Seeing the trees in the forest

Since the early 1970s, TXU has been in the forefront of reforestation. The 20 million trees we have planted, which include 1.3 million in 2002, improve air quality by sequestering carbon dioxide, provide valuable wildlife habitat, and contribute to the beauty of communities.

In 2002, TXU and the Dallas Trees and Parks Foundation launched a highly successful urban forestry program. The TXU Urban Tree Farm is the nation’s largest known nonprofit urban tree farm. It expressly benefits the urban areas of North Texas with trees for planting at local schoolyards, along highways, and in parks. The National Tree Trust projects the first year’s trees alone will sequester nearly 40 tons of carbon dioxide over their 80-year life span.

The TXU Urban Tree Farm is also a sustainable program. We provided the seed money to create it, and revenues from tree sales to community organizations will fund subsequent years’ trees. Some 360 employees helped kick off the project, making the event the largest single-day, single-cause volunteer effort in company history.

Harnessing the wind

For more than 30 years, TXU has been researching and supporting the development of clean, efficient renewable energy as an important part of our diversified fuel portfolio. We are the fourth largest purchaser of emission-free wind power in the United States and the leader in Texas and the Southwest.

We have secured contracts for more than 400 megawatts of wind power in the US and Australia, enough to supply the annual energy requirements of about 150,000 homes. New agreements in 2002 include the purchase of 490,000 megawatt-hours each year of wind power in Australia, and more wind projects are under construction in Texas.

Our heritage of giving back to the community and caring for the environment is part of how we live our values.