QTS donates $500K to Monarch Research Project

CEDAR RAPIDS — The developers of a large-scale Cedar Rapids data center project have pledged $500,000 to a local nonprofit for tree planting efforts.

QTS Data Centers announced the award in a Friday news release stating that the donation will be allocated to Monarch Research Project in five annual increments of $100,000. The funding is expected to support 4,000 tree plantings per year for a total of 20,000 trees.

“From day one, we believe in being a good neighbor. We chose Cedar Rapids for its strong infrastructure, skilled workforce, and forward-thinking community,” CEOs Tag Greason and David Robey wrote in the release. “We're proud to invest in a state that prioritizes innovation, sustainability, and community partnership.”

QTS is constructing a $750 million data center campus in southwest Cedar Rapids. The campus will span 612 acres within the Big Cedar Industrial Center near a separate $576 million data center campus being constructed by Google.

As part of a broader development agreement with the city of Cedar Rapids, QTS also will invest up to $18 million over 20 years into a community betterment fund run by the city.

The company was set to announce the Monarch Research Project donation at a groundbreaking last month, although that event was canceled due to extenuating circumstances.

Monarch Research will distribute the 20,000 trees as part of ongoing recovery efforts following the Aug. 10, 2020, derecho that decimated roughly 65 percent of Cedar Rapids’ tree canopy.

The trees will be distributed to Cedar Rapids residents for planting on private property.

Following the derecho, Monarch Research launched its “Planting Forward” program to distribute native tree species to area residents. Since then, the organization has distributed 100,000 trees countywide with plans to double that number in coming years.

The nonprofit's education and outreach efforts complement several other replanting initiatives underway across Linn County spearheaded by area municipalities, nonprofits and other stakeholders.

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