LEAFING OUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS
From volunteering with voter registration drives to advocating for safe streets in Milwaukee for pedestrians and bicyclists, Felice Green is a change agent in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. Most recently, Green has led Milwaukee Water Commons’ Branch Out Milwaukee initiative, addressing social and environmental justice by reforesting underserved neighborhoods. The program, launched in Sherman Park in 2022, plants trees in public areas as a practical step toward addressing climate change and improving public health. Along with serving on the neighborhood tree board, a group of volunteers who help guide decisions about nearby green spaces, Green is at the helm of community programs that educate locals about environmental issues and planting and caring for their own trees. So far, three vacant lots have been transformed by locals coming together for a greener Sherman Park.
“I’VE ALWAYS LOVED being outdoors. Growing up in Sherman Park, I remember selling lemonade on the corner with my sister and enjoying the beautiful flowers on the boulevard. Yet I recognized a disparity early on: Compared to more affluent areas like Tosa and Whitefish Bay, my neighborhood never had as many trees.
I still live in Sherman Park, and as director of programming at the Milwaukee Water Commons, I get to help improve the neighborhood for its 32,000 diverse residents. We know creating more natural spaces can enhance our mental and physical well-being. Trees, in particular, can help address environmental health. For example, the tree canopy captures rainwater and increases stormwater absorption, which protects people from potentially harmful and costly flooding in their homes.
Along with expanding the tree canopy in public lots around Sherman Park, we have a two-year grant to fund tree-planting in private residences. We work to educate people about the best options for their yards, all the while encouraging native trees that advance the ecosystem. Beyond tree-planting, we’re trying to promote climate education in the neighborhood. We partner with the Sherman Park Community Association and other groups to host webinars about climate education, trees and gardening, and we go into the local schools and educate students about the trees in their neighborhood.
Of course, it takes several years for trees to have an impact, but we’re already seeing so many benefits. I’m someone who believes we’re better together. By connecting people with one another and their community in Sherman Park, we’re already accomplishing something great.”