From ground laid bare by Hurricane Ike springs Keep Heights Green, a new nonprofit that aims to plant 100 trees in the area by year’s end and grow more green projects in the years to come.
The all-volunteer organization is the brainchild of Christina Moreland, who lives in Shady Acres and found inspiration, in part, from the 60-foot sycamore that fell in her neighbor’s yard and other trees lost the night Ike raked through Houston.
“It’s difficult when you see a neighborhood like this where everyone is taking care of what’s there and committed to maintaining it,” said Moreland. “Keep Heights Green is a way for us to contribute and be able to see the benefits from the trees we plant. We can actually experience what we do. It’s exciting.”
The group already has partnered with Shady Acres Civic Association in its Friends of Ella project, helping to plant 18 live oaks along the boulevard’s esplanade through the neighborhood and capping the ends with decorative plantings.
It’s now working to do a similar project on T. C. Jester.
“We’re trying to identify the areas that need to be done,” Moreland said. “We’ll start with the biggest needs first.”
Fundraiser is June 18
To achieve its 2009 goal to plant 100 trees, Keep Heights Green will hold its first fundraiser from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at Indian Summer Lodge, 605 Columbia at White Oak.
The venue has been donated along with food, wine and entertainment, Moreland said. The evening includes a silent auction and raffle; items donated include gift cards, spa packages, custom florals and prints from Heights area restaurants, businesses and artists.
Guests are asked to RSVP through the Keep Heights Green page on Facebook or by e-mailing Moreland at ctmoreland@sbcglobal.net. A donation of $25 per person at the door will further the cause.
“It’s just beginning. Everybody we’ve talked to is very supportive of what we’re doing,” Moreland said. She hopes the fundraiser will not only raise awareness about the nonprofit but also help recruit volunteers and raise money.
Booth at 1st Saturdays
The organization also will have an information booth at the monthly Heights 1st Saturdays Art Market, 548 West 19th Street.
Trees in the Heights will continue to be lost to natural causes such as old age or disease, Moreland said. Developers who remove trees, then replace them at the end of construction can earn a tax break by working through the nonprofit to acquire new trees, she said.
She compares Keep Heights Green to another one of its partners, Trees for Houston, which was founded in the wake of Hurricane Alicia in 1983 and continues to plant trees – 324,000 to date.
While replanting areas of the Heights hardest hit by Ike is the first job of Keep Heights Green, Moreland expects to continue replanting trees and become an educational resource that also promotes other green projects, such as re-purposing household goods like unused paint.
To learn more, contact Moreland or visit the organization’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-Heights-Green.
