Let’s Plant Albuquerque (LPA) was launched in an effort to plant 100,000 trees over the next 10 years throughout the City of Albuquerque, NM.
As the Public Relations & Communications Officer for the City of Albuquerque, my role in this campaign was multi-faceted. I led bi-weekly meetings for a coalition of tree-focused government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private sector businesses. I created communication materials for the campaign while providing creative direction and oversight for the LPA website and social assets.
Utilizing a heat-mapping study conducted in 2018 by the Environmental Health Department, the team was able to identify areas throughout Albuquerque that had the greatest fluctuation of surface level heat. These areas, which were labeled heat islands, were significantly lacking and/or void of a tree canopy. By planting native, non-invasive trees in these areas, we would be providing economic benefits to energy-burdened communities. In addition to the economic benefits, these trees would also provide a more robust urban canopy, provide storm water runoff, increase property values and capture excess carbon in the atmosphere.
The financial burden of purchasing a tree can be substantial, which is why our team created the treebate program where residents could receive credits on their water utility bill to offset the initial cost of purchasing a tree. To ensure full equity in the program, community members also had the opportunity to apply for assistance through the ONE Albuquerque Fund.
To track the progress of LPA, the City's forestry division, along with partners from the coalition, completed a tree inventory that identified the species, location, and current health of trees within parks and other City-owned properties. By using an interactive database known as Treeplotter, the team and anybody who participated in LPA could access the data and learn about the health and economic benefits of their new tree in addition to a comprehensive index of mature tree growth throughout the community.
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