About GREENHERE
GreenHere is a registered charity dedicated to increasing the urban forest in lower income communities to improve environmental and human well-being while boosting social cohesion and engagement. As a registered not-for-profit, GreenHere works to mitigate the detrimental health, social, and environmental effects that result from a critical lack of green space.
GreenHere promotes access and equity surrounding green space, fosters youth engagement and community stewardship, and works from a community development model. By addressing environmental justice and social issues faced in mixed residential/ industrial neighbourhoods, GreenHere delivers a number of community-based tree planting, environmental planning and stewardship programs. These involve community consultation and decision-making, multilingual outreach, workshops, festivals and greening/reforestation initiatives in urban neighbourhoods.
Organizational Profile
History
In 2001, the seed for GreenHere was planted when local resident Andrea Dawber got together with neighbours, concerned parents and the City of Toronto to improve sun safety in Dovercourt Park. As a result of a park audit and community organizing, new trees were planted in the play area to provide shade for children in the future.
In 2005 GreenHere was formed as a campaign of Dupont Improvement Group: Improving Neighbourhoods (DIG-IN), and received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, in partnership with Davenport-Perth Community Centre (DPNC), to support the Trees Davenport project.
Greening Projects and Initiatives
Environmental issues disproportionately affect the health of marginalized communities, which face barriers to social and environmental change. GreenHere aims to address a number of environmental justice and social issues faced in our program area, which has only 23% of the parkland enjoyed by the average Toronto neighborhood (City Parkland Acquisition Study, 2001).
GreenHere’s reforestation projects in Davenport model how reforestation can begin to improve the overall well-being of lower income neighbourhoods, enhancing equity and agency for communities throughout Toronto. The intersection of environmental and community health needs to be recognized holistically, and GreenHere attempts to accomplish this through raising awareness about the many benefits of increased green space, large canopy trees and community engagement.
As the effects of climate change and urban heat island continue to escalate, our urban forest will be increasingly important in providing essential cooling, shading, pollution sequestration, and protection from droughts and floods. Canopy coverage in Toronto currently stands at 17%, but it has been estimated that it will actually decline to 10% over the next several years as aging trees deteriorate and die. This falls far short of the 35% canopy coverage the City would like to see by 2050, so the need to plant trees has never been more urgent.
The easiest and most efficient method of combating air pollutants and particulates is to increase the tree canopy cover through the planting of new trees, and stewardship of the existing urban forest. These initiatives will result in better air quality within marginalized communities, where the need is greatest, and for the City of Toronto as a whole.
In addition to filtering and cleaning air, trees are essential to the hydrological cycle: the natural movement of water through evaporation, precipitation, condensation, infiltration, and transpiration. Instead of stormwater draining directly into Lake Ontario - and carrying with it debris and harsh pollutants, rain and snowmelt can be exposed to soil and root systems to be purified and filtered of undesirable particulates. The result is more clean water for the water table, cleaner lake water (Toronto's drinking water source), and more clean water available to trees, plants, and human consumption. Trees also provide natural habitat for animals, birds, insects and a place for people to gather socially and find enjoyment in the urban environment.
Trees are the answer: sustaining green infrastructure will be necessary, and educating, advocating for, and encouraging a local citizen arborist movement to provide ongoing stewardship is crucial.
The Need to Green
Andrea Dawber is the Director of GreenHere. Andrea has a background in education, communications and development programming for the arts. In 2001, she began using these skills to encourage city-wide reforestation through an education and media campaign developed in collaboration with the City of Toronto, urban forestry initiatives, and health and environmental groups, to raise awareness of the important role trees play in maintaining human health.
Since then Andrea has worked with the Parks, Forestry, and Recreation department; the City Planning department; the Planning and Transportation department; and local Councillors to green and reforest Davenport neighbourhoods. These groups have initiated the creation of treed boulevards and raised planting beds. Additionally, she has collaborated with the Tree Advocacy Planting Program, the Clean and Beautiful Secretariat, and parks and horticulture supervisors to plant over 1000 trees in the surrounding neighbourhood parks and on city-owned portions of schoolyards.
Tammy Finnikin has a Bachelor in Science and an Environmental Protection diploma from Centennial College. Tammy has held a number of positions with GreenHere including Urban Forestry Team Coordinator, Community Urban Forester and Communications/Development Coordinator. Tammy is a resident of the targeted community and has an in depth knowledge of the environmental, cultural and linguistic issues that many newcomers face in the Davenport neighbourhood. As a frequent runner and dog owner, Tammy recognizes the need for canopy coverage and green infrastructure to reduce urban heat island effect and create cool and calming streetscapes.
Waseem Safdar P.Ag ISA Certified Arborist
Waseem Safdar, ISA Certified Arborist and P. Ag, has joined the GreenHere team to coordinate the Davenport Free Backyard Tree Planting Project. With over a decade of professional experience ranging from arboriculture to plant care to project management, Waseem brings a unique insight into forestry management and landscaping to GreenHere.
Waseem is also registered with The Ontario Institute of Agrologists as a Professional Agrologist providing mentorship. With a breadth of international experience from 13 years as an Agrologist with various multinational agrochemical companies in plant protection, consultancy, training, research, management and advisory services, Waseem is looking forward to working with the Davenport community to plant more trees for the neighbourhood.
Other GreenHere staff: Bridey Dion Communication and Fundraising Worker, and Sean DeCory , Carolyn Gordon , Caitlin Bragg, Choi Ho, Gary Grewal, John Lieber the Urban Forestry Team.
The GreenHere Team
By planting trees today and developing tree stewardship programs, we are protecting urban ecosystems and long-term air, soil, and water quality for generations to come.
