|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| TREES
ARE MY FRIENDS Campaign Reaches Twenty Million in 2001
Millions of urban people
of color became more aware of and involved in urban forestry this
spring thanks to "Trees Are My Friends," a national campaign
led by Eagle Eye Institute of Somerville Massachusetts and funded
by the USDA Forest Service. The goal of Trees Are My Friends (TAMF) was to encourage more people of color to take part in tree-planting and tree-care activity, and to build inertia within the urban forestry movement to recruit fresh faces from diverse backgrounds into their volunteer activities. Twenty-two urban forestry organizations across the nation participated in the campaign, from local groups to national partners such as the Alliance for Community Trees, National Tree Trust, Tree Musketeers and the National Arbor Day Foundation. Major metropolises with large populations of color were represented by Trees Atlanta, Chicago Openlands Project, Los Angeles Tree People, Trees New York, Philadelphia Green and the DC Urban Forest Council, among others. Partners used the Trees Are My Friends campaign theme song, poster, video and other materials to supplement their ordinary outreach efforts. "City people don't
think much about trees, they walk right by them," says Anthony
Sanchez, Director of Eagle Eye Institute. "This is especially
true of people of color." According to Brent Ranalli, national
campaign coordinator, Trees Are My Friends set out to change that.
"The environmental movement originated in the suburbs and is
dominated by white faces. When urban, colored communities come to
perceive environmental stewardship as something that concerns them
intimately as well, something that boosts their own local pride
and economic health, there will be a revolution in our national
values." What made Trees Are My
Friends unique as a vehicle for urban forestry education, according
to Ranalli, was the fact that it featured images of people of color
in stewardship roles, and thus encouraged young people to picture
themselves in those roles. One woman of color, an urban forester
from Alabama, wrote, "When I saw the pictures of black kids
I couldn't believe it at first! But as I got off into your [campaign
website] I saw that my eyes weren't deceiving me." US Senator John F. Kerry
of Massachusetts endorsed Trees Are My Friends this spring. He said,
"In many ways, the efforts of the Eagle Eye Institute parallel
the larger challenges that we face as we work to preserve and protect
the environment. Education and awareness about local environmental
issues is intimately connected to more global efforts such as protecting
the rainforests in South America, the boreal forests of Siberia,
and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Children will not understand,
let alone respect, those great wilderness spaces unless they appreciate
the nature that lives in their neighborhood." The centerpiece of the
campaign was a series of four public service announcements for television,
featuring the song "Trees Are My Friends" written by Sanchez,
and depicting people of color planting and enjoying trees. The PSAs
were broadcast this spring on over one hundred stations in Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington
D.C., reaching approximately 20 million viewers. The PSA directed viewers to a hotline and website, which contained information on trees, tree care and special events & volunteer opportunities sponsored by urban forestry organizations around the country. The website alone received over 100,000 hits in the last year, with around 10,000 visits by 6,000 individuals. Though the campaign is over, the website remains up and still contains useful tree-identification information, environmental links, tree-related games & activities, plus photos and tree-poetry: Visit it at www.treesaremyfriends.org. Eagle Eye wishes to thank campaign partners, the USDA Forest Service, and all those whose in-kind contributions made the campaign possible, including Heater Advertising for PSA production, Graphic Printers for the poster, Quincy Telemessaging for the hotline's voice messaging service, Open Road for website design, and many others. Complete credits are posted on the campaign website.
Funded by the USDA Forest
Service.
Copyright 2001 - 2005, Eagle Eye Institute. All rights reserved. |