Norwalk resident Jennifer Martinez, 18, plants trees as part of the city鈥檚 new Green Workforce Training Program. Martinez said she doesn鈥檛 think planting feels like work.
鈥淚t's releasing your inner child; we would get dirty when we were little, and we didn't care at all,鈥� Martinez said.
Martinez is one of 20 people hired by the city to plant up to 200 trees over a two year period.
The program is being run with help from Keep America Beautiful, a conservation advocacy group located in Stamford, and Open Doors, which operates a homeless shelter in Norwalk.
Advocates say the program helps address climate change in urban areas.
Workers will plant trees in underserved neighborhoods. They will plant red maples, sugar maples and others suited to the area.
Danica Doroski, Urban Forestry Coordinator at the 海角换妻 Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the program amplifies the importance of urban forestry.
鈥淭hese are the trees that are lining our streets, that are in our backyards, that are in our school yards and parks, and these are part of our urban infrastructure,鈥� Doroski said. 鈥淪ome of the benefits have already been alluded to, like mitigating the extreme heat that a lot of developed areas can experience on rainy days.鈥�
Doroski said urban tree populations can also help address air pollution.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said the program is designed to strengthen the city鈥檚 tree canopy and provide employees with valuable career experience.
鈥淭his is something that will give skills training to young people. People can find gainful employment. I know the Open Doors shelters is going to be a part of this workforce readiness training (which) will include financial literacy and coaching,鈥� Rilling said.
The part time seasonal job lasts eight weeks and pays just over $18 per hour, according to .
Anderson Simon, 20, lives in the South Norwalk area and said it didn鈥檛 take much for him to apply, after being encouraged by a former high school teacher.
鈥淚 just wanted to try out, since I love nature so much, I love going outside, going on walks, playing basketball, around in the parks and stuff,鈥� Simon said.
The program is currently grant funded through the , which was passed during former President Joe Biden鈥檚 term.
President Donald Trump targeting the act. It was challenged in court and later rescinded. However, Trump鈥檚 would do away with many pro-environmental policies.
City officials including Sarah Cruz, an arborist and horticulturist at the city鈥檚 Recreations and Parks Department, said they are aware future federal funding may be a challenge.
Cruz said the hope is to gather data on job outcomes for participants and sell the benefits to state and local officials.
鈥淗opefully we're able to show that success rate and that that will also help us secure resources, funding to keep this going in the future,鈥� Cruz said.
