The city’s plan to plant a million trees won a star-studded endorsement yesterday from The Police, with the rock band pledging to chip in $1 million during a ceremony in Times Square.
Mayor Bloomberg, who initiated the tree drive as part of his ambitious PlaNYC, was so thrilled by the donation and by the group’s intention to stage its final concert in New York to benefit public television that he awarded all three members keys to the city.
“I think these guys are models for all of us,” declared the mayor, surrounded by trees brought in for the occasion to decorate the stark pedestrian island at West 44th Street and Broadway.
Officials said the donation, which is being matched by the city, would support 10,000 new trees.