Atlanta dealership is first to join nationwide “DRIVE CONSERVATION” program

April 30, 2009 - PRLog -- We know the importance of working towards a healthy planet and realize forests play a vital role in that health.  That’s why One Acre at a Time (OAAAT), a non-profit conservation group, is excited to announce its first partnership in their “DRIVE CONSERVATION” campaign.  Local auto dealership, Subaru of Gwinnett, has joined the efforts to help save American forests.  

Kicking off May 1st, each person that takes a test drive in a new vehicle, Subaru of Gwinnett will make a donation that equates to preserving approximately 40 square feet of forest.  For each new car purchased, Subaru of Gwinnett will make a donation that will save 400 square feet of forest.

“It is corporations like Subaru of Gwinnett that are willing to step up and be a part of the solution in bettering our environment, even in the face of difficult economic times, that are truly making a difference,” says Gerald R. Hoover, Executive Director of OAAAT.  A retired Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hoover went from saving lives to his new mission of saving American forests.  

One Acre at a Time’s mission is to help private landowners retain their lands by purchasing development rights to large tracts of naturally forested lands, then establishing a permanent Conservation Easement that protects the land from ever being developed.  Sustainable forestry practices are initiated and as a result, priceless natural resources and wild green spaces are preserved for future generations while capturing and storing dangerous greenhouse gases into perpetuity.  For each acre of forest placed in conservation, approximately 2.6 tons of dangerous CO2 is captured and stored each year.  Once a Conservation Easement is in place, ownership remains in the hands of the landowner but permanent restrictions are put into place protecting the forest from ever disappearing for generations to come.

The “DRIVE CONSERVATION” campaign is open to dealerships across the country; however, the program does offer exclusivity.  The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness to the vital need for intact forests to acts as the earth’s lungs while also protecting wildlife, watersheds and green space, just to name a few.  
One Acre at a Time, Subaru of Gwinnett  and the “DRIVE CONSERVATION” campaign wishes to help save the planet;  One vehicle at a time.  To learn more about the campaign click here:   www.subaruofgwinnett.com/help-save-our-planet.htm.

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One Acre at a Time is a non-profit company on a mission to provide a simple, long term solution for individuals, landowners, businesses and organizations wishing to be good stewards of our planet. We are founded on the principles of integrity, transparency and providing the highest quality conservation services possible. Our goal is to leave the Earth a better place than we found it. With science backing up our assertions, we believe the best way to do that is by creating permanent conservation easements on large tracts of forested land.