The Greening of Detroit: Working to Create Healthy Urban Communities Through Trees, Education, and Jobs

Kim Kisner
May 21, 2024
Community

Established in 1989, The Greening of Detroit is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire sustainable growth of a healthy urban community through trees, green spaces, healthy living, education, and job opportunities.

To date, it has planted 147,000 trees and trained more than 1,000 people through its five-year-old workforce development program.

Putting trees in the ground is job one for the organization, but it also is involved in stormwater management and providing landscaping services to residents and businesses in the communities they serve.

President Lionel Bradford has been with the nonprofit since 2010 and is proud of its 35-year history. SBN Detroit interviewed Bradford about the organization’s programs, impact, and future.

Q: What was the impetus to begin The Greening of Detroit?

A: For years Detroit was known as the Paris of the Midwest, partly because of the tree canopy cover the city used to have. Between 1950 and 1980 Detroit lost over a half million trees due to Dutch Elm Disease, urbanization, and neglect due to financial struggles. In 1989, The Greening of Detroit was founded to reforest the city of Detroit.

Since its inception, 147,000 trees have been planted throughout the city. We also started a youth employment program as a way to educate and take care of these trees. Our Green Corps Summer Youth program at its height employed 200 high school students. That number decreased due to COVID-19, but it’s coming back up.

In a nutshell, our organization has two main pillars: workforce development and green infrastructure.

Q: What are you currently working on in terms of tree planting?

A: We are in the third year of a five-year strategic plan where we are looking to plant 20,000 trees throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park, and train 300 individuals who have barriers to employment.

This plan fits into a larger initiative we are involved in called the Detroit Tree Equity Partnership. This is a collaboration with American Forest, DTE Energy, and the City of Detroit in which we are planning to plant 75,000 trees over the next five years.

There is a buzz in the city right now in terms of trees. We’ve done a lot of engagement and outreach. Recently we conducted a 500-tree giveaway, and there were still cars lined up after we gave away the last tree. It’s great to see this.

Q: What is your involvement with the Walter Meyers Nursery?

A: Walter Meyers is a tree nursery on 72 acres in Rouge Park that for years went untouched. In 2004, The Greening of Detroit – with the city’s permission – took over managing that property to serve as a training ground for our adult workforce development. We have used it as an outdoor classroom setting.

In 2017, we put together a master plan to turn it back into a working nursery operation. As an organization, we are looking for ways to generate revenue for our training programs and to plant our trees. We want to control our destiny and cut down the carbon footprint involved in having trees shipped in.

We have planted over 4,000 trees in the nursery and harvested our first 200 trees last year.

The goal is to get to a point where we are selling 5,000 trees annually to municipalities, the City of Detroit, and the community.

Q: What sustainable impact do you think this brings?

A: In addition to creating green infrastructure in the city, community engagement is at the heart of what we do. Our job is to get trees in the ground, but we do not want to impose our will. We want to be invited into communities. Not only do we want residents to have a say, but we also want them to be a part of the work. This is a model that speaks volumes in terms of sustainability, and it’s held up across the state and the country.

Q: How does The Greening of Detroit impact businesses?

A: We engage and work with business owners in the communities we are involved in. Many of them bring us in to green their properties.

The more green space we can add for businesses, the more it helps aesthetics and foot traffic. Green space and economic development go hand in hand.

Also, from an economic standpoint, our education program puts people into jobs doing work around the city, which enhances the economic viability of Detroit as well.

GC Citizens Bank 3 — TRAINING VOLUNTEERS

Q: In what other ways does the organization create green infrastructure in the city?

A: Stormwater management. We have installed three major bioretention ponds around the city that hold up to a million gallons of water. These are in Rouge Park, Chandler Park, and Eliza Howell Parks. We also work with residents and businesses to replace impervious surfaces with green infrastructure through our Land + Water WORKS Coalition.

Q: You have an adult workforce program from which over 1,000 Detroiters have graduated in the past five years. How does this work?

A: This is a six-week program called the Detroit Conservation Corps. Sixty percent of those who have graduated were previously incarcerated. We are passionate about helping that population get credentials and secure jobs that pay decent wages.

We work with a network of businesses looking to employ, most from the tree care and landscaping industries. These companies work in tandem with our advisory committee to help us build our curriculum and help with job placement. We have hired a small percentage of our trainees ourselves.

Q: What is the future of The Greening of Detroit?

A: Community engagement will always be a focus. We also are rebuilding our environmental education. These programs fell by the wayside before and during COVID-19, but we are working to get into schools, facilitate field trips, and educate our youth.

We truly believe that getting the Meyers Nursery operations up and running is key for us moving forward. It will be important for us to generate our revenue.

I’m proud we’ve been able to sustain the organization for 35 years. I feel good about the climate of the city in terms of how people feel about trees and think things will continue to get better from here.

Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on sustainable business practices in and around Detroit.

Kim Kisner

With over 25 years of experience in the development and execution of strategic branding, content planning, and copywriting for brands such as Gatorade, Ford Motor Company, and Under Armour, and published by SEEN Magazine, The Jewish News, and countless health and lifestyle journals and blogs, Kim helps companies, brands, and people tell their stories.

