Fr Pat Travers on his way to the seminary aged 19 Fr Travers at one of his last Masses in Ballon Fr Travers at his first Mass in Ballon after his ordination Fr…
A Tree Grows in Richmond: Southside Moves from Redlining to Greening
A nonprofit-led project seeks to address environmental injustices and improve water quality with targeted tree planting.
Kenny Fletcher/CBF
Left: Southside, Richmond, Virginia, courtesy of Southside ReLeaf; Right: previous (2018) tree plantings led by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at Branchâs Baptist Church in Southside.
At the peak of a Virginia summer, the difference between the sun and shade is stark. High urban temperatures can be dangerous in the capital city of Richmond. Trees can provide substantial cooling, pull pollution from air and water, and beautify neighborhoods. But in Richmond and other U.S. cities, the racist housing policy of redlining has resulted in less tree canopy for many neighborhoods with predominantly Black residents, making them now hotter in the summer.
Julia Travers is a writer who often covers the environment, social justice movements, and the nonprofit sector. She has written for National Public Radio, Earth Island Journal, YES! Magazine, EcoWatch, and Civil Eats, among other publications.