Timberland has announced an ambitious plan to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020, but not with the typical square footage that may come to mind. The outdoor lifestyle brand is pledging to match its retail floor space in a specific city with the restoration of an equivalent amount of green space.
To kick off the commitment in late June, Timberland chose to partner with GrowNYC to transform the United We Stand garden in the Mott Haven neighborhood of South Bronx. “We chose GrowNYC because of the amazing positive impact we can have here in the Mott Haven community,” offers Atlanta Mcllwraith, Timberland senior manager of community engagement and communication, adding that the new space will officially open this September.
The good deeds are only fitting considering the brand’s outdoor DNA. “Timberland is built on a legacy of preserving the outdoors,” Mcllwraith notes. She says that although the company has planted over 8.7 million trees to date and aims to reach 10 million by 2020, Timberland wanted to expand its efforts. “As an outdoor lifestyle brand, we are committed to protecting not only the great outdoors but the city parks, community gardens and green spaces our consumers explore every day—or maybe discover for the first time,” she adds. “We believe that green spaces give a community more than a place to play and explore. They simply make neighborhoods stronger.”
