U-Haul Customers Contribute to Planting Two Million Trees Through The Conservation Fund's Go Zero Program

PHOENIX, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks in large part to donations from U-Haul and its customers, The Conservation Fund announced in December that it was on the verge of achieving  two spectacular milestones—the planting of its two millionth tree as part of its voluntary carbon offset program, Go Zero, and a total of one million trees in the ground at Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Louisiana.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090622/LA34860LOGO-b)

U-Haul customers renting equipment at participating company locations across North America and on uhaul.com can donate to Go Zero to offset carbon emissions.

"U-Haul is thrilled with the success of the Go Zero program and is proud to be in partnership with The Conservation Fund," stated Stuart Shoen, executive vice president, U-Haul International, Inc.  "This has only been possible because of the hard work, generosity and mutual interests of our wonderful customers and committed Team members at every single location across the United States.  Every dollar collected by U-Haul goes directly to The Conservation Fund."

Since 2007, more than 770,000 U-Haul customers have elected to offset their emissions, raising nearly $2.5 million to plant more than 290,000 native trees on behalf of Go Zero and wildlife refuges nationwide. So far U-Haul donations have restored more than 962 acres of forest—that's the size of 860 football fields—even larger than New York's Central Park. Over the next 100 years those trees will trap nearly 350,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Donations have also helped to protect working forests along California's north coast, including the purchase and retirement of 22,500 tons of carbon from the Fund's Garcia, Big River and Salmon Creek forests in Mendocino County. Moving forward, a portion of U-Haul's Go Zero donations will also be used to help plant trees, restore parks and support a growing green economy in Detroit.

"The support and generosity from U-Haul and its customers for this program is unprecedented," said Jena Meredith, director of The Conservation Fund's Go Zero program. "Based on the extraordinary success and high participation rates, climate change and habitat loss are obviously two issues that resonate strongly with U-Haul and its customers. Their donations deliver measurable results for our nation's air quality, forests and wildlife."

About U-Haul
U-Haul was founded by a Navy veteran who grew up during the Great Depression. Tires and gas were still rationed or in short supply during the late 1940s when U-Haul began serving U.S. customers. Today, that background is central to the U-Haul Sustainability Program: "Serving the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."  Our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle includes fuel-efficient moving vans, neighborhood proximity, moving box reuse, moving pads made from discarded material and packing peanuts that are 100% biodegradable.  Learn more about these facts and others at uhaul.com/sustainability.

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the choice for the do-it-yourself mover. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the Company to maintain the largest rental fleet in the do-it-yourself moving industry which includes trucks, trailers and towing devices. U-Haul also offers storage throughout North America. The Company provides industry leading moving and storage boxes and an extended line of packing supplies to protect customer possessions. U-Haul is the consumer's number one choice as the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket. The Company supplies alternative-fuel for vehicles and backyard grills as one of the nation's largest retailers of propane.

About The Conservation Fund
At The Conservation Fund, we combine a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect your favorite places before they become just a memory. A hallmark of our work is our deep, unwavering understanding that for conservation solutions to last, they need to make economic sense. Top-ranked, we have protected more than 7 million acres across America. www.conservationfund.org

Contact:
Joanne Fried
Ashleigh Wagner
U-Haul Public Relations
(602) 263-6194
[email protected]

SOURCE U-Haul