Today’s Solutions: January 20, 2025

Following decades of discriminatory housing and planning policies, many American neighborhoods today still remain segregated on socioeconomic lines. But in addition to differences in income levels, there’s also something else that differentiates these neighborhoods from richer ones — they have considerably fewer trees.

“If you look at a map of most American cities, you’ll find that tree canopy cover tracks along income lines,” said Sarah Anderson from the nonprofit American Forests. “Wealthier communities have more trees, and lower-income communities have fewer trees. And this is the result of decades of discriminatory housing and planning purposes.”

As part of its mission to promote social justice, the nonprofit is working on tree equity — bringing more greenery to the areas that most need it in cities, thus helping clean the air, keep neighborhoods cooler during heat waves, lower air-conditioning bills, reduce flooding, and improve mental health.

The nonprofit has recently partnered with the company Tazo Tea to create the “Tazo Tree Corps” to plant and care for trees in targeted neighborhoods in Detroit; Minneapolis; the Bronx; the Bay Area; and Richmond, Virginia.

“We’re working to employ folks from these communities — folks who are black, indigenous, and people of color — who bear the brunt of a lot of the challenges that come with climate change,” says Anderson, who serves as the director of career pathways at the organization.

After a couple of weeks of training, participants in the program have the possibility to transition into full-time employment. And the jobs also come with support like subsidies for transit and childcare. In the long run, Anderson says, it can also lead to careers.

“About a quarter of tree trimmers are self-employed in three years,” she says. “So there’s a real wealth-building opportunity here as well, not just environmental justice and climate justice, but economic justice as well.”

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Blood test for endometriosis brings hope for millions

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM An Australian medical technology company is making waves in the fight against endometriosis, a chronic and often debilitating ...

Read More

What happens to your brain when you take a social media break?

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM If you’ve ever caught yourself endlessly scrolling on your phone and thought, This can’t be good for me, ...

Read More

Resistance training fights muscle loss. Here are 3 ways to do more of it

We've know for a while that resistance training is key to longevity and health.  In a recent study, researchers found that resistance training was ...

Read More

7 Reasons why your next vacation should be a road trip

In these uncertain times, your dream vacation to a tropical island or a bustling foreign city may have been put on hold—but that doesn’t ...

Read More