RITTMAN, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) recently donated about 520 trees to the
City of Rittman's Nature Preserve
in Wayne County, Ohio. A mixed
variety of hardwood and fruit trees were planted on Oct. 27 by employees of FirstEnergy and its Ohio
Edison electric company throughout the new 210-acre nature
preserve, which is situated on land where a vacant industrial
business once stood.
FirstEnergy has donated and planted more than 10,000 trees
throughout its six-state service territory since April 2021. This 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.
Led by FirstEnergy's Green Team in northeast Ohio, the Rittman tree-planting event was one
of several projects employees have completed this year to help
nearby parks, nature preserves and communities across FirstEnergy's
entire footprint.
"FirstEnergy contributed the funds to cover the cost of the
trees, and nearly two dozen employee volunteers spent several hours
planting them around the nature preserve, which will be enjoyed by
many of our local employees and their families," said Amy Hopkins, an external affairs consultant at
FirstEnergy who organized the event. "About 50 students from
Norwayne and Rittman High Schools
were onsite to help us plant the trees and it was a communitywide
effort."
FirstEnergy's 10 Green Teams consist of 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.
Set to open to the public by the end of this month, the Rittman
Nature Preserve is situated on the east side of Rittman on property
left vacant by a large industrial business in 2006. The preserve
provides the community with 7.2 miles of walking and hiking trails
as well as opportunities for bird watching and kayaking.
"These trees will help establish and restore forested habitat
within the preserve and we look forward to monitoring them and
helping them along as they mature," said Rittman Mayor William Robertson, who led an army of local
volunteers last year to get the land ready for public opening. "We
appreciate FirstEnergy and Ohio Edison's commitment to preserving
our local environment so that our plants, trees and animals can
continue to thrive for many years."
For more information about FirstEnergy's environmental and
corporate responsibility efforts, please visit
www.fecorporateresponsibility.com.
Ohio Edison serves more than
one million customers across 34 Ohio counties. Follow Ohio Edison on
Twitter @OhioEdison and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/OhioEdison.
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 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of FirstEnergy employees planting the
trees at the Rittman Nature Preserve are available for download on
Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.