‘It will be beautiful to see our kids grow up with this': how communities around the world are planting trees
'I wanted to do something that would benefit as many people from the community as possible,' says Chloe Straw, pointing at a small but promising sapling visible through the window of her local cafe.
In 2023, Chloe began chatting to her neighbours in Haringey, north London, about trees. 'I thought it'd be really nice to raise some money for trees on the main road. Everyone uses West Green Road, regardless of whether you have a lot of money or not, regardless of your background.'
After getting in touch with Trees for Streets, a sponsorship scheme that guides communities across England on how to plant trees in their local areas with support from local councils, a small group was formed to work out how to do it. As a first step, Straw and friends were provided with an interactive map to choose the location of the trees, and that was passed along to Haringey council.
Then they got help to set up a crowdfunding campaign, which was shared in local WhatsApp groups and community forums, secured 168 backers and raised more than £6,000 in one month.
Mohamed al-Jawhari, a co-chair of Haringey Living Streets, said: 'It [WhatsApp] is a very powerful tool for getting a very simple message out very quickly to a lot of people. I got in contact with, like, a thousand people in a few minutes, because I forwarded on the message with a bit of an explanation to a local group here, a local group there, people who were interested in the environment and maybe wanted to help West Green.'
The remaining costs were covered by Haringey council. The result? Twenty beautiful trees planted across the neighbourhood.
The plan is as local as it gets, but it is also global. Around the world, city residents are working out how to fill their streets with trees as evidence grows of their benefits. As temperatures rise, research has shown that urban trees can play a fundamental role in keeping cities cool, evaporating water to provide a natural form of air-conditioning, cooling air temperatures and reducing the urban heat island effect. Work by Friends of the Earth in five English cities in 2023 showed that areas with more trees and greenery were up to 5C cooler.
Cities and countriies are applying all kinds of models. Some councils and governments plant the trees using public money. In 2021, for example, the Canadian government launched the 2 Billion Trees programme, providing financial support to provinces, organisations and Indigenous governments to plant trees over a period of 10 years.
But public funds are stretched everywhere, and the community model followed by Trees for Streets empowers local people to take their own action without waiting for a government plan.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is a non-profit organisation in Philadelphia that trains individuals to lead community groups to plant trees across the US city. So far their programme, Tree Tenders, has trained more than 6,500 people, who have led volunteers in planting more than 3,000 trees each year.
Andrew Conboy, an urban forester in Philadelphia whose work involves managing, maintaining and replanting street and park trees in the city, said: 'Most of the tree planting in Philadelphia is done through PHS. They do really great work all around the city and also in the suburbs surrounding the city. So many groups surrounding the cities are Tree Tenders groups.'
He added: 'There's a heavy emphasis on native species here in the Philadelphia area, which is good thing because the native species are ultimately better for our wildlife and for our ecosystems, because those are the species that evolved here, and our wildlife need those species.'
The Garden City Fund, a charity in Singapore, runs a similar initiative, the Plant-a-Tree programme. Individuals and organisations can donate to the cost of a young tree and then plant it in one of their managed green spaces.
Tree People, an environmental advocacy organisation, runs a forestry programme that supports communities to plant and care for trees in cities in southern California. The organisation also runs the School Greening programme, which provides training to parents, students, teachers and district leaders to plant and maintain trees in schools. Since the organisation was founded in 1973, it has worked with 3 million volunteers to plant more than 3m trees, included 30,000 trees on school campuses.
As the West Green residents take turns discussing their local initiative over cups of coffee, it's clear that one of the most significant impacts the project has had is in strengthening connections within the community.
Nick Owen, the owner of the local cafe Perkyn's on West Green Road, who contributed to the crowdfunder, said: 'It's lovely having the trees here now but it also feels a bit like a legacy. In five or 10 years when these trees are getting bigger and fuller, it'll be beautiful to see our kids growing up with that as well and knowing that we contributed to it.'
Dan Snell, an urban forest officer at Haringey council who surveyed the location for the trees in West Green and works with communities on tree-planting initiatives across the borough, said: 'We have people who are enthusiastic about the long-term health of the trees and we want it to be something they can take ownership of, I suppose, like an extension of their home, something that's in the public realm but is also looked after by the community.
