Volunteer to plant Pearl Jam's trees in Hartman Park | Community Spirit

Last year, Pearl Jam donated $210,000 to Cascade Land Conservancy to plant 33 acres of native trees in the Puget Sound and affectively mitigate carbon emissions from the band's 2009 world tour.

Now, you can help plant some of those trees in Hartman Park with the Green Redmond Partnership! The agency is hosting a volunteer event on March 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Crews have been hard at work at Hartman Park removing invasive plants, and now they are ready for some extra hands to help in planting native trees and shrubs to re-establish the healthy forest that will mitigate carbon in the atmosphere.  

Volunteers chould dress for the weather and come prepared to get their hands dirty! Long pants and sleeves, sturdy shoes and a water bottle are highly recommended. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Volunteers should register online.

Pearl Jam’s donation will fund the urban forestry project and mitigate more than 7,000 metric tons of carbon. Conservation International chief adviser, climate and water, Michael Totten estimates Pearl Jam’s actual carbon emissions from its 32-date 2009 tour to be 5,474 metric tons of CO2.

“A band on tour generates a lot of carbon,” said Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam’s guitarist and founder. “We are constantly moving, using carbon-dependent forms of transportation and a great deal of energy. Since 2003, we have elected to mitigate our carbon output by tracking and calculating our emissions and contributing money to projects that strategically work to improve the environment. We view this as a cost of doing business.”

“Trees are incredible at absorbing carbon,” said Gene Duvernoy, Cascade Land Conservancy president. “Pearl Jam’s contribution will enable us to plant urban forests throughout the Puget Sound and restore native trees and understory to ecosystems that have faced intense human pressures. This sort of approach has an enormous impact on improving forest health, connecting people to nature, and activating communities to engage in the restoration and stewardship of natural open spaces.”

This is not the first time Pearl Jam has teamed up with Cascade Land Conservancy. In 1997, Cascade Land Conservancy partnered with members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden to help purchase and preserve forest land in the Cascade foothills.