While GreenVest spends every day celebrating the planet, its resources, and the environmental services it provides, Earth Day is a reminder of the positive impact our work can have on local communities. On Monday, April 22, Sydney Duncan (GreenVest’s Proposal & Marketing Coordinator) joined GreenTrust Alliance (GTA) and volunteers from Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) to plant trees in celebration of Earth Day. The group planted 100 trees and shrubs at Baltimore County’s Southwest Area Park. The 230-acre park is a multi-purpose amenity for the community with a dog park, nature trails, paved paths, pavilions, picnic areas, and more! The park also boasts the County’s only public boat ramp on the Patapsco River, which is free for the public to use for shallow draft boats.
Tree plantings in this ultra-urban location will have a great impact on the park, the community, and the watershed. Trees provide myriad environmental services, including shade, carbon sequestration, runoff prevention and erosion control, and even human health benefits. Urban areas like this experience the Heat Island Effect, where temperatures are higher than their suburban and rural counterparts due to the large area of impervious surfaces coupled with a lack of green spaces and trees. The shade provided by trees supports cooler air and water temperatures. Plants also absorb the sunlight rather than reflecting it, like pavement and asphalt do. Improved access to green space has also had a profound improvement on human physical and mental health.
GTA has been working with local communities and public park agencies to implement community-led and community-engaged projects. GreenVest was happy to support GTA’s efforts to provide enhanced public open space, invasive species removal, and erosion control for this parkland within one of Baltimore County’s urban and underserved communities. This event marks our commitment to improving water and habitat quality and quality of life in the Patapsco River corridor.
Thank you to GTA and BGE for having us!
