Tag: carbon footprint

Coordinator Toolkit – FAQs and Guidelines

Hello Coordinators!

Please click on the PDF packet below for commonly asked questions and guidelines for coordinators (including instructions for preparing the trees to hand out):

Click here: Coordinator FAQ Guidelines

Thank you for helping us spread joy, beauty, and goodness!

 

Updated 3/22/23

Parent FAQs

Click here for a downloadable version of the Parent FAQs

What kind of tree will we be getting?

      • The exact species you will be receiving will be known in early April.
      • Neighborhood Forest aims to provide native trees in all the regions we serve. Last year, we gave away 9 different species. We tend to provide species on a state-by-state basis and like to provide different species each year to provide variety and diversity of trees.

When will my tree be arriving and will it be shipped directly to my address?

      • We aim to have the trees arrive to your school, library, or youth group leader by April 20th. If you are ordering your free tree from your child’s school, your child should bring the tree home when it is distributed at their school around Earth Day (April 22).
      • If you are ordering your tree through your library, you will need to pick up your tree from your library when it arrives. You are responsible for contacting your library and arranging for the pick up of your tree around Earth Day.
      • While the library should be contacting you about pick up details, we encourage you to be proactive. If you are ordering your tree through a scout group, we encourage you to contact the scout leader about pick up details around Earth Day.

How do I care for my tree to ensure that it grows and thrives?

      • We encourage you to walk through this tree planting guide for best practices on caring for your tree.

What if I don’t have a yard or place to plant my tree? Can I plant my tree in a pot and leave it indoors?

      • Ideally, you want to plant your tree in the ground, outside, in a permanent location where you can watch and care for its growth. These trees are accustomed to being outside in the elements, so if you do keep it in a pot for a year or two, be sure to keep it outside.
      • We are looking for ways to provide something to grow for kids that do not have a yard or live in apartments. We hope to make these options available in the near future. 
      • If you do not have a yard to plant your tree, we encourage you to plant your tree with a willing friend or family member who has a yard.

How does Neighborhood Forest fund all of these free trees?

How can I donate?

Neighborhood Forest

5244 Zenith Ave South

Minneapolis, MN 55410

    • All donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law and are not an exchange for any goods or services.

How can I offset my carbon footprint through Neighborhood Forest?

      • The average American consumes 7 trees per year in wood and paper products and emits 20 tons of CO2 annually. One tree will sequester 1 ton of CO2 in its lifetime (on average). So, to go carbon neutral via trees, a person has to plant 20 trees for every year they are on the planet. Factoring in estimated tree survival rates and annual wood and paper consumption, we recommend planting 50 trees per year per person to offset an individual’s tree and carbon footprint – thus the 50 trees x $5 = $250 / year or $25 / month membership cost calculation.

How can I get connected?

Updated 3/22/23

Your trees are coming!

April 12, 2021

Dear Grandparents, Parents, Guardians, Teachers, Volunteers, Coordinators, Students, and Children,

Your trees are coming soon – sometime next week (hopefully before or on Earth Day – April 22nd)!  Your school, library, or youth group leader will be in touch with you.

This message contains important information about your new tree, including planting instructions and species information.

First, I want you to know that you are one of 18,500 people that will be planting trees for Earth Week. You are part of one of the largest coordinated, volunteer, urban / residential tree planting projects in America!

This year has been special for us. In late February, our program went viral among librarians.  We had a 20x surge in interest in our program from last year and a record 3x growth in the number of trees we are giving away.

We are thrilled that you are participating!

We would love for you to share a photo of your newly planted tree with your child(ren) on our Facebook page (or you can email us directly). We love collecting “then and nows” of the kids with their trees.

Our program is funded by a growing community of generous sponsors.

If you or someone you know would like to be a sponsor of our program, please let us know.

Since we had such an unexpected increase in demand for trees, we found ourselves in a bit of a funding gap. One of our friends decided to help us by starting this lovely GoFundMe campaign.

Check out her cool video and song, “I Love Trees!”