'There was another tree scheme on my mum's street who lives in Haringey … suddenly there were all these new street trees and my mum had met a load of neighbours that she hadn't really met before, even though she's been there for 30 years. It's had this really lovely long-term effect on bringing the street together. It's such a wonderful thing to connect over.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
31 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Are Eggs Dairy? The Internet Debates Over Cake
So you made a cake to bring to a friend who was making you dinner. They asked if you could make it dairy-free, so you triple-checked your recipe. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, you're the dinner party villain because… it had eggs. That's the drama Reddit user Sea-Neighborhood6638 walked into when her thoughtful dessert sparked a meltdown over what, exactly, counts as dairy. In the now-viral post on r/AITAH, an unfortunate dinner guest recapped how she got into a milk-fueled debate, saying: "My friend invited me over for dinner. Our tradition is to bring food when invited to dinner. I asked if I should bring a dessert. She said that would be great, but it needs to be dairy-free because her daughter stopped eating dairy." She continued: "I know a great cake recipe with no dairy. I brought it to the dinner and it was a big hit. My friend asked for the recipe and I told her. When I got to the eggs, her daughter became upset and ran upstairs." "My friend asked why I put eggs in the cake. I said the eggs were responsible for the spongy texture. She said the cake wasn't dairy-free. I said it was. There is no milk or milk products in the cake, no cheese, no butter, etc..." "My friend said, 'Eggs are dairy.' I was confused. Dairy is milk and milk products, to my understanding. She said, 'Dairy is anything that comes from an animal.'" "I asked if honey is dairy, then. She said no, because bees are insects. I apologized, but I could tell she was still upset." So Sea-Neighborhood6638 turned to the Reddit community for judgement, "Am I the asshole? I've never heard of eggs being dairy before." Curious Redditers immediately swarmed to this story, because whether you or someone you love has dietary restrictions, you know the drama they can cause... and many people sided with the cake maker. User TarzanKitty shut down the OP's (original poster's) concerns quickly: 'Eggs are not dairy. If she wanted vegan, she needed to say vegan.' Candid-Solid-896 said plainly, "I think that mom is confused about the terminology." And Defiant_Ingenuity_55 brought the logic hammer: "When people can show you a cow laying an egg… I'm lactose intolerant, eggs are not included." Others speculated this wasn't a misunderstanding — it was misdirection. 'Yeah, it sounds like she didn't want to say her daughter is going through a vegan 'phase' and instead said no dairy, like to sound like an allergy almost?' wrote daydreamingofkittens. Yikes. According to some, this cake drama begs a question that goes beyond baking into something more existential... 'English is a language we share in common to communicate with each other,' said tha_4101, continuing: 'It boggles my mind how many people think they can just make stuff up.' But other folks sympathized with the friend's confusion and had their own explanations for where their lines got crossed: 'I bet it's because of the 'dairy aisle' at the grocery store,' noted cele311. 'I thought the same thing when I was a kid.' Others referenced the old-school food pyramid that lumped eggs and milk together, giving '80s kids a lifetime of nutritional gaslighting. Accurate-Arachnid-64 took that argument even further, taking the friend's sid, commenting: "You are the asshole. Dairy regularly refers to eggs and milk products, even if dairy is just milk and milk products. It's been that way since the 1870s." Even Redditors' spouses weighed in, with one user sharing: 'I just asked my husband if eggs are dairy... he said yes....... when I asked him how they are dairy he went 'derriere.'' So at least someone's getting laughs out of this. Johnniegirl1970 came to this wise conclusion: "The real issue wasn't the cake, but the communication." They elaborated: "While eggs are considered an animal product as far as vegetarians and vegans are concerned, they are not considered a dairy product, which are made from the milk of mammals, such as cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and those kinds of things. Your friend needs to understand that, and she needs to explain that to her daughter." For the next dinner party (if there is a next one), one commenter had a piece of advice for the OP: "I'd bring wine next time and ignore the kid." An adults-only peace offering might be just what this situation needs. But I want to know: how would you feel in the cake maker's shoes? What do you think qualifies as dairy? Let us know in the comments! For future dinner parties (if she's ever invited again), download the free Tasty app, where you can follow step-by-step instructions for over 7,500 recipes — no subscription required.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Archaeologists discover ‘sensational' artifacts beneath 13th century medieval church
Archaeologists recently uncovered 'sensational' artifacts beneath a historic monastery in Poland — offering a glimpse into monastic life in the 18th century. The discovery was found near the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in Chełm, Poland, roughly 40 miles east of Lublin. The medieval church was founded in the 13th century. Throughout its long history, the church has been affiliated with the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as the Ruthenian Uniate Church. It is currently Roman Catholic. Historians excavated a 17th-century Basilian monastery next to the church. The monastery, which once housed Greek Catholic monks who followed the rule of St. Basil, was built around 400 years after the church was established. In a statement, officials from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments (LWKZ) said the recent discovery was 'like no other.' 'This year's research season has yielded a sensational discovery,' said the statement, which was translated from Polish to English. 4 Archeologists made a discovery beneath a historic monastery which was found near the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in Chełm, Poland. NurPhoto via Getty Images 'After dismantling the wooden floors on the upper level of the former Basilian monastery, hundreds of fragments of very rare heraldic tiles were found in the fill.' Officials wrote that the tiles were glazed 'in green and brown, and were made to order with specific symbolism, a bishop's coat of arms and titles.' 4 The artifacts discovered were heraldic tiles, glazed 'in green and brown, and were made to order with specific symbolism, a bishop's coat of arms and titles,' officials from the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments said. Stanis¿aw Go¿ub via the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments 4 'This year's research season has yielded a sensational discovery,' the officials said in a statement translated from Polish to English. NurPhoto via Getty Images 'Currently, work is ongoing to inventory, piece together and study these extraordinary artifacts,' the government agency noted. Historians estimate the tiles were crafted between 1711 and 1730. They were specifically designed to fit a stove, as indicated by their distinctive shape and size. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 'One of the reconstructed tiles had a faceplate shaped similarly to a square, measuring 25.8 cm x 25 cm x 9.5 cm (height of the chamber), while another measured 24.5 cm (length of one side) x 7.8 cm (height of the chamber),' the translated post added. The tiles' faceplates also bore distinct initials, including those of Józef Lewicki. He served as the monastery's superior before becoming bishop of the Chełm Eparchy in 1711. 4 The tiles' faceplates have distinct initials. Stanis¿aw Go¿ub via the Lublin Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments This remarkable find adds to a series of intriguing archaeological discoveries in Poland this year. In March, a pair of pedestrians stumbled across an ancient deadly weapon on the coast of the Baltic Sea. In the Polish city of Krakow, excavators at Wawel Royal Castle recently found a remarkable ring that dates back over 500 years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
England hunt early wickets on day two against India
Get Involved - #bbccricket, WhatsApp 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only - charged at standard message rate)
