95 Express Lanes Plants Trees at GreenFaith Church and School in Triangle

On Friday, October 24, 2014, students, teachers and clergy at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and School joined representatives from the 95 Express Lanes project for a ceremonial tree planting at the school’s location in Triangle.

The students and clergy in attendance planted a ceremonial tree in the median of the parking lot between the school and the church, provided under the 95 Express Lanes 1,000 Trees in 1,000 Days program. Through the 1,000 Trees program, Transurban-Fluor is partnering with communities located near the 95 Express Lanes construction corridor and pledging to plant 1,000 trees in 1,000 days.

“As a Franciscan parish, we try to show the students that nature is God’s creation and it’s our responsibility to care for it,” said Father Kevin Downey, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. “The 95 Express Lanes 1,000 Trees program was a good lesson for our students – we explained how some trees on I-95 had to be taken down for progress – but that the project was mindful that these trees needed to be planted elsewhere – like at our school.”

The staff at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church identified the project site – a hill on the backside of the property in need of landscaping – and submitted an application to the 1,000 Trees program. The project planted 69 trees total on the property.

Applications were accepted and trees were awarded throughout the 29-month 95 Express Lanes construction schedule. To date, 955 trees have been planted, and the remainder of the trees will be planted this fall. For more information on the 1,000 Trees program, please visit: 95ExpressLanes.com/1000trees.

In 2014, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church was certified by GreenFaith – an internationally recognized interfaith environmental coalition – as a “GreenFaith Sanctuary” and faith-based environmental leader. St. Francis of Assisi Parish is the first house of worship in Virginia to enter this prestigious Certification Program. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples gain recognition as environmental leaders when they earn GreenFaith certification by carrying out more than two dozen environmental activities in two years. When congregations complete the program, GreenFaith officially acknowledges them as religious-environmental leaders.

About the 95 Express Lanes
On schedule to open in December 2014, the 95 Express Lanes will operate on I-95 to provide travelers with faster, more predictable travel options. The project will add capacity and extend and improve the performance of the existing HOV lanes. The 95 Express Lanes will operate from I-95 near Garrisonville Road in Stafford County to the vicinity of Edsall Road on I-395 in Fairfax County (approximately 29 miles). The 95 Express Lanes are being delivered through a public-private partnership between VDOT and Transurban with Fluor-Lane 95, LLC leading construction. For more information, please visit 95ExpressLanes.com.

About St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Arlington and was established in 1957. For more information on the GreenFaith certification at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, please visit: www.stfrncis.org/Ministry/Franciscan or call the parish office at (703) 221-4044.