How to Worship Elvis AND help the planet

Dear Joy to the Planet Reader,

I have a question for you!

Are you an Elvis Presley fan?

No? Ok...what about Ray Charles?

Hmm.

Oh, maybe you're more of a history buff?

Alrighty then, how about Martin Luther King Jr.? Do his speeches get your blood going? How about George Washington? or Amelia Earhart?? Edgar Allen Poe?

Welcome to Lesson #03 of Joy to the Planet, where we talk about how you can...

Worship Elvis...AND help the planet!

Yes, you read that right! Giggle.

For that matter, you can pay tribute in a really fun way to any number of famous people like the ones above....and at the same time, help the planet.

Huh??

Was Elvis a tree-hugger or something? What's all this?!

I know, it's a bit confusing. But I'll try to explain. You see, I really couldn't say if Elvis was an especially green kind of guy, but I've discovered an organization that is doing something tremendously green that will drive you Elvis fans right out of your minds!

'American Forests' is an organization that specializes in planting trees for environmental restoration and also happens to be the oldest non-profit in the U.S. They are doing some fabulous work that includes, among many other things, growing new trees from seeds or cuttings from parent trees with historical significance, for example...venerable old oak trees that line the driveway at Elvis' Graceland home!

Wouldn't it be a hoot to plant a tree - one that is a direct offspring of the oak trees Elvis drove past at Graceland - on YOUR property?

Plant a tree or two...or three!

American Forests makes it really easy to order a famous or historic tree with it's selection of dozens. As some of you know, I'll be moving out of the city with my family next year, and when we get there, I'm hoping we'll plant several, such as:

a red maple tree from the Walden woods where Henry David Thoreau spent two years watching 'the progress of the seasons'
a couple of Rambo Apple trees cut and grafted from the last surviving apple tree known to be planted by Johnny Appleseed
and maybe a white ash tree from Hyde Park, home of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt.
And obviously a tree or two that shaded the King, but, heck, that's a given right?!

Visit American Forests for a super website and maybe even find a historic tree to welcome into your life.

Planting a tree is a real act of kindness towards the planet.

In fact, it's quite touching to me that looking back, before I had an inkling about the toxin-absorbing, wonderful, healing qualities of trees...when I was still a card-carrying ignoramus about all things green...my husband Mike suggested we incorporate a tree planting into our wedding ceremony:

It's turned out to be quite a special memory for us, especially because each of our wedding guests were able to take a seedling home too.

Next time you have something to celebrate, whether it be a birth, a graduation or special birthday, why not see whether planting a tree would hit the right note?

Here are a few things about why trees are cool:

Planting a tree will save you money.

Yep! You see, shade from trees near your house reduces your air conditioning bill by up to 15-50%. And then, doing double duty in the winter blocking the wind, trees can ALSO reduce your heating costs by as much as 30%! Um...can you say cha-ching?

Planting a tree will help you breathe easier, especially if you have asthma.

Trees improve air quality. Just one mature tree produces enough oxygen to support 2 adults. And breathing easier certainly makes it a lot more likely you'll enjoy that tree house! Next time you walk by a tree...slow down and take a nice deep breath. You may as well...it's literally making air for you!

Planting a tree will increase your net worth.

This is absolutely true. Several studies in the U.S. show that a house with trees is worth 19% more than the equivalent house without trees. Neat, eh? In fact...apparently the same studies showed that just ONE added tree in the yard increases the property value of the house by 9% when compared to a house without.

Phew! Get the picture?

Good!

So, what are you waiting for? Go on! Get started with any of the suggestions below, and then just follow the steps at each of the respective websites. Of course, if you have any questions, you can also email me anytime at andrea@joytotheplanet.com.

Suggestions:

If you're long on patience, it can be fun to be there at the start by planting your trees from seed. Although not as graphical a site as I'd like to see, the AngelGrove Tree Seed company is the Internet's most reliable tree seed site. They hand sort all their seeds and guarantee them as well. (Prices start as low as US$5.00) Visit their site at http://trees-seeds.com
If you're like me, and usually want to get a head start, try seedlings instead. These can range from 6 or more inches tall to a couple of feet. 2 Shop Trees has a great selection of more than 50 varieties and ships to all of North America from http://2shoptrees.net/product/default.asp (starting at about US$10.) Seedlings are an especially great way to plant a tree with a kid. Seedlings and kids, you know, I guess they relate to each other or something!
You can also give a miniature tree a whirl. Grown indoors or out, a mini-tree or bonsai, is just as enjoyable to plant as the biggie version, and easily as great for the planet. You can start at this link, but also try searching under 'bonsai' at Google for variety: http://www.brusselsbonsai.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/SalesItems.html (Bonsai are pricier to start, so budget say $US30+ if you go this route.)
And of course, a famous or historic tree can be especially fun, and that's what Joy to the Planet is all about right? I invite you help the planet and have a great time doing it by planting a dozen Elvis trees from Historic Trees at http://www.historictrees.org. Giggle. I bet I could even convince my mom to do it, she was such the Elvis fan!

Alright, that's it for this time. Go forth and plant a tree...and I promise, you'll feel great about what you've done for the planet, and no one will EVER be able to say you're not green again!

Speaking of which, I must send a VERY SPECIAL hats off to Joy to the Planet reader Heidi, who wrote in to say she started walking her son to school after reading lesson #02 on the topic of How to get from Here to There AND help the planet. My sincerest of kudos to you Heidi! Keep it up!!

If you've had fun trying something green as a result of reading Joy to the Planet, be sure to drop me a line and let me know. I look forward to hearing from you!

Signing off to enjoy life and help the planet...what about you?

My best,

Andrea Lee
andrea@joytotheplanet.com

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