Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company

03/17/2021 | Press release | Archived content

MidAmerican Energy Awards Grants to Communities and Organizations for Tree Planting

Wednesday March 17 2021

MidAmerican Energy Awards Grants to Communities and Organizations for Tree Planting

Filed Under:News Releases

MidAmerican Energy is awarding more than $100k to dozens of Iowa communities in the company's annual effort to promote community-wide tree planting.

Fifty-four communities and organizations will receive a total of $108k in grants through MidAmerican's Trees Please! program. The program promotes energy efficiency in publicly owned buildings, schools and community spaces by providing windbreaks and shade, while also beautifying those areas.

This year's awards include a $15k grant to the city of Cedar Rapids, which is triple the amount MidAmerican awarded last year. The city estimates that the derecho last August destroyed more than two-thirds of its tree canopy.

"The derecho destroyed a significant number of trees, which reminds us of how much we value them," Tina Yoder, MidAmerican director of energy efficiency, said. "It's important we invest in replacing them to support our environmental sustainability," she added. "Beyond the character that trees add to communities, they can also help our customers save energy when the right kind of tree is planted in the right place."

Since 1998, MidAmerican has awarded more than $4.3m in funding for trees. Every fall, cities and community organizations can submit grant applications to MidAmerican to be considered for grants of $1k or more. The company selects grant recipients based on a project's merits and benefits to the community, as well as the recipient's ability to obtain matching funds.