Sustainability > Protect

Building Tree Canopy for Climate Resilience

In 2024, Zoo New England’s Franklin Park Zoo received $300,000 from Liberty Mutual Foundation’s Impact Driven Collaboration grants, which aims to support ZNE’s nature-based solutions to combat climate change and works toward bringing climate justice to vulnerable communities.
 
The IDC grant, which is allotted over three years, will support ZNE’s Partnership for Greening Dorchester & Roxbury (PGD&R), a program designed to mitigate the urban heat island effect and enhance climate justice initiatives. Both Dorchester and Roxbury are “urban heat islands,” with fewer trees, less carbon-rich green space and greater concentration of impervious surfaces than other Boston communities.
 
In meeting the goals of the PGD&R, ZNE will lead efforts to reduce urban heat island effect in Dorchester and Roxbury, while creating green jobs and increasing educational opportunities within these communities. Over three years, there will be 2,000 trees and shrubs planted annually in Dorchester and Roxbury. These efforts will create 2-4 new acres of tree canopy, produce 23 tons of oxygen, store 9 tons of carbon, and take over 47,000 gallons of water from the soil and release it into the air as water oxygen and water vapor – all of which will reduce the effects of urban heat islands.
 
“Urban greening through planting has multifaceted co-benefits, including the sequestration of carbon dioxide, which helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global efforts to combat climate change,” said Joshua Meyer, Zoo New England’s Curator of Horticulture and Sustainability. “ZNE is well-positioned for this work, and has led several recent climate mitigation programs in partnership with local communities.”
 
ZNE has partnered with five organizations – the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center (HSNHC), Boston PowerCorp (BPC) Greater Grove Hall Main Street, Neighborhood Forest, and the Price Center – to leverage their expertise on the health, green energy and community-focused benefits. This program is also designed to raise awareness, build career pathways, and increase access for green jobs for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults who are often underrepresented in these fields. Additionally, the funds will support a 2400 square-foot greenhouse, located on the grounds of Franklin Park Zoo, to grow and nurture the plants used in the project. This greenhouse will also be used to accommodate groups for education and job training, which includes the potting, growing, watering, and maintenance of plant stock.
 
The IDC grants provided by the Liberty Mutual Foundation, fund collaborative projects that include three or more nonprofit organizations working in tandem to tackle society’s biggest challenges. ZNE was one of 60 nonprofit partners represented in phase one of the inaugural cohort of grant recipients.
 
Our Partners:

Without our partners, our mission to green Dorchester and Roxbury would not be possible. Zoo New England is proud to partner with the following organizations, who have shared their time and resources to make this vision a reality:
 
Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center (HSNHC)
Located in Roxbury, HSNHC has spent over 50 years providing equitable, exemplary, high-quality and timely care to the local community. Their innovative population health initiatives have helped to cultivate a positive medical culture in the Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods through transparent health communication, education and assistance.

PowerCorpsBOS
This 10-month program, run through the City of Boston, is preparing young adults for the opportunity to build careers in the green industry. Participants are trained in workforce-readiness skills that lead to careers in urban forestry, building operations, urban greening and beyond.

Greater Grove Hall Main Streets (GGHMS)
Greater Grove Hall Main Streets aims to improve the economic vitality of the Greater Grove Hall community, found along Dorchester’s Blue Hill Avenue. The organization, partnering with the City of Boston, community stakeholders, and private investors, works to improve the economic success of local businesses through resource sharing, embracing green practices, engaging in the community’s cultural footprint, and more.

Neighborhood Forest
Since 2010, Neighborhood Forest has sought to provide children around the country with the joy of planting their own trees right in their backyards. By hosting tree giveaways with the helps of schools, libraries and organizational partners, Neighborhood Forest builds urban green canopy while encouraging children to embrace the excitement that comes with nurturing their own trees.

The Price Center
Located in Newton, the Price Center is a life-changing service agency that offers a range of extraordinary programs, dedicated to empowering individuals with special gifts, needs and abilities. For over 40 years, the organization has provided flexible and creative services to help individuals thrive in living, social and work communities.0-square-foot greenhouse and nursery to grow and care for the plants used in this project. This initiative aims to raise awareness, create career pathways, and expand access to green jobs for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults who are often underrepresented in these fields. To support this goal, the greenhouse will serve as a space for educational programs and job training, providing hands-on experience in potting, growing, watering and maintaining plant stock.