Top:  Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez, gives out fruit trees to City of Miami residents during the Second Fruit Tree Giveaway in Little Havana. Bottom: Carmen Fuentes, City of Miami resident, carries two trees during the second Fruit Tree Giveaway. Photo Credit: Jorge R. Perez/City of Miami.

MIAMI, FL – June 16, 2009 – Following the success of the first Fruit Tree Giveaway held May 30, 2009, City of Miami staff and volunteers distributed 700 fruit trees (mango, avocado, tamarinds, lychees) to Miami residents on Saturday, June 13, 2009, at the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church (900 SW 26th Road).

Experts were on site to teach hands-on how to plant and care for the trees. In addition, educational material about avoiding “hatracking,” improper pruning that removes more than 25 percent of the tree’s canopy, was available for residents picking up trees. Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez was in attendance at the event to help stress the importance of increasing the City’s canopy.  

“I am pleased to see that so many of Miami’s residents are supporting the City’s efforts to beautify neighborhoods while improving the environment,” said Chairman Sanchez. “With each one of these trees, we are moving closer to our goal of increasing shade throughout the city.” 

Residents interested in the fruit trees, were 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.  

Residents can also request for free shade trees to be 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. 

To continue the mission of Green Miami, a third fruit tree giveaway event will be held during the summer, at a date and location to be determined. For additional information about Green Miami, please call the Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives at 305-416-1551, visit http://www.ourgreenmiami.org/ or http://www.miamigov.com/ 

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.