If you know anyone who might like to contribute to our program, feel free to spread the word!

We are giving away 7 different species of trees in 35 states this year:

Coast Live Oak
(California)

Eldarica Pine
(New Mexico and Texas)

Hackberry 
(Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, parts of Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee)

Loblolly Pine 
(Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, parts of North Carolina, South Carolina)

Virginia Pine 
(Parts of North Carolina, Virginia)

White Pine 
(Connecticut, Massachusetts, parts of Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island)

White Spruce 
(Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming)

These are all beautiful trees!

Please click here to learn more about your tree.

Please click here to see planting instructions for both evergreen and deciduous variety.

Some key points to keep in mind:

1) Keep your tree in a cool, dark place (refrigerated for those in northern states) until you plant it

2) Protect your newly planted tree from wildlife and lawnmowers with a little fence and netting

3) Put some mulch around it

4) Water generously or in accordance with recommendations for your particular tree species

5) Please take a picture of your child(ren) with your newly planted tree (and share on our Facebook page, if you are comfortable) – watching your tree and kids grow together is a magical joy!

Finally, I want to say that these trees are small and vulnerable.  Not all of them survive and that is Ok.  It is a part of life and a part of the tree planting process. We do our part and then we have to leave the rest to Mother Nature. A lost tree seedling might break your child’s heart and there is a great lesson in this too. We mustn’t give up! We will keep sending you trees each year and we will keep on planting them.

I had to plant many trees before this one finally made it and reached maturity!

One of my favorite lessons around this is from Tyler Perry. He has great wisdom, which not only relates to planting trees but all aspects of life.

Thank you, again, for participating in Neighborhood Forest’s 12th annual free tree giveaway.  We are excited to see all the smiling faces with their little trees!

Happy Earth Day, Happy Arbor Day, Happy Earth Week, and Happy Spring!

Warmly,
Vikas

____________________________

Vikas Narula
Founder
Neighborhood Forest
5244 Zenith Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55410
www.neighborhoodforest.org

A New Year and A New Beginning

Posted on January 31, 2019 by vnarula

We’re a month into the New Year, and that means resolutions have been made, and some have already been abandoned. It means we’ve contemplated the past year, and considered changes for this one to come. It means we have new hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

Hopes, dreams, and aspirations sometimes change, but I’ve always loved nature. I’ve always believed our Earth to be an extension of ourselves, and we of it. So of course I love trees, and I feel honored to have to joined Neighborhood Forest this year.

During my research to learn more about trees, I learned a tree goes through a life cycle much like a human’s (including birth, infancy, adolescence, teen, adulthood, and maturity). This fact was eye opening for me. I’ve always felt trees were somewhat majestic. Now, I see trees as unique beings, that provide us clean air and oxygen, shade us from the sun, and are home to so many other kinds of life. I also see that every tree is special, just like every person. Isn’t it a beautiful thing we get to share that wonder with children, our neighbors and future generations?

This new year your resolutions don’t have to be huge or nearly unattainable. What are you grateful for, thankful for, even if it’s something small? Even if it’s something as small as a tree seedling. I’m grateful that I get to share my love of nature with children and our communities. My resolution is to share that love as far and wide as I can this year. What are you going to go?

If you would like to join in on the Neighborhood Forest mission, and share your love of nature with school children, giving them free trees for Earth Day and teaching them about community, consider becoming a sponsor or contact us to find out how you can help. Let’s grow this New Year into a better future together:)

-Tiffany

And Now a Word from our Spokesman…

Posted on April 7, 2015 by vnarula

Spring is here!

Get the shovels out of the shed, dust off those yard boots, we’re less than two weeks away from Earth Day.

To kick off the season of grass stained knees and dirt-caked hands, Neighborhood Forest’s 7 year old spokesman shares an Earth Day message about feet, footprints and trees.

Enjoy!

Vivek Narula is the Director of Neighborhood Forest (@treesforkids) – an organization that gives free trees to schoolchildren every Earth Day.