Project Overview:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected Palm Beach County (PBC) to receive a $1,000,000 grant from the
EPA Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program to fund regreening efforts in the PBC Glades community. Through the Resilient Glades Tree Campaign, PBC's Office of Resilience and
Parks & Recreation Department are partnering with
Community Greening, a local urban forestry non-profit, to expand tree canopy in the Glades region, including the South Bay, Belle Glade, Pahokee, and Canal Point communities. The Resilient Glades Tree Campaign will plant trees at six PBC parks, host at least eight tree giveaway events where Glades residents will receive native and fruit trees, pilot a small urban food orchard, and support Community Greening's youth workforce development team. The project will decrease urban heat impacts, improve air quality, absorb stormwater, increase native biodiversity, and increase access to fresh produce. This project proposal was prepared with support from the PBC Cooperative Extension Office, the PBC Office of Community Revitalization, PBC Housing & Economic Development, the City of South Bay, the City of Belle Glade, the City of Pahokee, the Palm Health Foundation, and Florida Clinicians for Climate Action.
Project Components:
Tree Giveaways to Glades Residents
The Glades Tree Campaign project will give away 2,000 native and fruit trees to Glades community members through at least eight (8) events throughout the Glades region between fall 2024 to spring 2027. Each Glades community member will be able to take home two trees per household.
Tree Plantings in PBC Parks in Glades Region
The Glades Tree Campaign will plant 376 trees across six (6) County parks to increase equitable access to shaded outdoor recreational areas. Community members are invited to volunteer at these tree-planting events. Community Greening will provide all the necessary tools, gloves, and water/snacks, and will train volunteers on how to help. There will also be a DJ on hand to keep things fun! Stay tuned for more details and upcoming events.
Pilot Urban Orchard
The Project team will collaborate with Glades community stakeholders to identify potential locations to install an urban orchard. This orchard will include a variety of fruit-bearing trees to help increase local access to fresh produce. The project team will partner with a local organization to help care for the orchard and distribute harvests to community members. Stay tuned for more details!
Youth Workforce Development
Community Greening will partner with a locally-led youth development organization to support planting events and tree giveaways, and help water and maintain newly planted trees in parks. The youth will receive competitive hourly wages as they gain work experience in the “green collar" sector and learn about urban forestry and community improvement. Stay tuned for upcoming workforce opportunity details.