TOTAL Plants First 100,000 of 1 Million New Trees in Slave Lake Region

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When TOTEM Building Supplies announced its commitment last May to plant one million trees in Alberta’s boreal forests near Slave Lake, the company had no idea just how timely its announcement was going to be. TOTEM is proud to announce it has recently completed planting the first 100,000 trees of its multi-year commitment to support reforestation in Alberta.

The tree-planting initiative is just one component of TOTEM’s long-term sustainable development platform, Together with Totem, that was announced last spring. The platform reflects TOTEM’s commitment to;

• be a responsible steward of the environment,
• work with communities in preserving its natural resources, and
• help its customers to have a positive impact on the environment.

"As one of Alberta’s largest retailers of forest products, TOTEM takes its responsibility to the environment seriously," says Dave Carr, Vice President and General Manager. "Together with Totem" reflects our commitment to the 1,100 Albertans we employ and to the citizens of the towns and cities where we live and conduct our business."

"One of the great things about the tree planting initiative is that it also includes a way for the public to become involved in and support reforestation in our province," added Dave.

Here is how it works:
• Totem customers are encouraged to purchase a Clean Air Tree Kit, containing Canadian white spruce tree seeds, available for $4.49 at all TOTEM stores in Alberta.
• Customers can plant their own tree and use the special PIN code inside the tree kit to register their planting on the World Clean Air Forest Initiative (WCAFI) website and world map.
• Totem uses the proceeds from each tree kit sold to plant an additional tree over and above its one million tree commitment.
• Then, The Canadian Institute of Forestry plants a third tree in support of WCAFI. Together, these commitments really add up.

"We had no idea when we conceived this program that Slave Lake would suffer the devastation it has from the forest fires earlier this year, " added Carr. TOTEM also partnered with Stanley Black & Decker to donate a total of $46,750 to the Slave Lake Relief Fund from in-store tool sales between August and September.

TOTEM’s focus on joining forces with its customers, employees, suppliers and communities carries through to the tree planting initiative. Earlier this summer a group of TOTEM employees travelled to Medicine Hat to get involved at a hands-on level, touring the greenhouse where the saplings are grown and helping foresters plant some of the 100,000 trees.

The Alberta Department of Sustainable Resource Development and the Alberta Forest Products Association have both demonstrated their support as partners in Together with Totem, and Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd., a local company located just outside Slave Lake, is responsible for physically planting the trees.

For more information about Together With Totem, visit us online at www.togetherwithtotem.ca, on Twitter @MyTotemStore, and on the Totem Building Supplies Facebook page.