Norwalk resident Jennifer Martinez, 18, plants trees as part of the city’s new Green Workforce Training Program. Martinez said she doesn’t think planting feels like work.
“It's releasing your inner child; we would get dirty when we were little, and we didn't care at all,” 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 Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the program amplifies the importance of urban forestry.
“These 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,” Doroski said. “Some of the benefits have already been alluded to, like mitigating the extreme heat that a lot of developed areas can experience on rainy days.”
Doroski said urban tree populations can also help address air pollution.
Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said the program is designed to strengthen the city’s tree canopy and provide employees with valuable career experience.
“This 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,” Rilling said.
The part time seasonal job lasts eight weeks and pays just over $18 per hour, according to the job posting.
Anderson Simon, 20, lives in the South Norwalk area and said it didn’t take much for him to apply, after being encouraged by a former high school teacher.
“I 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,” Simon said.
The program is currently grant funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed during former President Joe Biden’s term.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the act. It was challenged in court and later rescinded. However, Trump’s budget proposal would do away with many pro-environmental policies.
City officials including Sarah Cruz, an arborist and horticulturist at the city’s 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.
“Hopefully 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,” Cruz said.
