Our Community Impact
CanopyBloomington's 3 pillars are education, tree plantings, and community. Scroll through this page to see examples of how we are growing Bloomington's community and urban forest.
Educational Programming
Holland RISE students
Ran a service-learning opportunity for the Jim Holland Research Initiative in STEM Education (RISE) and the Project STEM High School Summer Research Program. Canopy lead 25 high school students between the ages of 16-18. through activites such as mulching trees, a leaf-identification scavenger hunt, and learning about their urban forest.
Girl Scouts
Canopy was proud to have local Bloomington Girl Scout Troops join us at our plantings. The scouts learned about root flares, how to plant trees, and the benefits of community engagement all to earn their merit badge.
Templeton Garden Club
The Templeton Elementary Garden Club helped plant 3 trees at Templeton Elementary in Spring 2024. The club was joined by teachers, Sycamore Land Trust staff, and CanopyBloomington volunteers and staff.
Presentations
Canopy loves to talk about our work in the community and the benefits of urban trees! We have attended high school classes, Green Drinks, Tree Steward classes, and more! If you are interested in hearing more about the work Canopy is doing in Bloomington, please reach out to us!
Youth Tree Tenders
​Youth Tree Tenders program to train and educate teenagers about the benefits of trees, why it’s necessary to care for them, and allow them to apply that knowledge in the field through tree maintenance and plantings. Bloomington lacked a paid program that provides opportunities for youth to get involved in tree planting and care.
“Working as a Youth Tree Tender helps our local environment; the work we do will have a long-lasting impact in a positive way by providing better urban canopy around Bloomington,” -Jordis Kieffer, BHSS Junior.
Community Programming
Potlucks
When Canopy begins to work with a community for a tree planting, we want to get to know each and every resident. The tree planting is an opt-in process that works best when Canopy staff to listen and utilize feedback from the community whether that's about trees, programming, or more.
Door-to-door
When Canopy works with a neighborhood, our stadd canvass the entire neighborhood to make sure “No resident is left behind.
Canopy goes door-to-door with English/Spanish materials to assure all residents know of the opportunities to plant or volunteer whether staff talks to residents or leave materials behind.
Tabling
Catch Canopy at community events such as Farmers Markets, volunteer fairs, and other environmental events. All of our tabling events are announced in our newsletter.
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If you see us out in the community, come to our table and say hi!
Planting Programming
To learn more about Canopy's tree plantings and view our planting map, visit here.
Neighborhoods
Canopy has planted with many priority neighborhoods since our incorporation reaching over 100 residents. Canopy's community outreach model includes canvassing and community meetings to make sure that all residents in a community have a change to plant a tree in their own yard or one of their neighbors.
“It's an incredible program! I couldn't believe that we got a tree and people planting it. It was huge, so we love it. We think everybody should do it,”
-Suzanne Aquila, Matlock Heights Tree Recipient
Schools
From environmental clubs and classes to the whole school, Canopy teaches students about the benefits of trees and actively engages them in growing their urban forest. Canopy runs programming for plantings in the City for grades K-12.
Not-for-profits
Canopy works with places of worship such as First United Church, St. Thomas, University Baptist, and Beth Shalom. Canopy also plants with local not-for-profits such as Tandem Birth Center and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard.
