Mission
The Greening of Detroit was founded in 1989 to improve the quality of life in Detroit by guiding and inspiring the reforestation of Detroit's neighborhoods, boulevards and parks through tree planting projects and educational programs. Over the years The Greening has expanded its outreach to include a broad sector of greening activities. Its mission reflects this growth: “Guide and inspire the growth of a ‘greener’ Detroit through planting and educational programs, environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity.” Annually, The Greening hosts planting projects, ranging from full park restorations to streetscape renovations and massive street tree plantings to the creation of community and family vegetable gardens.
History
In December 1989, Elizabeth Gordon Sachs mobilized key Detroit residents, business people and industry professionals in support of an effort to reforest the city of Detroit. The founders of The Greening were motivated by the following facts:
Between 1950 and 1980, around 500,000 trees were lost in Detroit to Dutch elm disease, urban expansion and attrition. During that same time period, economic constraints prohibited the city of Detroit from replacing those trees. With no routine maintenance to support it, our urban forest began a decline, which has not yet been halted. In 1989, Detroit, a typical American city, was losing an average of four trees for every one planted.
Today, The Greening of Detroit is a well-established, non-profit resource agency that partners with federal, state and local agencies, corporations and foundations to assist neighborhood groups, churches and schools in their efforts to improve the ecosystem in Detroit.
Operations
The Greening of Detroit is governed by a Board of Commissioners through a system of standing committees. The Trees and Urban Agriculture Committees set planting policy and help determine areas of focus for the planting programs. The Public Relations Committee works to increase the organization's visibility while the Education Committee advises on the progress, evaluation and focus of our many educational programs. The Advocacy Committee works to ensure that the core messages are heard by policy makers throughout the public and private sectors. The Development Committee is charged with ensuring the fiscal integrity of the organization by assisting in the fundraising efforts of our Development Staff. Finally, the Board Leadership Committee works to ensure that the Board of Commissioners remains active and engaged and to guarantee an appropriate line of succession for leadership positions. Committees are open to Commissioners as well as volunteers from the community at large. If you are interested in serving on one of our standing committees, please contact us.
The day to day operations of The Greening of Detroit are administered by a full time staff, augmented by numerous Americorps Volunteers, Interns, seasonal employees and a legion of volunteers. For more information on our employment programs, check out our jobs page.