RICHMOND, Va., April 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Project Plant It!, the free environmental education program created by Dominion Energy to educate children and plant trees for Arbor Day, has achieved a major milestone this spring with the distribution of 500,000 tree seedlings since the program began in 2007.

"What makes this Project Plant It! milestone even more significant is the fact that a half-million children in areas served by Dominion Energy have learned about the benefits of trees to the ecosystem," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. "It also shows the long-standing support Dominion Energy has for a more sustainable, greener world." 

Through the program, educators receive STEM-based lesson plans and instructional tools that can be downloaded at no charge at www.projectplantit.com. This year, to further engage children about the many benefits that trees provide to the ecosystem, a new lesson plan about conservation of natural resources was added to the Educator's Guide on the website. Along with this manual of 12 lesson plans and helpful resources, the website features interactive games and videos about trees that children can enjoy with adults.

Many students in Richmond Public Schools have participated in Project Plant It! since the inaugural year of the program.

"Our school system supports this innovative program because the lesson plans include many educational activities that develop 21^st century skills such as teamwork, collaborative research and critical thinking about real-world issues," said Helena Easter, Science Instructional Specialist for Richmond Public Schools. 

"Students who are enrolled in the program love getting their own redbud trees to plant at home, which helps them make a personal connection with the environment," said Easter. "Project Plant It! is a great addition to any educator's spring curriculum."

To culminate the season with a hands-on outdoor activity, Dominion Energy's team of foresters will provide expertise and assistance at a number of Arbor Day events and tree-planting celebrations that are planned in Virginia's Goochland County, Richmond City, Eastern Virginia and Northern Virginia, among other localities.

Many organizations and agencies have served as longtime collaborative partners with Dominion Energy and Project Plant It!, including the Arbor Day Foundation, the Virginia Department of Forestry and hundreds of school systems throughout Dominion Energy's service area.

For more information, visit www.projectplantit.com or "Like" Project Plant It! on Facebook.

About Dominion Energy

Nearly 6 million customers in 19 states heat and cool their homes and power their businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D). The company's record of reliable, safe and clean energy regularly places it among America's most-admired utilities. One of the nation's leading operators of solar energy, Dominion Energy is one of just three companies to have reduced carbon intensity by more than 40 percent since 2000. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., Dominion Energy contributes more than $20 million annually to the community, supports military veterans and their families, and practices responsible environmental stewardship everywhere it operates. To learn more, please visit www.dominionenergy.com, Facebook or Twitter.

SOURCE Dominion Energy