Groundwork Elizabeth Builds MicroForests
Groundwork Elizabeth
On August 2, 2022, Groundwork Elizabeth’s Executive Director Jonathan Phillips announced support from the Bezos Earth Fund and Groundwork USA, the organization’s national affiliate, to develop local projects called “MicroForests” to help mitigate the effects of climate challenges. The press event was held at the Groundwork Elizabeth MicroFarm and Environmental Center, in the backyard of the Elmora Branch of the Elizabeth Public Library.
Groundwork Elizabeth will use funds from the Bezos Earth grant to build four of these MicroForests within the City of Elizabeth. Youth from Groundwork’s Youth Initiative programs will assist in planning and construction.
The concept for planting these tiny urban forests was inspired by a Japanese botanist, Dr. Akira Miyawaki,. Groundwork planted the region’s first micro-forest in December 2021 on City-owned property behind the Elizabeth Public Library’s Elmora Branch to provide relief from climate issues such as heat islands. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, heat islands happen when a building or road is hotter than an outlying area. Buildings and roads re-emit heat into the area, while green areas such as forests and water absorb a majority of the heat. Financial and in-kind support from the NJ Conservation Foundation and parties within the Community Foundation of NJ were key to the pilot project.
Groundwork plans on helping other urban communities as well. Urban areas are extremely vulnerable to the dangers of a hotter and wetter climate due to high population densities, impervious surfaces, a network of busy roadways, industry, and a lack of tree cover. Those living in historic redlined areas within urban centers are especially at risk.
“Micro-forests are an ultra-dense, bio-diverse pocket forest that recreate the complexity of a natural forest. They offer a home to an array of native species that boosts the biodiversity of the area. Our tiny forests will improve the soil quality, fight against air pollution, improve water absorption and will help with the effects of flooding and erosion,” said Director of Operations at Groundwork Elizabeth John Evangelista who leads the effort within the organization.
Groundwork USA’s National Director of Climate Resilience and Land Use Cate Mingoya-LaFortune sent a message to the crowd, “As the National Director of Climate Resilience and Land Use, I work with Groundwork Trusts across the network from coast to coast, to implement people-centered climate justice solutions. I cannot overstate how much of a privilege it is to get to work with and learn from the team and community at Groundwork Elizabeth”.
Representatives from the City Council of Elizabeth, Kevin Kiniery and Patricia Perkins Auguste, as well as Union County Commissioner Bette Jane Kowalski attended the ceremony, lauded and offered continuing support for the new MicroForests. Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage supports the projects as well.
Jay Watson, Co-Executive Director, and Dr. Emile DeVito, NJ Conservations Manager of Science and Stewardship continue as key partners for the MicroForest projects. Watson noted the organization received the go-ahead to build in October and planted the site quickly by early December. “The NJ Conservation Foundation is honored to play a part in creating this green space in Elizabeth. We intend to do all we can to cool our communities down, and Groundwork is an outstanding partner to create more of these green infrastructure projects in our future.”
Groundwork Elizabeth Board President noted collaboration is key to success. “As a good friend once told me, ‘if you want to get a little done, you do it yourself but if you want to get a lot done, you build partnerships,’ and that’s what we’ve done. It’s been a community effort. Our collaboration today with the Bezos Foundation and support made possible through the Groundwork USA Land Innovation Fund is going to help our organization blossom further into the remainder of this decade and beyond.”
For more information on the Groundwork program go to www.groundworkelizabeth.org, groundworkusa.org or visit the social media sites of the network.
Courtesy photo
