FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Openlands Media Relations
Yamys Urbano Valencia, PR and Communications Associate
312-863-6260
Openlands, Arbor Day Foundation, and numerous corporate and community partners come together to plant over one hundred trees on the southwest side of Chicago this fall.
CHICAGO (October 18th, 2022) – Openlands, a regional conservation nonprofit organization located in Chicago, will partner with the Arbor Day Foundation and numerous corporate and community partners to bring tree plantings to low-canopy areas of Chicago in October and November. Tree plantings are in collaboration with diverse community partners, from Mi Villita Neighbors and members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, improving tree coverage near Cook County Jail along Sacramento Avenue to Curie High School students leading tree planting in their community of Archer Heights. Openlands tree planting efforts engage people to care for trees long after the day they are planted, becoming advocates for nature and ensuring they enjoy trees’ health, economic, and societal benefits while mitigating the worst effects of climate change for generations to come.
Part of Arbor Day Foundation’s mission to support green infrastructure that promotes social equity, the program engages conservation nonprofits like Openlands and communities across the U.S. that need trees to ensure all people have access to green space and its essential benefits. Openlands works with communities across the southwest side and throughout the city of Chicago to improve their neighborhoods’ tree canopy and health through these plantings. The support that Arbor Day and corporate partners provide contributes to the tree plantings while offering the potential for employee engagement and volunteerism.
Wednesday, October 19th, 2022, Tree Planting at Roswell B. Mason Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois, 9 am – 1 pm
Twenty trees will be planted by Microsoft employees, Gardeneers, the Openlands forestry department, and its volunteer TreeKeepers, with support from the Arbor Day Foundation and in coordination with Chicago Public Schools. This planting will increase the tree canopy of the school campus and outdoor learning spaces, highlighting indigenous food sources and native flowering species through the trees planted.
Saturday, October 22nd, 2022, Tree Planting in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, 9 am – 1 pm
Fifty trees will be planted by volunteers of Mi Villita Neighbors, members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Openlands forestry department, and its TreeKeepers with support from the Arbor Day Foundation. This planting will increase the tree canopy of the Little Village neighborhood, adding green infrastructure to a stretch of Sacramento Avenue directly between La Villita Park and Cook County Jail. The community-driven project will increase the beauty, environmental, social, and mental health benefits trees bring to young residents, their families enjoying the park, and those currently housed in the corrections facility.
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022, Tree Planting on California Boulevard in Chicago, Illinois, 9 am – 1 pm
Fifteen trees will be planted by Philadelphia Insurance employees, the Openlands forestry department, and its volunteer TreeKeepers, with support from Arbor Day Foundation. This planting will add trees to an important area of the city that has recently lost large trees to pests, disease, and old age.
Saturday, November 5th, 2022, Tree Planting in Archer Heights, Chicago, Illinois, 9 am – 1 pm
Thirty-Five trees will be planted by Brighton Park Neighborhood Association, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), Curie High School Tree Ambassadors, the Openlands forestry department, and its volunteer TreeKeepers, with support from the Arbor Day Foundation. This planting is a community-driven project led by the Curie High School Tree Ambassadors to engage their neighbors and support new tree planting in their community. The students strongly desire to plant trees to help mitigate the effects of climate change, bring beauty to their streets, and cool the neighborhood by reducing the urban heat island effect.
All upcoming tree plantings listed above are made possible with support from the Arbor Day Foundation and the corporate partners listed on each event. Onsite interviews, photos, and videos with community members, forestry staff, and corporate partners are available for each planting, and B-roll footage and photos are available on request.
About Openlands: Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation’s oldest and most effective metropolitan conservation organizations. Rooted in our deep understanding of the Urban Forest, the Openlands forestry department equips communities in the region with the resources needed to effectively and efficiently protect trees in neighborhoods and throughout the region. We work directly with and in communities to plant diverse native tree species, train hundreds of people annually to properly care for the tree canopy in parks and city blocks, and advocate for science-based policies and strategies protecting the existing urban forest. Ensuring communities across Chicagoland enjoy trees’ health, economic, and societal benefits while mitigating the worst effects of climate change for generations to come. For more information, please visit www.openlands.org/trees.
About Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation has inspired people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees since 1972. And that simple mission has had a global impact. The Foundation has grown over the last 50 years to become the largest member nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. And in that time, we have worked with members, supporters, and a strong network of partners to plant and distribute nearly 500 million trees worldwide. For more information, please visit www.arborday.org.
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