Richmond, Va.  – Nearly 8,000 third-graders in the Richmond area are participating this week in Dominion’s Project Plant It!, a new environmental education program that coincides with Arbor Day, which is Friday, April 27.

Project Plant It! was created by Dominion as a community partnership with The National Arbor Day Foundation, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Henrico County Public Schools and Richmond Public Schools to educate children, plant trees and improve the environment. Students in more than 350 classrooms are participating in the program.

"Project Plant It! will allow our children to learn the value of trees and our environment," said Eva Hardy, executive vice president, External Affairs & Corporate Communications.

Teachers participating in Project Plant It! Received custom-designed lesson plans and classroom materials earlier this month to help students learn the value of trees and their important role in the environment. All of the lesson plans address the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements for the third grade.

"Our third-grade teachers were thrilled that these high-quality educational materials were easily made available to them at no out-of-pocket cost," said Dr. Ronald L. Carey, executive director-elementary education, Richmond City Schools. "Richmond Public Schools looks forward to a continued collaboration and support from Dominion as a friend to education."

Throughout this week each of the participating students and their teachers will receive a blue spruce seedling to plant at home. Schools were offered the option of receiving larger trees to plant on school grounds as part of a group activity. Additionally, Dominion’s certified arborists will be making presentations on environmental science to third-grade classes in each region.

"Trees help contribute to a healthy ecosystem and improve air quality," said John Rosenow, president of The National Arbor Day Foundation. " Project Plant It! helps achieve our goal to educate and inspire young people and adults to understand, plant and care for trees to build a better future."

Dominion's donation of 8,000 blue spruce seedlings would be equivalent to more than 13 acres of new forest land at maturity, According to the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Trees help to moderate climates, absorb carbon, release oxygen, provide a habitat and food for wildlife, prevent soil erosion, lower heating and cooling costs, and beautify communities. Planting trees in and around a city can decrease local surface and air temperatures. Strategic planting around homes and buildings can help keep interior temperatures cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, decreasing energy needs.

A Project Plant It! Web site has been developed to provide additional information to students, parents and teachers. For more information on Project Plant It!, including a downloadable logo and photos, visit www.projectplantit.com.

Hardy said Dominion will look to expand Project Plant It! to other schools next year if there is interest.

Dominion invests in its communities through programs that assist families in need and the elderly, volunteer activities and charitable giving. In 2007 the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, will invest more than $15 million to assist the communities served by the company. A portion of these funds are used to support kindergarten through grade 12 education, especially in the areas of math and science.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with an energy portfolio of about 26,300 megawatts of generation.  Dominion also serves retail energy customers in 11 states.  For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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