Project EverGreen Announces 2023 GreenCare for Communities Projects

As part of its ongoing efforts to deliver a greener, healthier, cooler Earth, Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Communities initiative is gearing up for another strong year of revitalizing under-resourced public green spaces and connecting individuals with a flourishing community park within 10 minutes walking distance of their home. Through the initiative, Project EverGreen collaborates with donors, volunteers, community groups and municipal parks staff to accomplish that goal.

Maintaining and enhancing these valuable green spaces is a shared responsibility and in many urban areas, public parks and playing fields are overgrown with weeds and have thinning, uneven turf or bare dirt. They are often neglected and barely usable because of unsafe playing surfaces. They do not serve the community and it shows.

Healthy parks and green spaces are critical to urban areas as they offset the heat island effect and provide surrounding areas with cleaner air through carbon sequestration. Since 2008, Project EverGreen and its partners have renovated community parks and public green spaces totaling more than 200 million square feet of living green space.

“The GreenCare for Communities renovation projects create healthy local parks and playing fields, brings the community together and allows public green spaces to become the lungs of a city through carbon sequestration,” says Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “We have the experience and expertise to mobilize professionals, corporate volunteers and individuals to quickly and cost-effectively restore urban green spaces for the benefit of all.”

Research has shown a correlation between green spaces and improved air quality; reduced heat buildup and soil erosion; and rainfall retention. There is also extensive data showing that access to green spaces lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, improve attention levels and reduces feelings of fear and anger in both adults and children.

Community green spaces have also been shown to help create closer-knit communities and improve well-being, and in doing so, increasing safety and lowering levels of vandalism. From an economic perspective, access to a well-maintained parks and green spaces increases property values and employee productivity and boosts business activity.

Project EverGreen is seeking volunteers, corporate donors and advocates to join them and contribute to the renaissance of urban communities across the country in 2023.

2023 GreenCare for Communities Projects

• New York City – July
• Detroit – Fall
• Louisville – October
• Raleigh – TBD
• Cleveland – TBD
• Fort Myers, Florida – TBD

Visit the GreenCare for Communities project pages and view the progress we have made in creating a greener, healthier, cooler Earth.