Davey Tree Flipbooks

10 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | January/February 2022 VISION RAIN GARDEN FOSTERS DEEP ROOTS Native plant species now adorn a student-installed rain garden outside Sullivan High School in Chicago thanks to a partnership between Davey Resource Group (DRG), Bank of America and JLL, a commercial real estate management and engineering firm, and Accent Urban Design, a landscape architecture and urban planning firm. DRG Environmental Consulting (EC) services employees Amanda Betancourt-Szymanowska and Gregory Butler, both environmental specialists, taught high school students the benefits of rain gardens and how to install them by creating an interactive PowerPoint presentation and garden designing activity, as well as building a 40 feet by 12 feet rain garden in front of the school this past fall. A total 44 plants were installed with plans to add more. Betancourt-Szymanowska said the partnership came about through Carmen Vidal-Hallett of JLL, who mentored Betancourt-Szymanowska when she was an intern for After School Matters pursuing her career path in environmental services. "We created the rain garden to help these students metaphorically establish roots in the area because the school boasts a large number of refugee families," she said. "We're trying not only to provide them with a beautiful garden, but a way to con- nect with, and at, the school. DRG employees helped students of Sullivan High School install this rain garden to educate them on the benefits of rain gardens and their importance in helping to create a balanced ecosystem in an urban environment. The garden was sponsored by JLL/LERN (Jones Lange Lasalle/Latinos Empowerment Resource Network). ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAKE INROADS INTO FLEET AVAILABILITY Davey is testing three Tesla Model Y long range electric cars as part of a pilot program. The all-electric car has a driving range of 330 miles on a single battery charge. Davey will test the cars for a three-year period. A pilot program testing Electric Vehicles (EVs) aims to evaluate how solely battery-powered cars and trucks can be incorporated into the Davey fleet. Davey Fleet Services currently has three Tesla Model Y long range electric cars it is testing for Davey Resource Group (DRG) Utility Asset Management services to determine the car's potential long-term viability for DRG applications. Additionally, Davey has reservations for 120 Ford F-150 Lightning all electric pickup trucks for 2022. Paul Milano, director, Fleet Services, said the Lightning's availability is to be determined, but what trucks are delivered to Davey will be made available to Residential/Commercial and Commercial Landscape Services operations as part of the EV pilot program. "A lot of people ask, 'Why EVs?' It's coming," Milano said. "The prices are getting lower. The technology is improving, and the driving ranges in between battery charges are increasing." Fleet Services continues to offer hybrid vehicles to Davey operations and has 150 Toyota Rav4 LE Hybrid SUVs on order for 2022. That hybrid model became an option in 2020. Davey vehicles use, on average, a total 10 million gallons of fuel per year. Adding EVs to Davey's vehicle catalogue would help reduce that and work to lower the company's carbon footprint, Milano said. "We're not forcing EVs on our operations," Milano said. "It will be an option in the Davey vehicle catalogue once we've proven their viability." The school is undergoing renovations, and this was a way for them to get involved and to feel pride at their school."

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