With the help of The Corps Network and neighborhood volunteers, Planters plans to turn disused plots of land in New Orleans, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and New York City into peanut-shaped community greenspaces.

The Planters Groves, designed by landscape architect Ken Smith, will feature native trees and plants as well as benches and other amenities made from reclaimed building materials in an eco campaign that includes the rollout of the company's latest Nutmobile, which now runs on biodiesel and sports solar panels and a wind turbine.

The efforts, part of a promotion the company is calling "The Naturally Remarkable Tour," blend urban revitalization, conservation and volunteerism with whimsy to create what Planters hopes will be engaging community projects that serve as living lessons in sustainability.

Though designed by Smith, funded by Planters and coordinated with The Corps Network, each grove is to be built and maintained by local volunteers and neighborhood groups.

"We want to let people know what it's like to be a planter," said Jason Levine, senior director of marketing for Planters. The initiative is based on a concept that's core to the company -- peanut crops help replenish the earth -- and underscores the firm's sustainability efforts, he said.

Planters and The Corps Network plan to detail their project and Smith's designs later today at a presentation scheduled at the Global Green USA pre-Oscar party in Hollywood. The latest model of the Nutmobile, fresh from a green makeover, also is to make its debut at the event.

Finding common ground between Planters and The Corps Network was easy, according to Levine and James Jones, the network's senior vice president and chief innovation officer.

The Corps Network helps unite the 143 Service and Conservation Corps in the U.S., which enroll more than 30,000 young men and women annually and muster over 225,000 community volunteers, who together deliver upwards of 21 million hours of service each year, said Jones.

"We saw a real synergy between both our organizations with our commitments to community, conservation and sustainability,"Jones said. "When Planters approached us, we thought it would be a great natural fit."