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Proclamation declaring October 27, 2018 to be Plant Five for Life Day in Allegheny County.
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WHEREAS, between 2011 and 2015 over 10,000 acres of tree canopy has been lost in Allegheny County. The city of Pittsburgh alone has lost six percent of its canopy coverage in that time due to road, pipeline and real estate development, tree diseases and other factors; and
WHEREAS, at the same time, childhood illnesses are on the rise, including obesity, mental health, juvenile diabetes and asthma; areas which research shows can have root and remedy in connection with our outdoor environment; and
WHEREAS, Plant Five for Life, founded by Christine Graziano, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering connections to children, land, communities and health starting at birth. The mission of the organization is to plant five trees for every child born in Allegheny County. The trees are planted in or near each child’s community, with a focus on areas with the most need for ecological and social services; and
WHEREAS, Plant Five for Life works collaboratively with healthcare facilities including UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, The Midwife Center for Birth & Women’s Health and several others. It provides new parents with information about the program in their hospital discharge packets and talks with other facilities throughout Allegheny County to alert parents about the program; and
WHEREAS, by planting the trees at protected sites and not at risk of being cut down, the hope is that by planting five trees for every child born in Allegheny County each year (that’s approximately 13,000 children per year), the number of trees in the county would increase by about 65,000 annually. By 2030, about 780,000 trees will have been added to Allegheny County;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Allegheny County Council Member Tom Baker, does hereby proclaim October 27, 2018 to be Plant Five for Life Day in Allegheny County, and we urge all individu...
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