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05.06.08 Mayor Bloomberg and The Police announce contribution to MillionTreesNYC and reveal that their last ever concert will take place in New York City to benefit local public televisions stations...

$2 Million Contribution to MillionTreesNYC - $1 Million Pledged by The Police, an Amount Matched by the City - Will Plant 10,000 New Trees and Help Reforest 2,000 Acres | Final Concert Will Raise Funds for Thirteen / WNET and WLIW New York.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland of The Police to announce that the band's final concert will be in New York City and their commitment to MillionTreesNYC, the City's initiative to plant one million trees by the year 2017. MillionTreesNYC is a component of PlaNYC, the Mayor's plan to make the City more sustainable and reduce its carbon footprint 30 percent by 2030. The Police pledged $1 million to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City in support of MillionTreesNYC. This donation, matched by the City, will provide $2 million to help launch the reforestation component of MillionTreesNYC which will plant 10,000 trees and reforest 2,000 acres of parkland across the five boroughs. Reforestation efforts improve air and water quality, reduce greenhouse gases and lower energy costs.

"The Police are now part of one of the most exciting elements of PlaNYC - MillionTreesNYC - our initiative to plant one million new trees over the next 10 years," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Sting's human right's advocacy is well known, as is his support for the environment, especially the rainforests. Today The Police have demonstrated their commitment to greening our City."

"We are pleased to contribute to this powerful and historic initiative that will undoubtedly improve the quality of life for future generations," said The Police. "We applaud Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York for boldly confronting the City's environmental issues and are excited to support their goal of creating a healthier, more sustainable City."

The Police also announced that their final concert ever will be a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the production of arts programming for Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York. Tickets will be available nationally online via Thirteen/WNET and WLIW. More details about the benefit show, including venue and ticket information, will be released at a later date.

"We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978 and this summer, thirty years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City," said The Police. "We are honored to partner with public television and have a deep respect for their commitment to arts and culture."

"All of us at Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York are incredibly honored to host the final concert of The Police and to be a part of this amazing event that will do so much to improve our City," said Neal Shapiro, President and CEO of the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, the licensee of Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York. "We are even more grateful that The Police have decided that proceeds from their landmark concert will directly benefit public television. On behalf of our millions of viewers, I personally want to thank Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland for their extraordinary generosity."

Last year, the Mayor committed $400 million of City funds towards the ten-year MillionTreesNYC campaign, a partnership of the City Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York Restoration Project. The donation from The Police and the matching donation from the City will go towards the planting of 10,000 trees to create new urban forests, part of the Parks Department's Natural Resources Group reforestation plan. Other parts of the plan are the total restocking of street trees and an increase of tree plantings on public and private lots.

Through MillionTreesNYC, the City will be able to increase its urban forest by 20 percent, while achieving the many environmental benefits that come with planting trees. Trees are particularly effective at cleansing the air by absorbing pollutants-sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide - through their leaves and intercepting airborne particulate matter on leaf sur-faces. New York City trees remove an estimated 2,200 tons of criteria pollutants from the air each year. By increasing canopy cover, MillionTreesNYC will help reduce the pollutants that trigger respiratory disorders, including asthma. Just four trees planted around a home can save up to 30% on summer cooling costs. All of the trees in New York City remove over 42,000 tons of carbon each year. The one million additional trees planted through MillionTreesNYC will remove an additional 151,658 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

MillionTreesNYC planting efforts are focused on neighborhoods with low canopy cover and high rates of asthma hospitalization among children. These neighborhoods include Hunts Point and Morrisania in the Bronx, East New York in Brooklyn, East Harlem in Manhattan, the Rockaways in Queens and Stapleton in Staten Island. This public-private initiative is also dependent on the private support of individuals, foundations, and corporations to help plant trees.

In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by innovatively blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five number one albums and a succession of top ten hit singles. The band has earned five Grammy Awards and sold over fifty million albums worldwide. In 2003, The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2007 they reformed and embarked on a world tour. To date, this much heralded tour has played to over 2.5 million people on five continents and has garnered numerous accolades including 'Major Tour of the Year' (Pollstar), 'Top Selling' and 'Top Tour of the Year' (Billboard) as well as the People's Choice award for 'Favorite Reunion Tour of 2007.'