Arbor’s Tree Planting Program Spans Four Decades and Two Continents

Arbor is proud to have planted thousands of trees in the past 40 years – nearly 22,000 in the past five years alone – and we’re still going strong. Since day one, Arbor’s focus on community-building, which grew from the forward-thinking vision of Chairman, CEO, and President Ivan Kaufman, has defined the company’s direction and driven its philanthropic activities.

Arbor’s Trees Have Been Planted Across the U.S. and Israel

Trees have been at the core of our brand since Kaufman announced a contest in the mid-1980s to allow employees to select a new name for American Mortgage Banking, as Arbor was previously known. An arbor is a structure, traditionally built of wood, that stands tall and strong and provides shade and shelter despite constant change around it. Arbor won the vote and inspired the new name of Kaufman’s company, which places a high value on long-term client relationships.

Arbor’s tree planting program initially gave every client a tree when they closed a loan. The program has since evolved to donating trees to organizations such as the National Forest Foundation and the Jewish National Fund.

“We want to be more targeted in our donations to ensure that we’re giving trees to areas where they’re needed so that we can reinforce reforestation efforts that we believe in,” said Leah Fisher, Managing Director, Special Projects, Governance and Risk, and Arbor’s Corporate Social Responsibility task force lead.

Since Arbor began partnering with the National Forest Foundation and the Jewish National Fund in 2021, more than 21,650 trees have been planted domestically and in the State of Israel. The trees are native to the areas where they are planted, and donations continue to this day.

Annual Arbor Green Campaign Continues to Grow

Thanks to our early employees’ choice of a company name, Arbor has a direct connection to a nationally celebrated holiday, Arbor Day, observed annually on the last Friday of April, during a month focused on raising awareness of environmentally friendly causes.

Our inaugural Arbor Green Campaign kicked off in April 2023, and we have expanded its impact every year since, furthering our commitments to the environment and our communities. The green campaigns have included a combination of internal and external activities designed to build employee engagement and inclusion and increase awareness of volunteer programs and Arbor’s analysis and work to reduce our business’ environmental footprint.

For Arbor Day, our team often supports events at local parks, such as Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, NY, and Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, NY. We also hold internal contests and giveaways that connect employees to the true purpose of Green Week.

During April and all year round, Arbor proudly embraces the Arbor Day spirit by promoting sustainable practices and products among our employees, clients, and partners. Learn more about Arbor’s Corporate Social Responsibility at https://arbor.com/csr/ 

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