MIAMI, FL –- The City of Miami staff and volunteers, will kick off the summer with the first Fruit Tree Giveaway on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at the Eglise de Notre Dame D’Haiti, 110 NE 62nd Street, in Little Haiti from 8am to 12pm where six hundred fruit trees (mango, avocado, jackfruit and lychee) will be given away to City residents.

Experts will also be on site to teach hands-on how to plant and care for the trees. Educational material about avoiding “hatracking”, also known as improper pruning that removes more than 25 percent of the tree’s canopy will also be available. 

Residents interested in the fruit trees, will be eligible to receive up to two four-ft. trees on a first-come, first-serve basis, per household, upon presenting proof of residency, such as a driver’s license or ID card with a City of Miami address and a utility bill with a City of Miami address. 

The fruit tree giveaway is part of the City’s Green Miami Campaign and its first-ever Tree Master Plan that creates minimum standards in order to enhance, restore and stabilize the City’s tree canopy cover to a minimum of 30 percent by 2017 as well as to preserve and enhance Miami’s urban canopy .This effort aims to reach out to City of Miami residents interested in planting fruit trees, creating shade in their yard and decreasing their carbon footprint.  “The environmental and health benefits of growing your own fruit are many,” points out Robert Ruano, Director of Grants and Sustainable Initiatives at the City of Miami. “And this is a great opportunity for us to promote how easy it is to be green, by providing free fruit trees to residents while helping meet Green Miami Campaign’s goals.”

Residents can also request that free shade trees are planted in the right of way near their homes through their Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) offices. New requests for trees from city residents are welcome by the City of Miami NET offices by calling 305-960-4NET or your local NET office.

The second fruit tree giveaway event on June 13th, 2009 for the Little Havana, Coral Way, West Flagler, Flagami and Coconut Grove areas of the City of Miami at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church located at 900 SW 26th Road, from 8am to 12pm.

ABOUT THE GREEN MIAMI CAMPAIGN
Mayor Manny Diaz created the City of Miami Green Commission in 2006 to allow citizen input and expert insight on the city’s green policies. In April 2008, Mayor Diaz and the Green Commission announced the launch of the Green Miami Campaign, an exciting initiative to restore Miami’s tree canopy into a thriving urban forest through community tree plantings and education. The Green Miami Campaign will increase community awareness of the benefits of trees and how to protect them. The campaign is a partnership between Mayor Diaz’s Green Commission, the City of Miami, and community tree planting and educational organizations such as Citizens for a Better South Florida, Hands on Miami, TREEmendous Miami, Roots in the City, Operation Green Leaves, and the TreeMan Trust.  

For additional information, please call the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives at 305-416-1551, visit http://www.ourgreenmiami.org/ or http://www.miamigov.com/