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February 18, 2025 No Comments

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Urban Farming in Detroit

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The Green Business Lab Simulates Real-World Solutions Toward the Triple Bottom Line

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Sustainable Fashion in Practice: Insights from Object Apparel

January 28, 2025 No Comments

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MI Hydrogen: Working To Unlock Hydrogen’s Potential

January 21, 2025 No Comments

MI Hydrogen, an initiative of the University of Michigan, is dedicated to advancing the research, development, and deployment of hydrogen as a clean energy solution. Co-directed by Greg Keoleian, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems, and Todd Allen, Chair of the Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences Department, MI Hydrogen strives to unlock hydrogen’s potential to reduce carbon emissions, drive economic growth, and establish sustainable energy systems for Michigan and beyond. SBND interviewed Keoleian to discuss MI Hydrogen’s vision, the efforts fueling its progress, and Michigan’s role in shaping a clean energy future. Q: What is MI Hydrogen, and how did it come to be? A: MI Hydrogen was launched in December 2022 by the University of Michigan’s Office of the Vice President for Research in collaboration with the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and the College of Engineering. 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Redesigning Marine Propellers with the Environment in Mind

January 14, 2025 No Comments

Sharrow Marine, headquartered in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, is focused on marine propulsion technology. In 2024, the company’s Sharrow Propeller™ was recognized as a finalist in Fast Company’s Best World Changing Ideas North America award category. The awards honor businesses and organizations that are developing creative solutions for “the most pressing issues of our time.” SBND recently interviewed Greg Sharrow, CEO and inventor of the Sharrow Propeller, about the company’s technology and its impact on the environment and the marine industry. Q: Tell us about Sharrow Marine and your propellers. A: Sharrow Marine designs and manufactures propeller technology. Our propeller – recognized as the first major advancement in propeller design since the 1830s – eliminates the traditional propeller tip vortices, which are a major source of energy loss. This “tip-less” design leads to a 30% increase in efficiency and reduces underwater noise by up to 80%, making it quieter than conventional propellers. From a sustainability standpoint, this means less fuel consumption, reduced noise pollution in marine environments, and lower carbon emissions. Q: How does your propeller design directly impact sustainability in the marine industry? A: Every one of our propellers is designed for a specific application, and our process allows us to predict thrust within these applications and design for maximum efficiency. This, in turn, reduces the amount of fuel a vessel needs to operate. A lot of the fuel burned in the tanker industry, for example, is bunker fuel, which is a less refined, high-sulfur fuel. By reducing the fuel required, we not only cut carbon emissions but also reduce the pollutants entering the water. This approach creates a significant positive impact on the marine ecosystem. Q: How does the increased fuel economy of your propellers translate to measurable reductions in carbon emissions? A: The math is straightforward – burn less fuel and emit less carbon. Our propellers are about 30% more fuel-efficient, which means a corresponding 30% reduction in carbon emissions. For fleet operators and the recreational boating community, this translates to significant savings and a smaller environmental footprint. Q: What challenges did you face in developing this product? A: The biggest challenge was essentially rewriting the book on propeller design. We had to develop entirely new theories of operation and create software to test thousands of designs quickly. Assembling a team of engineers and software experts to write the code was a feat, but we now have an incredible team. Another hurdle was manufacturing. Each propeller requires its own program and a multistep production process. Finding a manufacturing partner who could handle such complexity wasn’t easy. I traveled the world and ended up finding the right partner in my backyard, which is not surprising seeing as Detroit is the place for manufacturing. We were fortunate to partner with Detroit Dynamics. They’ve been incredible in helping us establish a fully functional manufacturing facility here in Detroit. Q: Beyond fuel efficiency and emissions, what other sustainability benefits does your propeller technology offer? A: Noise reduction is a big one. The noise pollution in our oceans that is created by cavitation generated from traditional propellers has a devastating effect on marine wildlife. Our technology reduces underwater noise by 3–15 decibels on average, which helps protect marine ecosystems. Additionally, all of our materials are sourced within the United States, further minimizing our carbon footprint and supporting local economies. In terms of sustainability in Southeast Michigan, Detroit is integral to who we are. This city has a rich history of engineering and manufacturing expertise, and we’re proud to be a part of that legacy. All our propellers are manufactured here in Detroit, creating jobs and supporting the local economy. Q: What opportunities does your technology present for fleet operators and recreational boaters? A: For fleet operators, the savings in fuel costs are massive, and for recreational boaters, the benefits go beyond fuel efficiency. Our propellers reduce vibration and noise, improve high-speed control, and make docking in tight quarters much easier. For the average boater who logs about 52 hours a year, the return on investment starts the moment they turn the key. Q: How do you see Sharrow Propellers contributing to the broader efforts to decarbonize the marine industry? A: We’ve already established a strong footprint in the outboard motor market, but the inboard motor market – specifically for blue water and oceanic vessels – represents a massive opportunity. These vessels are some of the biggest polluters due to their reliance on bunker fuel. By applying our technology to this segment, we can significantly reduce sulfur emissions and improve fuel efficiency, effectively decarbonizing a critical part of the industry. We’re also partnering with VEEM in Australia to bring our innovations to the global market and are in the process of growing to full production scale of the SHARROW by VEEM. Q: Looking ahead, how do you see your propeller technology fitting into broader sustainability efforts? A: We’ve been focused on the marine industry, but interestingly, the propeller was originally developed for use in the air. So, as we move forward, expanding into renewable energy applications is a priority. Whether it’s wind turbines, hydro-energy, or further innovations in marine propulsion, our goal is to make a meaningful impact on how energy is generated and consumed. 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