As I write this, communities across the country, including my own, are in turmoil. I'm struggling to find the right way to express my outrage and sadness while acknowledging the role GreenWorks and other environmental organizations play, or potentially could play, in addressing injustice in our communities.
At GreenWorks, we continually strive for litter-free, forested neighborhoods because we understand the benefits of clean water, healthy air and green space in our urban environments -- but if systematically-oppressed communities are cut off from accessing these benefits, we will never achieve the environmental equity and sustainability also at the heart of our mission. We acknowledge that right here in Buncombe County, decades of documented racially-biased housing practices and urban renewal (removal) have pushed Black communities from their homes to the least desirable properties – neighborhoods of concrete and asphalt with little tree cover, lack of access to public transportation and far away from fresh food.
As summer heat descends upon us, it is these predominantly Black communities that will suffer the most from lack of shade from trees. It is our Black communities that will need to venture out in the heat to get fresh food and basic necessities from distant grocery stores. Working together, GreenWorks can do things to help address these inequities, such as prioritizing tree planting in neighborhoods where they are most needed and improving productivity in our community orchards.
GreenWorks is an environmental organization working to improve the environment of Buncombe County for the health, well-being and enjoyment of all its residents. Asheville GreenWorks stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and our community in condemning the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police and all violence against our Black community members.
- Dawn Chávez, Executive Director
At GreenWorks, we continually strive for litter-free, forested neighborhoods because we understand the benefits of clean water, healthy air and green space in our urban environments -- but if systematically-oppressed communities are cut off from accessing these benefits, we will never achieve the environmental equity and sustainability also at the heart of our mission. We acknowledge that right here in Buncombe County, decades of documented racially-biased housing practices and urban renewal (removal) have pushed Black communities from their homes to the least desirable properties – neighborhoods of concrete and asphalt with little tree cover, lack of access to public transportation and far away from fresh food.
As summer heat descends upon us, it is these predominantly Black communities that will suffer the most from lack of shade from trees. It is our Black communities that will need to venture out in the heat to get fresh food and basic necessities from distant grocery stores. Working together, GreenWorks can do things to help address these inequities, such as prioritizing tree planting in neighborhoods where they are most needed and improving productivity in our community orchards.
GreenWorks is an environmental organization working to improve the environment of Buncombe County for the health, well-being and enjoyment of all its residents. Asheville GreenWorks stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and our community in condemning the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police and all violence against our Black community members.
- Dawn Chávez, Executive Director
Asheville GreenWorks works to enhance the environment and quality of life for all residents of Asheville and Buncombe County through community-based, volunteer-led environmental conservation projects and education programs.