbank.com
