Distillery teams up with city to grow Lethbridge's urban forest

Heaven Hill Distilleries donated $6,000 to the City of Lethbridge to plant 40 trees in Palliser Park at 28 Street North and 9 Avenue North, next door to Black Velvet's distillery.

A Lethbridge distillery teamed up with the City of Lethbridge this week to help expand the city's urban forest.

Heaven Hill Distilleries donated $6,000 to the City of Lethbridge to plant 40 trees in Palliser Park at 28 Street North and 9 Avenue North, next door to its subsidiary Black Velvet's distillery.

It's all part of the company's 2030 plan to plant 5,000 trees, explained Heaven Hill's Rachel Nally, who's the company's environmental and sustainability manager.

"As a part of that (2030) strategy, we've committed to planting 5,000 trees," Nally said. "Trees help do things like absorb carbon dioxide, trees help with climate change – they absorb air pollution from the road behind us, and help filter storm water pollutants."

Nally said it's the second year of Heaven Hill's initiative, as they previously planted trees in Louisville, Ky., the site of their home office.

"Now, we're starting to branch out to other communities where our folks live and work, so here we are in Lethbridge," Nally said.

Nally's sentiments were echoed by Black Velvet vice-president and general manager Claude Bilodeau.

"Cultivating sustainable and thriving communities is important for our employees, our partners, and our neighbors," said Bilodeau, in a release. "The Black Velvet team at Heaven Hill is excited to work with the City of Lethbridge to plant trees in our community that will have a lasting impact for decades to come."

Nally said it's the second year of Heaven Hill's initiative, as they previously planted trees in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of their home office.

City of Lethbridge parks planning manager Chris Witkowski welcomed the initiative by the two distillers.

"It's a huge day for our city," Witkowski said. "We're always trying to expand our tree canopy, and find corporate partners to work with to expand our urban forest. So when Heaven Hill and Black Velvet stepped up and asked to be a partner with us in this tree-planting initiative, we jumped all over it.

"It's just a great way to build a community," he added. "Build corporate relationships, and not just rely on the city for planting trees, but getting corporate involvement and expanding the benefits of our urban forest."