CHERRY HILL, N.J., June 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, today announced that it has committed to protect 107 acres of forest in the Wekiva-Ocala Greenway as part of its TD Forests program. Through a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the bank will help preserve the crucial pine, cabbage palm and oak forestland called Hollywood Pines in northern Lake County.
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TD Forests is a North American initiative of TD Bank and its parent company, TD Bank Group (TD). The program's goals are to increase the area of protected forest habitat and promote the responsible use of paper, including reducing the bank's paper usage by 20 percent by 2015. In addition, TD Forests works to reintroduce trees to urban areas through its TD Tree Days and TD Green Streets initiatives, and to support local parks and open spaces that strengthen communities.
TD Bank's investment in the Central Florida forest acreage – which is the equivalent of 82 football fields in area – encompasses more than 214,000 trees and a vital habitat for Florida's black bears, scrub jays and other wildlife. The Hollywood Pines area covers more than 600 acres.
"Purchasing a portion of the Hollywood Pines land not only is key to protecting natural resources, but is critical to TD's continued commitment to be as green as our logo," said Diana Glassman, Head of Environmental Affairs at TD Bank. "Through TD Forests, TD Bank will continue to preserve woodlands while increasing environmental awareness in communities across our Maine to Florida footprint."
"TD Forests is an excellent example of how companies can incorporate the value of nature into their business decisions while protecting forests and the animals that depend on them," said Greg Knecht, The Nature Conservancy's director of protection. "The Nature Conservancy's acquisition and protection of this property fills in a significant gap in the Wekiva-Ocala Greenway and ensures these rich lands continue to provide habitat for Florida's unique species including the Florida black bear."
The TD Forests program is a major component of TD Bank's comprehensive environmental initiatives. In response to feedback from customers, employees and other stakeholders, the bank is concentrating efforts in energy efficiency, reduced paper use and engagement on environmental issues. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com/aboutus/environment.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing nearly 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD." To learn more, visit www.td.com.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
About TD Forests
Launched in 2012, TD Forests is a major conservation initiative built around two pillars – reduce (paper use) and grow (forested areas). The reduce pillar focuses on providing an increased selection of e-banking options for customers and on reducing paper usage in TD's business operations. The grow component of the initiative brings together TD's environment, community and employee programs related to forests and trees. These include TD Tree Days, TD Green Streets and local community initiatives, along with a major new conservation program conducted through The Nature Conservancy in the United States and Nature Conservancy of Canada. This program focuses on increasing the area of protected forest habitat in North America. For more information, visit TD Forests.
SOURCE TD Bank