5 for Good: Boston's West End gets green makeover to combat climate change, enhance quality of life

FOR MORE TREES. IF YOUR ROUTINE TAKES YOU BETWEEN NORTH STATION AND MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL, THEN YOU KNOW BOSTON’S WEST END AND LIKELY THOREAU PATH. THE GREEN SPACE BETWEEN THE TWO. THERE’S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, 50,000 PEOPLE A DAY WALK ALONG HERE. KATHY AND TOM GRIFFIN MOVED TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FROM ACTON ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. IT REALLY IS THE LIFELINE OR THE CONNECTION FROM DOWNTOWN BOSTON TO THE ESPLANADE. AFTER NOTICING A LACK OF TREES, KATHY WAS MOTIVATED TO START SURVEYING STREETS. THE COUPLE BEGAN IN EARNEST DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC. I JUST DO WHAT I’M TOLD, ERIKA SHE, UH, SHE HAS A LOT OF ENERGY. A LOT OF YOU KNOW, A LOT OF AMBITION AND JUST I’M A DATA PERSON. SO I WAS LIKE, THIS IS GREAT. YOU KNOW? AND THERE IS NOT MUCH THEY SHOULD DO BACK THEN. SO WE JUST WALKED AROUND AND WE COUNTED TREES AND RECORDED THEM. THE GRIFFINS DECIDED ACTION WAS NEEDED AND FOUNDED WE TREE BOSTON ORGANIZING PLANTING EVENTS LIKE THIS. THIS TREE IS A CONTAINER TREE. MASTER ARBORIST RICHARD PARASILITI JUNIOR, THE TREE WARDEN FOR NORTHAMPTON, TRAVELED ALL THE WAY HERE TO TEACH THESE VOLUNTEERS PROPER TECHNIQUE FOR FREE. YOU DON’T WANT TO PUT BREAK SOMEONE’S UTILITY, HE NOTES A RECENT FEDERAL GRANT OF $1 BILLION FOR TREE PLANTING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS A WONDERFUL THING. THEY PROVIDE BEAUTIFICATION, AIR PURIFICATION, STORMWATER UPTAKE, CARBON SEQUESTRATION. THEY PROVIDE COOLING RIGHT IN THE URBAN, IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. BUT PARASILITI STRESSES PLANTING IS JUST THE FIRST STEP. IT’S A REALLY IMPORTANT TIME TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND PROPER TREE PLANTING PRACTICES AND PROPER AFTERCARE PRACTICES, BECAUSE THESE TREES THAT WE’RE PLANTING TODAY WILL HOPEFULLY BE THE TREES OF THE FUTURE. THAT’S EXACTLY WHY WE TREE BOSTON POSTS REMINDERS AND HAS A WATERING BRIGADE FOR THE TREES THEY PLANT AND OTHERS. I ACTUALLY WATER THE TREES THAT ARE IN THE PUBLIC SIDEWALK, WHICH GETS QUITE A LOT OF ATTENTION BECAUSE I’M CARRYING MY BUCKETS OF WATER ALONG THE MAIN STREET, RIGHT RIGHT DOWN HERE, MARTHA ROAD AND UH, PEOPLE SAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AND WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM THE AGE OF THREE TO, I WANT TO SAY, WELL INTO THEIR 80S, HELPING US WATER THESE TREES. AND THAT’S BEEN ANOTHER WONDERFUL EFFECT. IS THAT PEOPLE WHO SAW EACH OTHER BUT DIDN’T KNOW EACH OTHER NOW GET TOGETHER AND HELP WATER TREES. AND IT STARTS TO BUILD A BOND, THE GRIFFIN SAY. TO ADDRESS URBAN HEAT, DESERTS COMBAT THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND JUST MAKE PEOPLE FEEL BETTER. TREES ARE VITAL. WE WANT TO TEACH EVERY OTHER COMMUNITY HOW TO DO THIS BECAUSE EVERYONE DESERVES TREES. AND, UM, NO OFFENSE TO ALL THE RULES THAT IT’S BEEN WAY TOO HARD. SO WE NEED TO, LIKE, SIMPLIFY THIS SO THAT OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS COULD BECOME A NONPROFIT, ORGANIZE, GET GRANT MONEY, TEA

