Posts Categorized: News

The Completion of the Low Line Green

The Low Line Green reclaims 1.5 acres east of the Floodwall and adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal. It’s an area rich in history and overlooked for decades. We are thrilled with its potential to serve as a trail head and outdoor classroom. The Green further demonstrates the potential for public landscapes to attract economic development, promote outdoor activity, improve stormwater quality, increase biodiversity, and build community.

Get more information here: The Low Line Green

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Meet Meg Turner: Chair of the Board

Most days Capital Trees focuses on the plants they’ve added and the projects they’ve implemented throughout Richmond. Because that’s the primary focus after all. Working to connect people to nature and bringing more green spaces to the City. But, as you can probably imagine, there are people hard at work behind the scenes to create, fund, and maintain projects.

One of those people? Meg Turner. Chair of the Board. Landscape designer. Founding member of Capital Trees.

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The Latest Research: The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime

From our work and research, we know that the investment in safe public green spaces pays off in more ways than one. Access to nature can have a positive impact on mental health, physical health, an individual’s sense of belonging and more.

A new study conducted at UVA looked at some of the existing research on urban green space. The goal was to better understand if well-kept public green space has the ability to mitigate violent crime.

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Spring Cleanup February 29, 2020

The Low Line is Calling!

We’ve got runners and walkers and all the best dogs, we’ve got cars and trains and boats and buses, we’ve got birds and bees and soon will have butterflies, we’ve got Main Street Realty with their coffee and donuts!

Best of all we have gardens that need spring-time attention!

And this is where YOU come in.

Please join us on Saturday, February 29 from 10 am to noon for a Community Work Day to wake up the Low Line for spring!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

We are so excited about the next phase of the Low Line: the Low Line Green. We’re well on our way towards turning the area into a purposeful green space. The 2.5 acre area at the western end of the Low Line is being thoughtfully redesigned to remediate stormwater runoff from I-95. When completed this spring, the area will serve as a gathering place for our community.

We are grateful for the support from our community!

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Announcing the City of Richmond’s Green Team!

A few of us here at Capital Trees attended Mayor Levar Stoney’s State of the City Address on January 28, 2020. We’ve been working with the City behind the scenes to help ensure that green space is a priority for the Mayor’s office this year. And we are proud, honored and excited to be a strategic partner in the Mayor’s recently announced “Green Team.”

With other like-minded community organizations and city departments,

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Saving the Insect Population

Our Board Chair, Meg Turner, wrote a blog post about the importance of insects. Insects are crucial for pollination. They feed animals higher up on the food chain. And they keep the planet tidy through waste management. Meg put together tips on how we can help the insect population on her blog – give it a read by clicking here.

 

 

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Research on Nature & Mental Health

As our awareness of mental health concerns increases, more and more people are examining the root causes of mental illness in order to come up with solutions. 

Many studies have been conducted to date, and many more are expected going forward to better understand our relationship with nature. So far, the science suggests there are clear benefits to spending time outside. And of course, we have to agree.

This article provides a great overview of some of the research and how it may impact city planning going forward.

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Announcing the New Members of Our Board of Trustees

Capital Trees is excited to announce the appointment of five new board members to the Board of Trustees. In addition, Capital Trees welcomes a new slate of officers. The new leadership is effective as of July 1, 2019. 

“Our new board members bring a wealth of talent and experience to Capital Trees. They are  leaders in their professions and in the community, and we look forward to harnessing their energy to help Capital Trees leverage public/private partnerships to build and nurture Richmond’s public landscapes,” said Meg Turner,

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