TREES FORGE COMMUNITY
This Great Idea comes from Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe.
Hayhoe gives a shout-out to Xcel Energy in Minneapolis (!) for converting the Sherco coal-fired power plant with a new 710-megawatt solar farm. Yea!!!
Read more on that here.
After sharing the Not-So-Good News of the inequity of heat waves and power outages – particularly in the southeastern U.S. – Hayhoe highlights Plant for the Planet in her What You Can Do segment.
Hayhoe writes:
Plant for the Planet is a youth-focused nonprofit that created the Trillion Tree Campaign, which has the aim of planting 1 trillion new trees to join the 3 trillion trees that already exist on earth. In their own words, “Trees are certainly not the only solution to all climate problems, but they buy us, humans, time in the fight against the climate crisis that threatens the future of us all.”
Trees don’t only take up carbon, they also keep cities cooler during heatwaves. A recent study by The Nature Conservancy scientist Rob MacDonald and colleagues found that planting 1.2 billion trees in cities across the U.S., for example, would eliminate heat inequity (where poorer neighbourhoods can be up to 7C or 13F hotter than greener, wealthier neighbourhoods during a heatwave), as well as saving electricity.
Nearly 2,000 kids have become climate ambassadors for Plant for the Planet since 2008. Children ages 8 to 14 can attend the organization’s online academy to become Climate Justice Ambassadors for the group. (In Germany there are multiple upcoming in-person academies.) Felix Finkbeiner, Plant for the Planet’s founder and CEO, started the organization when he was only 9 years old, so he knows the power that youth can have!
~~~
What a wonderful intergenerational ministry – and fall is a great time to plant trees!!
- There are gobs of Biblical readings to inspire and support a fun event – that highlights the blessings of trees and our interconnectivity with trees.
- The work of planting trees is accessible to multiple abilities and ages.
- Tending the trees through the seasons provides great learning opportunities and continued intergenerational interaction with community neighbors.
And what a great way to create multiple community partnerships!
- Gardening centers might offer trees.
- Landscapers might provide hole-digging equipment and expertise.
- All sorts of businesses, organizations, schools, and property holders might have parking lots, boulevards, playgrounds, and other spaces in which to plant trees that will benefit the whole community.
Trees have numerous positive impacts on our communities – it’s a no-brainer to let this be a community-wide event. And joyfully, trees are gifts that keep on giving; they can be tended and continuously revisited as teachers for us all.
