Speak for the Trees works together with Boston community members to plant, preserve, care and advocate for trees and to expand the tree canopy in order to rebuild resilient neighborhoods and safeguard the health of all residents, repairing historic injustices that persist today as environmental inequities in urban communities.
Our mission is grounded in four root values
- Urban resilience is critical in this era of global climate change.
- All Boston residents deserve a clean and healthy urban environment, no matter their zip code.
- Strong and green communities are the backbone of safe spaces, social cohesion, and livable neighborhoods.
- All residents play an important role in solving local and global environmental challenges.
How we do our work
- We develop and co-create projects at the community level. We believe that change happens when residents have ownership over their spaces and are empowered to take action.
- We view tree planting, care, and stewardship as a way to connect residents to themselves, their neighborhood, and the global environment. We raise awareness about the importance of trees and the role that every resident can take in planting and caring for trees. We partner closely with community organizations to better understand and deeply engage residents in our work.
- We are committed to partnering with the numerous existing local and national environmental organizations to build a healthy urban forest. Through robust collaborations and shared best practices, we create programs that respond to the unique needs, geography, and structure of each neighborhood. We envision a city with a healthy tree canopy that takes into account issues of equity such as diversity, race, socioeconomic status, and geography.
- We advocate for updated city and state policies and funding related to tree planting, tree preservation, neighborhood prioritization, and length of care to ensure trees are efficiently planted and strategically placed in communities that need them most.
