FirstEnergy to Plant Trees Marking Earth Day, Arbor Day Celebrations

AKRON, Ohio – FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) is set to plant thousands of trees throughout its service territory from April 22 through April 30 to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. The initiative is an important part of the company’s efforts to reduce FirstEnergy’s carbon footprint, promote responsible use of natural resources and further the advancement of sustainable practices.

Held at many parks and nature reserves throughout FirstEnergy’s service territory, the Earth Day and Arbor Day events will combine actual tree planting and sapling giveaways. Some of the larger events will be taking place at the Cleveland MetroParks in Ohio and Wood County 4-H campgrounds in Parkersburg, W.Va., on April 22, and ClearWater Conservancy in State College, Pa., on April 23.

Led by FirstEnergy’s Green Teams, the tree p​lanting program is one of several projects that employee groups will participate in to help nearby parks, nature reserves and communities. The group also completed several projects in 2020, most notably planting 1,000 new trees throughout FirstEnergy’s service territories September through December.

“Since many Earth Day tree planting events were canceled last year due to the pandemic, we’re excited to come back strong in 2021,” said George Farah, Vice President, Utility Services and executive sponsor of FirstEnergy's tree planting program. “While we set an initial 2021 goal of 10,000 trees, we’re optimistic we will be able to plant many more throughout the year.”

FirstEnergy’s ten Green Teams consist of company employees from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia who volunteer their time and talents to support a wide variety of environmental initiatives. The groups plan to continue to partner with state park systems, watershed and recycling groups, garden clubs, schools and other environmentally focused organizations in 2021 to support FirstEnergy’s commitment to building a brighter and more sustainable future.

For more information about FirstEnergy’s commitment to environmental initiatives, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/environmental.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.