The Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) launched an initiative to plant 700 native trees in the historic, low-lying Pontchartrain Park with a goal to plant one in front of every home by March 2022. Trees are helpful when mitigating stormwater runoff, help clean the air, in addition to providing shade and beauty to communities. By lowering air temperature, trees would also help to reduce the cost of energy bills. SOUL has a fundraising goal of $175,000. The 700 trees will mitigate roughly 140,000-616,000 gallons of water per day. The organization has planted 3,500 native trees in Orleans Parish since 2016. The outreach process will involve a public meeting where community members select streets for the planting. You can make a donation here or contact SOUL Board Member Eugene Green – eugenejgreenjr@yahoo.com – to join the reforestation effort as a funder, volunteer, or homeowner receiving a tree!
