“As an agency, we’re greatly invested in the communities in which we live and work, and for this particular outing, our employees made it clear they wanted to do something to address our environment,” said Marianne O'Connor, Sterling's president and CEO. “We learned how planting new trees and taking care of existing plants can help reduce the carbon footprint of our local communities.  These activities are particularly gratifying because, when we put the shovel or the shears down, we can stand back and see how our hard work is helping to transform the landscape that we live in.”

In San Jose, Sterlingers from the agency’s Los Gatos headquarters pruned rose bushes at the Heritage Rose Garden, a five-acre botanical collection of more than 3,500 varieties of roses that is part of the in Guadalupe River Park and Garden system. The Los Gatos employees’ efforts helped to maintain the environmentally friendly garden—designed to minimize the use of water and chemical sprays—which serves bicyclists and pedestrians and hosts several educational programs for Santa Clara County residents.

Employees in San Francisco partnered with Friends of the Urban Forest, a local nonprofit that hosts tree-planting outings on a monthly basis, to help plant 22 trees on a recent Saturday morning. Sterling was dispatched to the city’s Russian Hill neighborhood, where the team planted two ginkgos in front of the Chinatown branch of the San Francisco Public Library and two evergreen pears in a nearby residential neighborhood. The trees will help clean the air by trapping particulate matter, reduce global warming by providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, and decrease urban flooding by redirecting rainwater into their roots and branches.

The Seattle office joined 500 fellow Seattleites who participated in Green Seattle Day, a citywide event aimed at restoring the city’s forested parks. Along with other groups and individual volunteers, Sterlingers helped plant 200 trees, pulled non-native invasive species and spread mulch at Interlaken Park, a 51-acre wooded park in the heart of the city.

“Giving back has always been a large part of Sterling’s culture,” said Lisa Eskey, a senior account executive at Sterling. “It’s great that, in addition to our individual volunteering commitments, everyone is so enthusiastic about coming together as a group to make an impact on our communities.”

Sterling Communications has a history of giving back through its quarterly employee community outreach program. Other activities have included sponsored food and clothing drives, monetary contributions to animal shelters and volunteer work in Bay Area food banks. In addition, for the second consecutive winter, Sterling assembled and donated much-needed hygiene kits to San Francisco-based Glide Health Services, an organization that provides shelter and health services for distressed families, women and children.

About Sterling Communications, Inc.
Sterling Communications, Inc.—the Inside AgencySM—is an independent, full-service public relations agency that provides industry leading technology companies with strategic communications counsel and tactical expertise.  The agency’s client roster includes providers of Internet infrastructure software, e-business platforms, telecommunications, wireless, mobile and networking solutions, digital video, interactive media and consumer technology. Founded in 1989, the company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, with additional offices in San Francisco and Seattle.  More information can be found at http://www.sterlingpr.com.

Inside Agency is a service mark of Sterling Communications, Inc.  All other trademarks belong to their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.