Residents of Poligono Edison plant two thousand trees to create an urban forest

Monterrey, Mexico. June 13, 2015. – The community of Poligono Edison and OXXO reached their goal of planting two thousand trees, looking to create an urban forest in the eight neighborhoods that make up this section, framed by the avenues Ruiz Cortines and Cristobal Colon, located in the western part of Monterrey.

The reforestation program began in 2011 and over two thousand people – among neighbors, OXXO volunteers and members of 12 civic associations – have participated in it. 

The purpose of the Poligono Edison initiative is to add efforts, fostering collaboration and shared responsibility while developing improvement capacities among the members of Poligono Edison’s community in terms of people, society, infrastructure, and management.

“The reforestation program is relevant not only in terms of the environment – promoting the planting  of trees and raising awareness of the native species – but also in terms of community bonding, through the beautification of streets and avenues and by strengthening the networks of neighbors,” said Cordelia Portilla, Head of Social Responsibility at OXXO.

The platform www.bosqueurbanomexico.org has a record for each of the two thousand trees planted by the community in Poligono Edison; in this way, people can check the exact location of each tree as well as its features, such as species, health, height, diameter of its trunk, and the physical context in which we planted the tree. 

The platform also records the date we planted each of the trees and the people who directly adopted them.

The Reforestation Program received financial support from the Poligono Edison Trust, boosted by OXXO. The Trust has also provided support for young people with scholarships and by improving public spaces, adopting schools, and financing community work and neighbors’ initiatives.

The two thousand trees planted in Poligono Edison are equivalent to creating a 4-hectare green area or having a 10-kilometer long line of trees. OXXO invested MX$3´772,639 in this reforestation initiative.

Today, there is a new and protected tree for every 2.5 families in Poligono Edison, in addition to what already existed in the neighborhood. By reaching this goal, the community realizes that by gathering the individual strength of small actions we can achieve a major positive impact.

In addition to this reforestation effort, we are working on several comprehensive actions at Poligono Edison such as scholarships, workshops, neighborhood groups, and cultural events, as well as health and welfare issues led by FEMSA Foundation. 

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About FEMSA Comercio     

FEMSA Comercio operates OXXO, the leading chain of stores with presence in Mexico and Colombia.