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Company/Organization: The Urban Airshed Reforestation Program
New Jersey Tree Foundation
Starting Point: 2008
A - The Leadership:
Elise Schadler
Title: Program Director
Ms. Schadler started working with the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program in 2006, and has been Program Director since 2007.
Ms. Schadler grew up in mid-Ohio in a neighborhood called Woodland. She says that her childhood experience included, "A tree house in our backyard, a father whose love of the outdoors has seeped down the family line, and an older sister who began to educate me on the environmental evils of the meat industry before I was in middle school." It is no surprise to Elise that she has found her calling in environmental work.
Elise spent her undergraduate years at Indiana University studying archaeological anthropology, with a semester abroad in Australia and some casual dabbling in environmental studies. After graduation, she headed out to California to join the Americorps National Civilian Community Corps. For the next 10 months, she traveled the country as part of a team of 12, and, in the most basic terms, had the "time of my life."
The team performed clean-up and demonstrations on houses in the gulf, 6 weeks after Katrina ravaged its shores, then came back months later to begin rebuilding homes in Mississippi, worked with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition in restoring salmon habitat in Washington, spent two months living and working at the largest homeless shelter in Utah , and became a certified Wild-land Firefighter in order to work for the El Dorado Forest Service in California.
As her time in Americorps came to a close, she knew that she wanted to continue working in the environmental non-profit field and says that she "found her dream job" with a listing from the New Jersey Tree Foundation. Since 2007, she has been the Program Director of the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program and has "enjoyed every day of it!" She works with community groups and residents to improve their environments and beautify their neighborhoods by lining their streets with trees.
B - The Organization/Company:
Mission: The New Jersey Tree Foundation is dedicated to the promotion, enhancement and development of urban and community forestry activities in New Jersey through education, volunteerism, community outreach, partnership, and grants. The Tree Foundation is committed to providing exceptional forestry programs, services, and opportunities to New Jersey's cities and towns.
'About Us': Founded in 1996, the New Jersey Tree Foundation (NJTF) is a non-profit organization that runs several community and urban forestry programs throughout the state. The organization's four employees are dedicated, passionate, and busy people who work statewide to promote the importance of community forestry. Through the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program, the NJTF's community-based tree planting program in Camden, over 3,000 trees have been planted by over 5,500 volunteers. Similarly, the Newark Renaissance Trees Program partners with community groups in Newark to reforest the city. The Tree Foundation's Green Streets, Cool Schools program plants trees at schools in some of the state's most urban areas. At the Grove of Remembrance at Liberty State Park, the NJ Tree Foundation has planted and maintains 691 trees, in memory of those New Jersey residents who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.
Additionally, the NJ Tree Foundation runs several education programs, offers affordable landscape and tree maintenance services statewide, offers free trees for Arbor Day, runs a Memorial Tree Program, works with municipalities to develop effective community forestry programs, and participates in the state Arbor Day celebration and tree planting event each April.
Event Highlights:
During the spring and fall, the NJ Tree Foundation holds community-based tree plantings throughout Camden through the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program. These planting events are volunteer-driven and the NJ Tree Foundation is always seeking people to help out! To view specific information about each season's tree plantings in Camden, check out the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program page at
www.newjerseytreefoundation.org/Camden.asp.
C - The GREEN 10-Qs:
1. What childhood, personal, or career eco-experience inspired your current work?
Family camping and backpacking trips since before I could tie my own shoe, and my experiences as an Americorps NCCC member, particularly the two months I spent with the El Dorado Wildland Forest Firefighers in CA.
2. Who inspires you in our Philadelphia community?
The Camden community members who work with dedication and compassion to make their neighborhoods safer, cleaner, healthier, and happier.
3. What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
My program, the Urban Airshed Reforestation Program, won The Home Depot Foundation's Award of Excellence for Community Trees this year. Not only did the NJ Tree Foundation receive national recognition, but we were awarded $75,000 and a very fancy crystal trophy as well.
4. What is one of your favorite Philly eco-activities, products, or services?
I love both gardening and wandering through area farmers' markets! I live in South Jersey and going to the Collingswood and Haddonfield markets to buy fresh local veggies or, even better, picking my own from my garden.
5. What is one of the things that you regularly do to make your life more eco-friendly?
I always carry reusable bags and a stainless steel water bottle with me, I have been a vegetarian for half of my life, I unplug my kitchen appliances when I'm not using them, and I always try to remain conscious of where my food and products are coming from.
6. What would you change about your home or office to make it more eco-friendly?
I rent an old house with drafty windows and very little insulation, and I would love to be able to put in energy-efficient windows.
7. What would you change about Philly to make it more eco-friendly?
More green roofs! And more community education programs to teach people the benefits of being conscious about their impact on the environment.
8. What book, movie, or TV show would you recommend people to read or watch?
Everyone should watch the Planet Earth series and read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.
9. In addition to your family and friends, what three people living or dead would you take to live with you for a decade on a deserted island?
Bear Grylls from "Man Vs. Wild," John Krakauer, and Henry David Thoreau.
10. What quote (with source) or your own words of wisdom would you like to share with our readers?:
"Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death" - author Tom Robbins.
LEARN MORE
To learn more, visit: www.newjerseytreefoundation.org
To contact, elise.schadler [a t] newjerseytreefoundation.org
Plant your own trees…
For fast growing trees in your area, tips on planting, and the GREENandSAVE advantages of planting trees at your home, click here: Tree Planting.
