Citibank Partners with MillionTreesNYC to Turn Five Manhattan Schoolyards Green.

Speeds 10-Year Effort to Plant One Million New Trees to Create a Greener, Greater City

Sponsorship Underscores "Our Promise to New York"

NEW YORK -- As part of "Our Promise to New York," Citibank today kicked off a partnership with MillionTreesNYC, the nation's largest urban tree planting, stewardship and public awareness program, to turn five Manhattan schoolyards green before the end of the year. Through a $100,000 sponsorship, Citibank will adopt five Manhattan schoolyards, in which to plant trees, shrubs and flowers. Citibank's support will also provide three months of environmental education at each school through RespectTree, an innovative and interactive schoolyard greening program which includes lessons and activities focused on the importance of urban green spaces, the health benefits associated with planting new trees, and the significance of students and their families being stewards of the environment.

MillionTreesNYC was launched in 2007 as the result of a partnership between New York Restoration Project (NYRP), Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's sustainability initiative, PlaNYC and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Recognizing the benefits trees provide New York City and its residents, MillionTreesNYC established the ambitious goal of planting and maintaining one million new trees throughout the city's five boroughs by 2017.

Earlier this month, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and NYRP Founder Bette Midler celebrated the two-year anniversary of MillionTreesNYC by planting Tree Number 250,000 in St. Albans, Queens - putting the initiative 20 percent ahead of schedule. "The fact that we've already planted 250,000 trees just proves once again that New Yorkers are the strongest, toughest and most caring people in the world," said Bette Midler. "I am especially happy to have a partner like Citibank join us this fall because they understand the importance of the health and well being of children. There is no better place for trees than schoolyards, and I applaud them for their foresight and commitment," she continued.

"Unfortunately, the majority of schoolyards in our most underserved neighborhoods are those with the least amount of green space, and studies have found that higher rates of asthma and childhood obesity exist in these neighborhoods," said Drew Becher, Executive Director of NYRP. "Citibank's support helps us create more green space, which leads to increased physical activity for the students who attend school in these areas," he continued.

NYRP's RespecTree program is designed for schools that have space to plant 10 or more trees across their campus and have a middle school class or after-school program interested in participating in an interactive environmental education program. Today, Citibank will join NYRP's education staff and school students for an introductory RespecTree lesson at The School for Global Leaders at 145 Stanton St in Manhattan. Later this fall, the bank will help green schoolyards and educate students at PS 140 Nathan Strauss, PS 152 Dyckman Valley, PS 34 Franklin D Roosevelt and PS 155 William Paca.

"We are thrilled to partner with an organization doing such important work," said Brad Dinsmore, Head of Retail Banking, North America Consumer Banking, Citi. "Our promise to our customers and the communities we serve here is to continue to work alongside them and to help keep New York the best city in the world," he continued.

Citibank launched "Our Promise to New York" in September to reinforce the bank's strong and ongoing commitment to New York City and to putting its customers at the center of everything it does. The bank announced extended weekday and Saturday hours in its Manhattan branches and launched an online discussion board for customers to post comments and questions at www.citibank.com/promises. In addition to its work with MillionTreesNYC, on Saturday, October 17, the bank's Manhattan branches will host Green Expos and distribute more than 16,000 blue spruce seedlings to city residents, host green activities for children and adults, offer product giveaways, including energy efficient light bulbs and reusable shopping bags, as well as advice for customers on how to live greener and bank greener, for example by using paperless statements.

About Citibank

Citibank is a member of Citi, the leading global financial services company, which has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

About MillionTreesNYC

MillionTreesNYC is a 10-year initiative to plant and care for one million new trees throughout the New York City's five boroughs and a key part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's PlaNYC, a long-term vision to create a greener, greater city. MillionTreesNYC is a public-private partnership led by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and New York Restoration Project (NYRP).

MillionTreesNYC will ultimately expand the New York City's urban forest by 20 percent, provide New Yorkers important health, economic and environmental benefits, and create a more sustainable urban environment. Since its launch in October 2007, public, private and non-profit organizations have planted over 250,000 trees and rallied over 6,000 citizen volunteers to plant trees in what has become an unprecedented tree planting campaign and citywide environmental movement. To learn more about MillionTreesNYC and how you can plant, volunteer or donate, visit www.milliontreesnyc.org.

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