A Boston couple's initiative is transforming the city's West End by planting trees to fight climate change and improve residents' quality of life.Cathy and Tom Griffin are leading the green transformation with WE Tree Boston. "There's probably 50,000 people a day walking along here," said Tom Griffin.The Griffins moved to the neighborhood five years ago and noticed a lack of trees, sparking their mission to green up the area."It really is the lifeline or the connection from downtown Boston to the Esplanade," Tom Griffin added.Their tree-planting initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I just do what I'm told, Erika. She has a lot of energy, a lot of ambition," Tom Griffin said. "I'm a data person, so I was like, this is great. And there was not much to do back then, so we just walked around, and we counted trees and recorded them," Cathy Griffin said.WE Tree Boston organizes tree-planting events, bringing together volunteers and experts.Master Arborist Richard Parasiliti Jr., the tree warden for Northampton, traveled to Boston to teach volunteers proper tree-planting techniques. He also highlighted the importance of a recent federal grant of $1 billion for tree planting across the country."They provide beautification, air purification, stormwater uptake, carbon sequestration. They provide cooling right in the urban environment that is extremely important," Parasiliti said.However, he stressed that planting is just the first step. "It's a really important time to actually have people understand proper tree planting practices and proper aftercare practices because these trees that we're planting today will hopefully be the trees of the future," Parasiliti said.Volunteer Tenny Pandika Gillis echoed this sentiment. "I think that's a really just good reminder of just people in general. When you're in your areas you are walking by that it requires attention," Gillis said.WE Tree Boston also organizes a watering brigade for the trees they plant and others. "I actually water the trees that are in the public sidewalk, which gets quite a lot of attention because I'm carrying my buckets of water along the main street down here, Martha Road. And people say, what are you doing?" said volunteer Peter Rhein."We have people from the age of 3 to, I want to say, well into their 80s, helping us water these trees. And that's been another wonderful effect is that people who knew each other, saw each other but didn't know each other. Now get together and help water trees and it starts to build a bond," Cathy Griffin said.The Griffins believe that trees are vital to address urban heat deserts, combat the climate crisis, and improve people's quality of life. "We want to teach every other community how to do this because everyone deserves trees. And no offense to all the rules that it's been way too hard. We need to simplify this so that other neighborhoods could become a nonprofit, organize, get grant money, teach people how to water, have the right tools," Cathy Griffin said.Thanks to WE Tree Boston's efforts, Thoreau Path was recently granted arboretum status.

BOSTON —

A Boston couple's initiative is transforming the city's West End by planting trees to fight climate change and improve residents' quality of life.

Cathy and Tom Griffin are leading the green transformation with WE Tree Boston.

"There's probably 50,000 people a day walking along here," said Tom Griffin.

The Griffins moved to the neighborhood five years ago and noticed a lack of trees, sparking their mission to green up the area.

"It really is the lifeline or the connection from downtown Boston to the Esplanade," Tom Griffin added.

Their tree-planting initiative began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I just do what I'm told, Erika. She has a lot of energy, a lot of ambition," Tom Griffin said.

"I'm a data person, so I was like, this is great. And there was not much to do back then, so we just walked around, and we counted trees and recorded them," Cathy Griffin said.

WE Tree Boston organizes tree-planting events, bringing together volunteers and experts.

Master Arborist Richard Parasiliti Jr., the tree warden for Northampton, traveled to Boston to teach volunteers proper tree-planting techniques. He also highlighted the importance of a recent federal grant of $1 billion for tree planting across the country.

"They provide beautification, air purification, stormwater uptake, carbon sequestration. They provide cooling right in the urban environment that is extremely important," Parasiliti said.

However, he stressed that planting is just the first step.

"It's a really important time to actually have people understand proper tree planting practices and proper aftercare practices because these trees that we're planting today will hopefully be the trees of the future," Parasiliti said.

Volunteer Tenny Pandika Gillis echoed this sentiment.

"I think that's a really just good reminder of just people in general. When you're in your areas you are walking by that it requires attention," Gillis said.

WE Tree Boston also organizes a watering brigade for the trees they plant and others.

"I actually water the trees that are in the public sidewalk, which gets quite a lot of attention because I'm carrying my buckets of water along the main street down here, Martha Road. And people say, what are you doing?" said volunteer Peter Rhein.

"We have people from the age of 3 to, I want to say, well into their 80s, helping us water these trees. And that's been another wonderful effect is that people who knew each other, saw each other but didn't know each other. Now get together and help water trees and it starts to build a bond," Cathy Griffin said.

The Griffins believe that trees are vital to address urban heat deserts, combat the climate crisis, and improve people's quality of life.

"We want to teach every other community how to do this because everyone deserves trees. And no offense to all the rules that it's been way too hard. We need to simplify this so that other neighborhoods could become a nonprofit, organize, get grant money, teach people how to water, have the right tools," Cathy Griffin said.

Thanks to WE Tree Boston's efforts, Thoreau Path was recently granted arboretum status.

5 for Good: Boston's West End gets green makeover to combat climate change, enhance quality of life

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