By Sandra Cash

To The Leader

 

When a community’s economy is healthy and business grows; trees are often removed for additional concrete parking.  Sabine Federal Credit Union is expanding but instead of removing trees; they are planting more canopy trees as part of their Business Beautification landscape on Strickland Drive in Orange.   

For a community that has lost half its tree canopy in the past 15 years and is located in the middle of a busier than ever Interstate highway with thousands of vehicles emitting carbon dioxide, it is a generous and noble act to Protect, Preserve, Propagate and Plant BIG TREES! Trees remove air pollution.  Large canopy trees breathe in atmospheric carbon dioxide and breath out oxygen as well as acting as a filtering device for dust and other pollutants. An acre of trees absorbs 6 tons of carbon dioxide and produces 4 tons of life-giving oxygen.

Keep Orange County Beautiful’s ongoing mission of “More Trees, Less Trash” is pleased to recognize Sabine’s efforts by awarding them the Business Beautification Award!  Trees make the community; the big ones with gravity-defying branches that embody the soul of a place.  Abundant towering pine, oak, and cypress have played an important role throughout Orange’s history. The value of trees adds to the desirability of urban areas for a personal and business location. Trees mean good business. Customers prefer to shop at shaded and well-landscaped businesses.  

Adding to their existing canopy of live oak trees, Sabine Credit Union chose the Montezuma Cypress, a fast-growing, large tree to 70 feet tall and a thick trunk up to 6 feet in diameter or more. Unlike the closely related bald cypress, this species does not produce “knees.”  Before harvested the cypress was once common along river banks in Mexico and especially along the Rio Grand in Texas The largest reported tree of this species, the “Tule tree,” near Oaxaca, Mexico, measures over 125 feet tall with a circumference over 150 feet!

Sabine Federal Credit Union is a proud community partner since 1948 when first chartered to serve the employees of DuPont SRW plant in Orange.  They’ve grown to serve over 14,000 members around Jefferson, Hardin and Orange Counties. Currently having two offices in Orange and expansion plans to branch out into Bridge City this summer, also an Instant Teller location is being deployed in Orangefield on 1442

A credit union is a unique financial institution. It is not a bank. It is not a savings and loan association. In fact, it isn’t really in existence for the purpose of making money.   A credit union is actually a financial cooperative. It is owned by the members and enables all of the members to pool their savings, lend to one another, and own the organization where they save, borrow, and receive other financial services.   When you’re a member of a credit union, you’re an owner.

In addition to SabineFCU’s philosophy of:  “not for profit, but for service” they also adhere to the belief that environmental conservation and economic development go hand in hand!  A balance between the two creates a surrounding that members, residents, and visitors feel happy to come back to time and time again

Keep Orange County Beautiful, the local non-profit affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful is proud to recognize Sabine FCU for their conservation and beautification efforts of their business and our community.  For more information on Keep Orange County Beautiful visit our website at www.KOCB.org.  Or visit us on facebook at Keep Orange County Beautiful.