MadTree Brewing closed their taproom on October 27, to bring over 70 volunteers from across the organization to participate in a massive tree planting in Laurel Park and the West End. Along with Parks staff and partners at Groundwork Ohio River Valley, MadTree Brewing employees got their hands dirty digging, mulching, and planting trees in the ground.
“We have always worked to be bigger than beer – connecting with our community in such a direct way is at the heart of who MadTree is,” said Brady Duncan, Co-founder of MadTree Brewing.
These trees are one component of a larger focused collaboration to rejuvenate Laurel Park. Other planned investments into Laurel Park include the installation of free public Wi-Fi from Cincinnati Bell, and the erection of a 13’ bronze statue of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and hometown hero, Ezzard Charles. The statue will be surrounded by a newly developed plaza.
Rhiannon Hoeweler, Director of Strategic Impact at MadTree Brewing commented, “It is so exciting to have such an impactful partnership with Cincinnati Parks and Cincinnati Parks Foundation. Partnering on projects like Laurel Park and ReLeaf to create a healthier, more sustainable, more connected city means so much to us.”
MadTree Brewing’s generous donation to purchase the trees for the West End totaled $20,000. This is in addition to their $10,000 support of Cincinnati Parks’ 2020 Fall ReLeaf Program. Through this program, more than 800 trees were given to Cincinnati residents for FREE to plant in their yards. This is part of MadTree Brewing’s commitment to the “1% For the Planet” initiative. They are contributing at least one percent of their annual sales to environmental causes.
THE BENEFIT OF TREES
As part of the Green Cincinnati Plan from Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability, Cincinnati Parks Urban Forestry division is working to bring each neighborhood up to 40% tree canopy coverage. These additional trees will help improve the impacts of air pollution, urban heat island effect, and storm water management. Just one large deciduous tree, such as a sycamore, can help control up to 1,000 gallons of stormwater through canopy interception. This benefits homeowners by adding shade, beauty, reducing soil erosion, and managing flooding from rainfall.
