Timberland Workers Build Nature Play Areas In Portsmouth, Dover

PORTSMOUTH, NH — Timberland employees were busy Thursday beautifying local playgrounds and schools, as part of their annual Earth Day volunteer day. The outdoor lifestyle company closed its global headquarters in Stratham for the day, as 300 of its employees took a paid day off to volunteer in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. On the Seacoast, they built various outdoor play spaces at Dondero School and Betty's Dream in Portsmouth, and at Seacoast Charter School in Dover.

At Dondero School, Timberland employees built a natural outdoor play area and classroom. The new space is complete with an amphitheater, log-built tables and climbing mounds. Almost 100 Timberland employees were involved in the Dondero School project.

In another area of the city, more than 60 Timberland employees were busy improving outdoor spaces at Betty's Dream, a foundation that helps provide housing for adults who are physically handicapped. There, company employees were doing an overall spring cleanup, which included repainting benches, picnic tables, bathrooms and community rooms.

Timberland employees could also be seen at the Seacoast Charter School in Dover. There, more than 50 company employees were creating a green outdoor learning and play area. They also created a Monarch butterfly pollinator garden, as well as earth mounds and sand pits for playing, company officials said.

The improvements in Portsmouth and Dover were part of Timberland's five service projects that took place Thursday in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Other service projects were at the Audubon Society of New Hampshire in Auburn, and at the Salisbury Elementary School in Massachusetts.

The projects are part of Timberland's Path of Service program, which gives its employees up to 40 hours of paid time each year to serve the community. By the end of this spring, Timberland will have held 35 total Earth Day service events worldwide — including in Switzerland and China, the company said in a statement. The goal is to help enhance outdoor spaces and build a greener world, the statement said.

To date, Timberland's employees have contributed more than one million service hours total, and its Earth Day service activities have been instrumental in making that happen, according to Timberland officials. The company hopes to reach 1.5 million service hours by the year 2020.