ECi to Offset Carbon with TWP

ECi to Offset Carbon with TWP

ECi Software Solutions (ECi) has recently joined with Trees, Water & People (TWP) to offset carbon emissions and help combat global warming by planting trees.  This partnership is part of ECi’s new “Going Green” initiative; an effort to help both ECi and their clients decrease their carbon footprint.

ECi has pledged to plant 10 trees with TWP for every $1,000 in new business related to their delivery management software, RoutePerfect™ and RouteTrak™.  These products help companies with delivery operations reduce their carbon footprint through paperless invoicing, route optimization, reduced fuel usage, and reduced vehicle maintenance.

With this generous donation, TWP will plant trees in Central America, continuing our ongoing efforts to help communities protect and conserve their threatened natural resources.  With every five trees planted, ECi will be able to offset approximately one ton of their carbon emissions, greatly reducing their impact on the environment.

“We are very excited about our partnership with Trees, Water & People,” stated Nathan Green, ECi’s Relationship Development Manager.  “Through our tree planting initiative with TWP, ECi is leading the way as a model to show that being good corporate stewards of the environment does not require sunk cost in your business. Reduce your company’s carbon footprint, increase profits and plant trees to ensure a better environment for future generations…what more could you ask for?”

Trees, Water & People Presents Kinard Junior High School With $4,000 Check

PSD Energy Manager Stu Reeve accepts check from Lacey Gaechter of TWP

On Tuesday, May 12, Trees, Water & People (TWP) attended the 9^th Grade Celebration at Kinard Junior High School in order to present the $4,000 donation raised during this year’s Renew the Rockies – The future IS Clean Energy event. The graduation ceremony included a feature on the impressive environmental initiatives at the school.  Kinard is the most energy efficient school in Colorado and received an Energy Star plaque to honor its impressive efforts.  As Stu Reeve, Energy Manager for the Poudre School District likes to say, “Buildings don’t save energy, people do.”  While Kinard is constructed to be extremely efficient, Reeve highlights the fact that teachers and students – such as those in the environmental group Kinard CARES – have undertaken an impressive effort to maximize use of the building’s energy saving features.

Solar electricity will be a critical component in moving toward zero-emissions for the building. With this goal in mind, Trees, Water & People incorporated fundraising for a photovoltaic array into this year’s Renew the Rockies event.  At the 9^th Grade Celebration, Lacey Gaechter, Community Outreach Coordinator for Trees, Water & People, presented Kinard’s portion of the proceeds from the March fundraiser, which Poudre School District will use toward the installation of a 10kW system on the school. TWP was honored to share a small part of the spotlight with the extraordinary graduates of Kinard. The four-hundred people in attendance showed a tremendous amount of support for both their students and the school’s commitment to environmental excellence.

Western Headwaters Roundtable: The Future of Watershed Protection

Trees, Water & People (TWP) partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead a regional forum for leaders of local watershed groups and water protection agencies May 4-6, 2009. Thirty-seven participants travelled to Loveland, CO from throughout the Intermountain West and as far away as Washington DC to discuss the future of watershed protection.

The roundtable is part of the Protecting the Water of the Arid West (PWAW) project led by TWP and is funded by a Targeted Watersheds Capacity Building Grant from the EPA. The aim of PWAW is to enhance the abilities of watershed groups to understand, protect, and restore their home waters by providing a network of supportive, capacity- building services.

A major focus of the event was providing the opportunity for grassroots organizations to connect with leaders of state, regional, and national agencies and discuss how to improve collaboration, strengthen programs and increase funding. TWP’s National Director Richard Fox explained how this roundtable lets us “turn agencies into people.”

Besides the extraordinary chance to interface with potential allies, participants came to the roundtable to learn what their interstate counterparts are doing, where they have found success, and how they have dealt with obstacles.