Privacy
All personal information provided to Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests as a result of your use of the Vibrant Cities Lab website (“Site”) will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Our Commitment to Your Privacy
American Forests, which maintains the Site, has created this comprehensive Privacy Policy to demonstrate our strong commitment to using best practices for information collection and sharing and respecting your privacy preferences. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for vibrantcitieslab.com. Through this Privacy Policy, we aim to the best of our ability, but in no way guarantee, to protect, your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment.
The Information We Collect
When you visit the Site, information about your computer hardware and software is automatically collected by American Forests.
Portions of our website use temporary cookies to maintain data related to the user during navigation, such as shopping cart information. No personal data is collected through the use of cookies. Website users will remain anonymous unless they choose to enter their personal information.
American Forests collects and uses personal information voluntarily provided to us through the Site, over the phone, through signup sheets, buck slips, and any other channels. Sometimes it is possible to submit information about other people, such as when ordering a gift and requiring it to be sent directly to the recipient. In such cases, we may require the recipient’s name, postal address, and/or email address in order to process your request.
American Forests uses Google Analytics to measure visitor interaction with the Site. This information helps us to continue to improve the user experience with the Site and other interactive channels. American Forests and Vibrant Cities Lab are not responsible for Google Analytics’ use, sharing, or dissemination of any personal information collected and American Forests and Vibrant Cities Lab encourage users to review Google Analytics’ Privacy Policy for more information on their information gathering and sharing practices, available for review here.
The Way We Use Personal Information
American Forests will not sell or rent to third parties any individually identifying information, such as names, email addresses, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, or any other personal information which you voluntarily provide to us on the Site, except in the following situations:
- To provide the services you have requested;
- To the extent necessary to comply with applicable laws or valid legal processes;
- To protect American Forests’ intellectual property and other legal rights;
- Limited and controlled exchange of names and postal addresses with other like-minded organizations using a process that does not permit the other organization to review or retain a copy of the information. These periodic exchanges allow American Forests to expand its educational audience and donor base by obtaining the names and addresses of other interested individuals and likely donors. Any user may choose to opt out of these exchanges at any time by contacting our Donor Services Department at 202-737-1944, by email at donorservices@americanforests.org, or at our mailing address.
- We occasionally have third parties perform services on our behalf, such as data processing, marketing, analytics, advocacy and outreach, hosting, billing, social media integration, fraud protection, etc. These third parties have access to your personal information only as needed to perform their services for American Forests and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the personal information.
Our Commitment to Data Security
American Forests uses VeriSign EV Professional SSL (Extended Validation Certificates) to encrypt all credit card transactions via our website, americanforests.org. Please note that as an added level of protection, we do not store any credit card information. In the event of a data security breach, that is the unauthorized acquisition of electronic personal information, the Site will notify the affected users as expeditiously as reasonably possible.
Managing Your Information
Each specific electronic communication sent on behalf of American Forests always includes a link to unsubscribe. To request deletion of your personal information voluntarily provided to the Site, you may contact the Site with a request for deletion by sending an email to info@americanforests.org or calling 202-737-1944 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern Time). There are some exceptions to your right to request deletion of personal information such as: postal addresses that are publicly available; information that is required for business security purposes; compliance with legal obligations or preservation of legal claims or rights; and other business uses that comport with reasonable consumer expectations under which the information was provided to the Site.
Third-Party Sites
Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests provide several links to third-party sites on this website. Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests have not reviewed all of the sites linked to on this website and are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of these third-party sites, whether or not they are affiliated with Vibrant Cities Lab or American Forests. Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests do not warrant the accuracy of the information on those sites, nor do Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests endorse the content of these third-party sites. Vibrant Cities Lab and American Forests encourages users to be aware that when using links, the user normally leaves vibrantcitieslab.com. It is the user’s responsibility to read the privacy statement of each website. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected on the Vibrant Cities Lab website.
Information for Those Under 18
The Site and the information contained therein is intended for an audience ages 18 and up. For their protection, American Forests asks that those under 18 years of age do not submit information to us without the consent of a parent or guardian.
For questions regarding our Privacy Policy, please send an email to info@americanforests.org or call 202-737-1944 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Eastern Time).
Effective September 8, 2025.