FedEx Delivers for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

FedEx team members are working with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to plant 65 trees along the Fall Creek Greenway Trail, in Indianapolis. This annual FedEx planting completes the final piece of the Fall Creek waterway that has not yet been planted with KIB trees—an effort that KIB undertook beginning in 2006— to restore the Fall Creek waterway.

KIB and FedEx have joined forces to plant trees for the past several years along Pogues Run and Pleasant Run, and now this will be the second planting with KIB and FedEx along Fall Creek. The collaboration between FedEx and NFWF is part of the EarthSmart Outreach initiative, a FedEx commitment to environmental and volunteer efforts that focus on environmental sustainability. 

We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with FedEx again to tree-up Indy. Having planted nearly 200 trees over the last few years, this planting holds special meaning; as it will add trees to an area hit hard by the Emerald Ash Borer. Needless to say, this planting will help people thrive by adding to the tree canopy which:

• Helps reduce crime.  Research shows that trees help to reduce crime and foster safer, more sociable neighborhoods. In an inner-city neighborhood, the greener the residence, the lower the crime rate. Residents reported fewer violent crimes and property crimes in green neighborhoods as compared to those that were barren.
• Cleans our air and water. There is up to a 60% reduction in street level particulates with trees.
• Reduces energy costs. Properly placed shade trees can save an average of $250 annually in energy costs.
• Improves our health and well-being. Exposure to even small amounts of trees reduces mental fatigue. School children with ADHD show fewer symptoms if they have access to natural settings. Reduced air pollution from the presence of trees helps to ameliorate respiratory problems, such as asthma—the leading serious chronic illness among children.
• Increases property values. Large, mature street trees are found to be the most important indicator of attractiveness in a community, and can increase property values up to 20%.

This planting will also help nature thrive by preserving the watershed, which provides long-term benefits to our environment and Fall Creek itself, as well as the natural habitat and beauty of the neighborhoods in the watershed—a win-win for people and nature!