Credit Union Helps Plant Over 15,000 Pine Trees
March 31, 2014
TAMPA, Fl.� �Suncoast Credit Union and the Arbor Day Foundation planted 15,300�longleaf pine trees in�the Goethe State Forest�in an effort to fight�global warming and transition to a clean-energy future.�For every member who enrolls in e-statements, a paperless and more�secure way to review account information,�Suncoast Credit Union donates one dollar to the Arbor Day Foundation. �
Since 2010, Suncoast Credit Union has planted 95,901 trees in Seminole State Forest, Blackwater State Forest and Goethe State Forest.
"Like many large organizations, weve grappled with the very thought of global warming and believe its our responsibility to operate as�environmentally conscious members of the community,"�says Earl Brendle, Vice President of Facilities at Suncoast Credit Union. "Which is why it was important that we partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees locally."
According to the US Department of Agriculture,�one acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and deposits four tons of oxygen, enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.�
In 2013, Suncoast Credit Union opened three environmentally branches that operate in an energy efficient manner and feature�LED lighting throughout, high-efficiency windows and insulation, geothermal air conditioning and heating, and 40-kilowatt solar power panels to offset electricity. The branches are expected to use less than one-third the electricity of the credit unions other branches of comparable size and the exterior is outfitted with drought-resistant landscaping and drip irrigation where possible.
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About Suncoast Credit Union
Suncoast Credit Union, chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, operates 54 full-service branches and serves more than 570,000 members in the following Florida counties: Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter. With assets of more than $5.5 billion, Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida and the 15th largest in the United States.�For more information visit:�suncoastcreditunion.com,facebook.com/SuncoastCreditUnion�or @SuncoastCU.