To act on our environmental sustainability initiatives, BBQGuys lent a hand to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Common Ground Relief as the organizations prepped for their Earth Day Tree Giveaway.

A group of BBQGuys volunteers spent part of April 21 at the Common Ground Relief Wetlands Restoration Station in New Orleans, performing a variety of tasks to help put native trees in the hands of community members. Volunteers cleared loose tree branches from walkways and overhead limbs, trimmed tree roots, weeded pots, and assisted around the nursery as needed.

The tree giveaway not only gives coastal residents a way to connect with the environment, but also serves several practical purposes for people of the Gulf Coast region.

“We focus a lot of our work on planting in the wetlands themselves, but getting trees out in the community has so many positive effects,” says Charlotte Clarke, Executive Director for Common Ground Relief. “They play a big role in storm-water reduction, which is so important in urban environments. Trees are also good carbon sinks that help our atmosphere, plus they provide habitats for native birds. Whether they’re in the wetlands or in our communities, planting more of these tree species will do wonders for Louisiana.”

The trees to be handed out on Earth Day include pond cypress, water tupelo, live oak, and other water-loving species found in Louisiana’s rapidly vanishing wetlands. Clarke anticipates between 200 and 300 trees will be picked up and then planted in the New Orleans area, strengthening the surrounding ecosystem amid an environmental crisis.

Wetlands around the nation and world are vanishing at an alarming rate, leaving cities increasingly vulnerable to devastating storms. Our Earth Day PSA details how wetlands defend urban areas against natural disasters, what we can do to stem the tide of their erosion, and more.

If you’d like to take up the cause this Earth Day and beyond, please visit crcl.org and commongroundrelief.org.