News Releases

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Expanding Kentucky’s tree canopy means partnering to support projects that will help it grow. Nearly two dozen of those projects will move forward this year thanks to support from the LG&E and KU Foundation. The projects are funded, in part, by the Foundation’s Plant for the Planet grant program. 

LG&E and KU’s Plant for the Planet grant program awards matching grants in amounts of $500 to $5,000 to organizations with a history of successful tree plantings in the LG&E and KU service territories. 

This year’s grants were awarded to 22 organizations across nine Kentucky counties, including Brightside Foundation, Cave Hill Heritage Foundation, Cherokee Triangle Association, the City of Douglas Hills, Louisville Metro Government, Louisville Zoo Foundation, Masonic Homes of Kentucky, Spalding University, TreesLouisville, Waterfront Development Corporation, Wilderness Louisville and YouthBuild Louisville in Jefferson County.

“To date, more than 50,000 trees have been planted across the LG&E and KU service territories as part of our Plant for the Planet Grant program,” said Angie Evans, LG&E and KU vice president of Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs. “These projects beautify our landscape and increase the population of healthy trees across the Commonwealth and we’re proud to support our environment and communities in making them happen.”

Since the grant program’s launch in 2009, plantings have occurred in a range of urban and rural settings that offer public access, including parks and nature preserves.  Many successful projects have also used unique approaches to incorporate trees within other landscape settings.  

The Plant for the Planet program is modeled after the United Nations' Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign which promotes the planting of more than one billion trees annually by individuals, communities and businesses worldwide.

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve nearly 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 329,000 natural gas and 418,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 558,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.