It’s that time of year to make plans to change your ways and create a wonderful new year. There are many ways that trees can help you become healthier, wealthier and wiser. Here are five tree-related resolutions that will get you on your way…
1) Learn New Things. We encourage you to learn about the many reasons that trees are one of the smartest investments you can make in your health, wealth and wisdom—and the right ways to care for that investment. And we make it easier than ever. Just spend some time on our informative website or Like us on Facebook, and you can learn the most fascinating things. Like, did you know that trees can reduce crime? Or, that there’s a right way to water a tree?
2) Share the Wealth. Once you become wiser with all of the great info on the many benefits of trees and on how to care for them, share this knowledge with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Our website offers many helpful tools to make it easy, from fact sheets to posters to Op-Ed templates. When we all invest from the ground up, we can make even greater communities together.
3) Smell the Roses. Make the time to get outside and appreciate the trees and greenery that you and your community have already invested in. Take a stroll down a tree-lined street, take a nap on a hammock, push your child on a swing, picnic in a park, smell the clean air, feel the cool shade…There are so many ways to enjoy your trees that you could try a different one every day of the year and still have fun left for 2014!
4) Save Money. Trees can seriously cut your energy costs. In the summer, trees create shade, which can provide significant, cost-free cooling. And in the winter, they can block wind, reducing the need for heating energy. A 25-foot tree can reduce heating and cooling costs for a typical residence by 8 to 12 percent per year.
5) Increase Your Home’s Value. There are many home-improvement projects that you can take on in the new year, but enhancing your landscaping with trees and greenery is one of the simplest and most rewarding. Doing so will not only increase your property value (by up to 20 percent!), but also enhance the scenery you see every day for years to come.
Even taking action on just one of these resolutions—or one of your own—can put you on a greener, healthier and wealthier path for 2013. We wish you all the best!
Tell us: What’s your tree-related resolution for the New Year?