This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The afternoon before Grammy Award-winning singer Sheryl Crow picked up her guitar to perform in front of thousands fans, she threw on a T-shirt, picked up a shovel, and dug.

Crow helped 50 other TreeUtah volunteers plant trees near a new walking path in Sugarhouse Park as part of toothpaste company Tom's of Maine "Bring Back the Natural Beauty" campaign, which aims to beautify parks and gardens around the nation where Crow performs.

Later Friday night, she sang to a sold-out audience at the Red Butte Gardens outdoor concert series.

TreeUtah and Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon's Million Tree initiative have teamed up to plant trees around the county and on Friday, Crow helped add five trees to the 580,000 already planted since the initiative was launched four years ago. TreeUtah has been planting since 1990; the initiative's goal is to have the million trees planted by 2017.

Both local groups say planting trees is important to improving health, air quality, and beauty.

Tom's of Maine also has claimed to "green" Crow's tour by fueling it with biodiesel, recycling, and conserving energy in other ways.

"I love hearing about Salt Lake's love for open spaces," said Crow. "We've had a great time in different communities being a part of ventures like this."

Mayor Coorron and TreeUtah executive director Amy Collins were excited that Crow and Tom's of Maine helped at the event because of the exposure it brought.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to show what we're doing — we've never had someone like Sheryl Crow come out and actually plant with us," said Collins. "We're out here every day."

Last year, TreeUtah passed out reusable and biodegradable water bottles at a Jack Johnson concert; they were also one of six Utah nonprofits to receive a share of Johnson's profit on that concert.

But, not even Corroon or Collins could get tickets to Crow's "100 Miles from Memphis" concert, rumored to have sold out in under 10 minutes; only two lucky TreeUtah volunteers who were chosen in a raffle will get to attend.