Toyota - maker of the hybrid car I most want - announced recently that it has pledged $1.4 million to the Million Trees NYC initiative. While I am a big fan of corporate giving in general (and promise to perpetually celebrate businesses that are working to make the world a better place,) I am a super big fan of funding hands-on local initiatives. And that's the thing about the Million Trees NYC campaign - although the goal of planting 1 million trees in the city may seem daunting, they are doing it by knitting together neighborhood alliances, local businesses and city government. People - actual neighbors - are getting together to do the planting as part of this giant public / private collaboration. That is what I love! The idea that individuals, organizations and businesses come together to support the causes that unite us!

Speaking of individuals, The Police (you know, that 3 man band that caused adolescent girls like me in the 80's to discover what a "crush" was for the first time) have also thrown their support and $1 million of their money into this initiative.

Way to go all of you. And if you're not in NYC, there's nothing to stop you from trying to get a million trees planted in your city too. (I know that there is a newly created initiative here in Seattle, Urban Thickets, attempting to do just that. Right now it's just a guy with a plan, but let's look at how Million Trees NYC is doing it, and see what we can get done.... And then in every city across the country!)

And Sting, email me offline and I'll tell you where to deliver my Prius.