PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, September 23, 2008 (ENS) – On the occasion of Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday, the state of Pennsylvania will invest $1 million to enhance parks, plant trees and improve trails in the Pittsburgh region, an industrial center that is now in the process of growing greener.

The million dollar announcement made by Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis on Monday crowned an exciting four days for Pittsburgh parks professionals and advocates.

They have hosted 500 of their counterparts from across the United States and around the world at the International Urban Parks Conference.

“Body and Soul: Parks and the Health of Great Cities” is the theme of the conference that opened Saturday, co-sponsored by City Parks Alliance, the National Association for Olmsted Parks and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Participants from as far away as South Africa, Mexico, Pakistan, Germany and the United Kingdom toured Pittsburgh parks to view some of the recent improvements and explore areas where further work is needed.

On Saturday, conference delegates marked the inaugural World Parks Day, organized by Parks for Life, an international initiative created by the International Parks and Green Space Alliance.

The conference, which concluded today, considered environmental sustainability, preservation, maintenance and accessibility of parks as well as acquisition and management of public and private funds to cover the needs of parks in a tightening economy.

“As we work to address the impact of global warming, our urban areas offer tremendous opportunities around already existing infrastructure and transportation,” DiBerardinis said at an event at Mellon Square announcing the grants.

“It’s the parks, trees and recreational opportunities that make them places where people want to work and live, and that’s what we are supporting with our investments today,” he said.

The money will come in the form of Community Conservation Partnerships Program grants to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh for TreeVitalize, and the Regional Trail Corp. for the Great Allegheny Passage.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will receive $250,000 to help restore historic trails and bridges in four parks and to erect new signs.

“We are very grateful to DCNR for this generous grant,” said Meg Cheever, president and chief executive of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. “This funding enables us to conduct much-needed repairs to improve drainage infrastructure and reduce soil erosion along trails in Frick, Highland, Schenley and Riverview parks. It will also help cover the costs of installing new signage that will significantly enhance visitors’ enjoyment of the parks.”

The City of Pittsburgh will receive $250,000 for the TreeVitalize partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Allegheny County and others to continue efforts to increase the region’s tree canopy.

“TreeVitalize is making an immediate impact on the quality of life by improving the environment in urban areas,” TreeVitalize Director Marijke Hecht said. “DCNR’s leadership on this project has been invaluable for making TreeVitalize a reality.”

The Regional Trail Corp. will receive $500,000 to help construct 1.3 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage which includes a new bridge to cross over an active railway line.

“DCNR has been our most important partner in this 30 year saga of building the Great Allegheny Passage and has provided tremendous financial support throughout these decades,” said Hannah Hardy, president of the Regional Trail Corp. “We are close to completing the last section through the Mon Valley and this grant will be a tremendous help.”

Funding for the grants comes from the state’s Growing Greener II bond issue and Keystone ‘93, a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources fund generated from a portion of the state’s realty transfer tax.

“Our local partners are critical to our successful efforts to protect our natural areas,” DiBerardinis said. “Our grants help them meet the vision they have for their communities and regions.”

View This Story On Eco–mmunity Map.

Timberland works to provide people with the perfect tools to explore nature. Not just satisfied with helping people obtain the right gear to work and play outside, Timberland’s is also collaborating with green charities that work to improve the natural spaces in modern cities. Timberland started a special branch of their company called Earthkeepers, and this dedicated group focuses exclusively on environmental programs and initiatives. Timberland’s Earthkeepers are very shortly going to run a special green initiative called ‘Dig It,’ and you can get all the details after the picture below.

Get ready to meet the people in your local community who are working to make a difference. Be a part of ‘Dig It’ – a four-city initiative designed to bring eco-minded activists and artists together for a day of environmentalism, tree planting, art and music. For the daytime community greening events, Timberland will partner with American Forests, the non-profit organization focused on planting trees for environmental restoration and pioneering the science and practice of urban forestry. Timberland and American Forests will marshal approximately 200-300 volunteers to help plant trees in each city with the aid of local partners, including EarthWorks Projects in Boston; New York Restoration Project (NYRP) in New York; North East Trees in Los Angeles; and Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) in San Francisco. Each organization will target an environmentally neglected area in their city and plant trees, clean sites, and educate neighbors about the importance of maintaining these new green spaces in their communities. At night, participants will enjoy an eco-festival and concert headlined by Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam.

The events will kick off in Boston on Oct. 1 and will continue through New York (10/4), Los Angeles (10/11) and San Francisco (10/18).

The ‘Dig It’ program is a good example of how Timberland is promoting its internal corporate responsibility commitment to the environment — directly impacting consumers. Check out the map marker for the Boston event here [www.sundancechannel.com].

How you can get involved with Dig It:

- Sign up on Earthkeepers [www.Earthkeeper.com] to participate in the greening event and receive a free ticket to the Stone Gossard and friends concert and eco-festival
- View videos and download free music from Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam [www.pearljam.com]
- Facebook users can download the Earthkeeper application to download a virtual tree. For every virtual tree downloaded, Timberland will plant a real tree apps.new.facebook.com
- Watch videos on the Earthkeeper YouTube channel [www.youtube.com]
- Readers can visit the Earthkeeper blog [earthkeeper.com]

The “Dig It” greening events are part of Timberland’s commitment to green 300 communities around the world over the next two years. Timberland has greened 149 communities in 2008 to date, and plan to complete 141 additional projects in 23 countries this fall.

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