ARLINGTON, Va., April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By expanding Earth Day into Earth Month, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) is out to transform stewardship into a year-round endeavor.
SCA, the nation's largest and most effective youth conservation force, today announced the most sweeping Earth Day observance in its 60-year history – involving more than 5,000 volunteers at over 80 locations nationwide throughout the month of April. Projects include restoring hurricane-damaged greenscapes in Houston, crafting native wildflower seed balls in San Francisco, and removing tons of trash from the Potomac River Watershed near Washington, DC.
"We look forward to celebrating our planet every April 22nd, but SCA's commitment to our natural world is ongoing," states CEO Jaime Matyas. "Across America, young volunteers and others will mark 'Earth Month' by strengthening local parks and habitats, an empowering process that will hone individuals' leadership skills, bolster our communities, and forge a more sustainable future for all."
Thousands of employees from corporate partners dedicated to living responsibly will participate in SCA's coast-to-coast conservation ventures. These companies include Southwest Airlines, American Express, and Exelon.
"For the past ten years, Southwest Airlines has partnered with SCA to support environmental stewardship, a cause close to our Heart," said Laurie Barnett, Managing Director Communications and Outreach at Southwest Airlines. "We are proud to participate in this year's Earth Month activities and further our dedication to the planet."
"American Express has a longstanding commitment to community service and civic engagement programs, and we're thrilled to again partner with SCA on a nationwide network of Earth Month celebrations," said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. "This month, our colleagues will aid preservation and disaster relief efforts in Washington Square Park in New York City, Papago Park in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, and the Urban Farming Institute in Sunrise, Florida. In addition, we will be volunteering to help bring native wildflower pollinator populations back to their communities."
"Every day, Exelon works tirelessly to deliver clean energy to our customers and the communities we serve," said Maggie FitzPatrick, Exelon's Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs. "Our partnership with the Student Conservation Association will expand our impact by advancing sustainability programs in cities where we work and live."
SCA projects that during its Earth Month, volunteers will remove 15 tons of debris from park lands, improve 200 miles of trails and waterfront areas, restore 125 acres of wildlife habitat, and create more than 10,000 native seed balls to support pollinator species.
Among other locations, SCA volunteers will be out in force in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Miami, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle. For a complete list of SCA's April projects, or to register to join the hands-on activities, visit www.thesca.org/events.
About Southwest Airlines
In its 47th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 56,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 120 million passengers annually, in recent years. Southwest became the nation's largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. During peak travel seasons, Southwest operates more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 100 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. Southwest has announced its intention to sell tickets in 2018 for service to Hawaii, subject to requisite governmental approvals.
About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com, and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress/, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.
Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, Plenti rewards program, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, corporate card, business travel, and corporate responsibility.
About Exelon
Exelon Corporation (EXC) is a Fortune 100 energy company with the largest number of utility customers in the U.S. Exelon does business in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada and had 2017 revenue of $33.5 billion. Exelon's six utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 10 million customers in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco subsidiaries. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more than 35,168 megawatts of nuclear, gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric generating capacity comprising one of the nation's cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company's Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 2 million residential, public sector and business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is America's largest and most effective youth conservation service organization. SCA conserves lands and transforms lives by empowering young people of all backgrounds to plan, act, and lead, while they protect and restore our natural and cultural resources. Founded in 1957, SCA's mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders, and 70% of its alumni are employed or studying in conservation-related fields. For more, visit www.thesca.org.
Contact: Kevin Hamilton
khamilton@thesca.org
603.372.7068
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SOURCE Student Conservation Association
