AKRON — An Akron non-profit is kicking off its campaign to plant more trees in the city. Keep Akron Beautiful invites your family to Hardesty Park on Saturday, April 27, from noon to 3 p.m. to celebrate the new "Planting Change" movement.
The city's arborist will share information about the tree canopy in the city. Keep Akron Beautiful is concerned the canopy is dwindling. "Planting Change" is on a mission to plant 100,000 trees in Akron by 2034.
"Akron has been experiencing a notable decline in our tree canopy over the past decade, it's gone from 40% to 34% and its really concerning to us, so we decided to start this campaign to encourage Akronites to love trees, plant trees, help us plant trees, just show some trees some love so we can plant some more in Akron," said Jacqui Ricchiuti, Executive Director, Keep Akron Beautiful.
At Saturday's kick-off to "Planting Change" at Hardesty Park, there will be food trucks and fun for the kids. The first 100 people at the event will get a free oak seedling to take home and plant.
Doctors at University Hospitals think that green spaces are beneficial and protective for your health. More trees in a neighborhood can encourage folks to get outside, whether that's for a walk, picnic, or a run.
Trees are known to improve air quality, filter air pollutants, and reduce the temperature in a neighborhood.
"You understand the connection between stress and cardiovascular health and stress reduction in general is believed to be one mechanism by which spending time in green environments can help," said Dr. Sanjay Rajagopalan, Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute.
Doctors plan to continue to study projects like "Planting Change" in Akron to get a full picture of the health benefits of green spaces. To learn more about the "Planting Change" initiative, click here.
