Before Earth Month even started, Chuck McBride of Audacy stations in Chattanooga, Tenn., was out in his community to help improve the planet.
He took part in the Tennessee Environmental Council’s annual “Tree Day” event to help plant 550 trees in the Chattanooga area.
“Since 2007, they’ve been doing this thing called Tennessee Tree Day,” McBride explained. “Every year on March 18… I first heard about it after we had tornadoes here and our house was damaged and many of the communities were damaged in terms of trees.”
Tennessee Tree Day is described as a “meaningful, family-friendly, event that results in multi-generational benefits to our environment, communities and public health,” by the council.
Trees are an important part of the Earth’s ecosystem. They improve air quality, prevent flooding, provide homes for animals and organisms, prevent crime, bolster the economy and more according to the National Wildlife Federation.
“Obviously there’s the environmental effect in terms of carbon dioxide and oxygen, but more so I think the idea of being able to rebuild everything and it not look like a damaged war zone,” said McBride. “And, you know, after something like that happens, people are hurt and they need a way to heal.”
Leading up to the Tennessee Tree Day event, people can reserve trees trough the council’s website. This year, McBride and other Audacy staffers were among those who helped get trees to recipients.
People could choose from a variety of tree species, including flowering dogwood, pecan trees, tulip-poplars, Virginia pine, black cherry, wild plum, white oak, indigo bush, persimmon and more.
“It was a lot of fun, you know, just meeting average listeners and getting to hear, you know, what they were doing and all of us being involved in this good thing,” he said.
According to a letter from Tennessee Tree Council CEO Jeffrey Barrie to McBride, the Chattanooga team’s efforts were part of a network of around 150 volunteer pick-up sites across the state. Overall, more than 100,000 trees were distributed to 8,200 participants, and more than 20,000 volunteers helped plant them. Barrie said that plans for next year’s event are already in motion, and the council is planning to hit a goal of 1 million trees planted since the program began.
“We are super proud of him and his efforts to do this 1Thing,” said Abbey Markus, an on air-personality at 103.7 KISS FM in Chattanooga, of McBride’s work.
McBride said that he hopes to keep participating in Tree Day going forward.
“I am hoping that we're going to do it again next year,” he said.
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