For Immediate Release
Contact
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Yingling, Atlantic City Electric, (302) 283-5811 (office); 866-655-2237 (pager) bill.yingling@conectiv.com
Community Earth Day Events to receive free, dogwood seedlings
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, New Jersey - In celebration of Earth Day, Atlantic City Electric will distribute more than 6,200 white dogwood seedlings at environmental events throughout the month of April in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Over the last several years, Atlantic City Electric has given out approximately 84,000 tree seedlings at local Earth Day events.
"The trees are our gifts to the public and to Earth Day 2005," said Bill Yingling, spokesman for Atlantic City Electric. "We encourage recipients to plant and nurture the donated seedlings because healthy, mature trees can help improve air quality and prevent soil erosion."
Yingling said Atlantic City Electric distributes white dogwood seedlings because they are an aesthetically pleasing, low-growing species that is less likely to interfere with power lines, thus helping the utility maintain electric service reliability and safety.
When planting the seedlings, Yingling said people should be aware of the location of overhead and underground electric wires. "Trees growing into power lines can cause electric service interruptions, and digging into underground lines can result in electric shock and injury," he added.
Support of Earth Day is just one way in which Atlantic City Electric is committed to environmental stewardship. Throughout the year, Atlantic City Electric works in partnership with environmental and community groups on a variety of programs that benefit the environment. These programs include beach and river cleanups, wildlife habitat preservation and tree maintenance.
***Contact us for a list of tree seedling distribution sites.
Atlantic City Electric, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), provides safe, reliable and affordable regulated electric service to more than 500,000 customers in New Jersey.