It’s no secret that underserved communities in Houston face a plethora of challenges. Along with food deserts and safe communities, the lack of trees there can lead to urban heat islands, where are much hotter in metropolitan places not protected from the summer heat.

Tree Peace, a non-profit organization is looking to promote environmental sustainability in underserved communities through their Tree Canopy project. Director Irene Chien took a moment from her busy schedule to recognize two Houston citizens for their partnership efforts, one who works for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

Mayor Turner,

My name is Irene, and I am the Director of Tree Peace. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees in underserved neighborhoods. This fall our organization offered every resident the opportunity to have a 15-gallon tree planted in their yard. Tomorrow we are hosting our tree canopy project where we will be planting trees at the Yates Museum, Mt Horeb Baptist Church and homes throughout the Fourth Ward.

I wanted to thank some of your staff who did a great deal to help make this project come to life: Miguel at the Gregory School Library is hosting our organization and volunteers, and Jeremy Burkes from Houston Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry, which donated red cedar trees that will be planted at the Yates Museum. 

You can learn more about our project at tree-peace.org.

Respectfully,

Irene Chien, Director Operations

Tree Peace