Happy Arbor Day! Four Ways Trees can Help Save Energy

Sun shining through green tree
National Arbor Day is a day that is dedicated to celebrating and planting trees. Trees provide more than shade, beauty, and oxygen - they are also amazing for energy conservation! Trees can lower surface and air temperature, with shaded surfaces being as much as 20-45 degrees cooler than peak temperatures of unshaded areas. Want to know how else trees can help energy conservation? Read on to find out. 

The day has since become nationally recognized and observed on the final Friday of April. However, some states observe Arbor Day at different times depending on when the best tree planting times are in their area.

Trees are incredibly important to the health and well-being of our Earth. Elementary science classes taught us that trees are responsible for cleansing the air of pollutants and producing fresh oxygen for us to breathe. Although that fact alone seems reason enough to have a day dedicated to celebrating trees, the day would not be as well-known without the help of the Arbor Day Foundation.

The Arbor Day Foundation was founded in 1972 and has become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Foundation boasts over one million members, supporters, and valued partners. By creating conservation and education programming surrounding the planting, care, and celebration of trees, the Arbor Day Foundation makes a notable impact on the tree population. The Foundation helps to plant over 5 million trees in America’s forests each year while also distributing over 7 million tree saplings to members each year. It has helped to create over 3,400 Tree City USA’s across the country and over 200 Tree Campuses.

We appreciate the Arbor Day Foundation. And we love that trees do so much to save energy!

Here are some of our favorite facts, provided by the Arbor Day Foundation:
  1. Trees lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade. Shaded surfaces may be 20-45 degrees cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials.
  2. Trees cool by shading our homes and streets, and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.
  3. In one year, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen in exchange. Nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are produced from burning one gallon of non-ethanol gasoline.
  4. Carefully positioned trees can reduce a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling by up to 25%. Computer models devised by the U.S. Department of Energy predict that the proper placement of only three trees can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs annually.

At IGS Energy, we know that trees make a big difference.

That’s why, for the past three years, we’ve partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant over 11,000 trees around the country. Not only are we making a tree impact on communities around the country, we’re helping to save energy around the world by offering Green Energy products and dedicating time toward cleaning up and beautifying our world.

Learn more about Energy Efficiency