Tree-Plenish

American History High School is an extremely diverse school located in Newark, New Jersey. Within this school, there is a group of determined high school students that have dedicated themselves this year to their school’s own tree planting event through Tree-Plenish. With this tree planting event underway, the students are excited to help their city look cleaner, produce more oxygen, and help the community grow overall. 

 

Knowing that the city of Newark has a large array of economic statuses, it was very important to the students that they were given financial help from the Environmental Equity Fund. It gave the group an advantage to planting more trees that they may not have been able to without the help of the donors. Although they know the people in their community would be willing to participate, they also acknowledge that a lot of people would have refused their requests due to the inability to purchase the saplings needed to plant. One student remarked when asking how the funds benefited their event, “We now have more resources to work with,” and get even closer to offsetting the emissions of their school. 

 

Community is a very important aspect to the students of American History High School, and the environmental group takes pride in their city, mentioning all the things that make Newark unique such as being a fair space where everyone is treated equally regardless of race or culture, the socially active scene within the city with the abundance of tourism, and the diversity that is represented. They are very excited to be able to support their community, with one student realizing, “Seeing beautiful things grow might encourage them to plant their own saplings.”

 

The students of American History High School are guided by Gabrielle Tenn, a humanities teacher at the school, and head of the Environmental Club. When asked about what sustainability means to her and her students, she explained that it is the idea that we as inhabitants of the earth have the responsibility to take care of the planet and make sure that we cherish all that it has to offer, and make sure that we are doing our part to pass down a livable planet for the future generations. Tenn explains further, “we are all just visitors, sustainability is about being a good guest.” 

If you would like to support American History High School’s tree planting event or to learn more, you can visit their webpage here.