RONA TO PLANT CLOSE TO 50,000 TREES ACROSS CANADA Print this page

In celebration of Canadian athletes who competed in London RONA TO PLANT CLOSE TO 50,000 TREES ACROSS CANADA


Boucherville, Quebec, August 16, 2012 – Building on the patriotism and national pride that is sweeping across the nation, RONA, the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products, challenged Canadians to participate in the “Plant Your Feet” online collective relay. To thank Canadians for their support of the program, RONA will plant a tree for every kilometre walked or run. Showcasing the strength and determination that are hallmarks of our nation’s character, Canadians logged a total of 49,665 kilometres, more than 900% of the original goal, to cross Canada from coast to coast.

“We encouraged Canadians to participate in our online relay, and the response has surpassed all of our expectations”, says Karim Salabi, Executive Vice President, Marketing at RONA. “As promised, RONA is supporting reforestation programs across Canada by planting a tree for every kilometre logged in the relay. RONA wants to build on the tremendous support shown to the Canadian Olympic Team and we look forward to giving back to the community by planting 49,665 trees across the country.”

RONA has partnered with the David Suzuki Foundation (“DSF”), a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to building healthy communities and protecting nature to accomplish this feat over the next two years. With a focus on encouraging Canadians to live greener, healthier lives, DSF will be working with a strong network of regional partners to plant the trees at key sites in some of Canada’s major urban areas.
RONA is now adding close to 50,000 trees to the tree planting program announced earlier this year, a three year program to support the DSF urban reforestation program.

“We relish the opportunity to work with RONA on this exciting reforestation project”, says Dr. Faisal Moola, Director General, Ontario at the David Suzuki Foundation. “By planting almost 50,000 trees across the country, RONA is helping to clean the air and keep our communities cool. Trees not only naturally filter dust, allergens, and pollutants from the air, a single healthy tree can provide the cooling effect of 10 air conditioners. The true value of trees in our communities, both from an environmental and economic standpoint, cannot be overestimated.”

RONA and DSF will begin planting trees in Fall 2012 in locations across Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Additional reforestation sites will be selected in Spring 2013, when the remainder of the 49,665 trees will be planted.

About RONA


RONA inc. (TSX: RON,RON.PR.A), is the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products and operates a network of more than 800 corporate, franchise and affiliate stores of various sizes and formats. With close to 30,000 employees working under its family of banners in every region of Canada, the RONA store network generates more than $6 billion in annual retail sales. Visit rona.ca for more information.

About the David Suzuki Foundation

The David Suzuki Foundation is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding solutions for living within the limits of nature and mobilizing Canadians to make their communities healthy and green.  www.davidsuzuki.org