Washington, D.C. – Project Learning Tree® (PLT), the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, and Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, announced the four recipients of GreenWorks! environmental service-learning grants today.

Begun in 1992, GreenWorks! grants give students a chance to apply classroom learning to community projects, in conjunction with environmental education training and materials that PLT provides to teachers through professional development workshops. Esurance partnered with PLT in 2007 to bring these grants to schools in communities near their local offices.

The recipients of the GreenWorks! Esurance grants were chosen based on several factors, including their location in underserved areas, high level of engagement with the community, and student leadership of the program. Schools and youth groups chosen for these GreenWorks! grants are located near Denver, Phoenix, and Sacramento. Each location will receive a grant of $6,000, training in PLT environmental education materials, and volunteer support from Esurance associates in the area.

“American children need more science education to stay competitive in the global economy and more environmental education to help protect our natural resources,” said Gary Tolman, Esurance President & CEO. “Through the GreenWorks! environmental grants program, children get a hands-on learning opportunity that yields environmental benefits now and a lesson in environmental stewardship that will last far into the future. We are very proud to work with Project Learning Tree to make this opportunity available in a few of the communities where Esurance has offices and customers.”   

“We’re thrilled Esurance is continuing their support and helping PLT extend GreenWorks! grants to exciting and worthwhile projects that may not have been able to go forward otherwise,” said Kathy McGlauflin, Senior Vice President of Education for the American Forest Foundation. “Previous GreenWorks! grants funded by Esurance prompted a lot of students to take a leadership role and participate with their community in a variety of projects to improve their schools and neighborhoods.”

The 2009 projects will be completed within the next year and are as follows:

Denver area
• Lowry Elementary School: Victory Garden Veggie-Share Project
• Peakview Elementary School: Rock Hopper Garden and Nature Discovery Stations

Phoenix area
• HandsOn Greater Phoenix: Garden Renew Project with Glendale YMCA Evening Detention Center

Sacramento area
• Orangevale Open K-8 School: Schoolyard Habitat consisting of a nature trail, seasonal wetland, and native landscape

Detailed project information can be found at: http://www.forestfoundation.org/greenworks_esurance.html.

Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. PLT provides educators with comprehensive environmental education curriculum resources that can be integrated into lesson plans for all grades and subject areas. PLT teaches students “how to think, not what to think” about complex environmental issues, and helps students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment. Developed in 1976, PLT has an international network of more than 500,000 trained educators using PLT materials that cover the total environment. The American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit conservation and education organization, works for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world. For more information, visit www.plt.org

Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), provides personal auto insurance direct to consumers online and through select online agents. Because of Esurance’s virtually paperless online customer experience, Esurance policyholders have saved thousands of trees since the company’s inception. As of first quarter 2009, Esurance has also helped plant and maintain approximately 70,000 trees by supporting a variety of urban reforestation programs. Esurance is committed to safeguarding the environment through its own operational practices, including a hybrid claims fleet and carbon offset programs for its office locations. Esurance also supports a variety of environmental organizations across the U.S. For more information about Esurance’s environmental initiatives, visit: www.esurance.com.

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