Written by Jessica Kennedy
Earlier this month, the MiaDonna team dedicated time supporting Friends of Trees, a local Portland organization led by community members who restore natural areas. This nonprofit has been up and running since 1989 and has planted upwards of 750,000 trees and native plants. One pledge of MiaDonna is to “achieve the highest standard in environmental sustainability.” Our team wanted to uphold this by focusing our efforts locally on making an impact by helping the environment.
During our volunteer day, we cleaned up Browns Ferry Park by watering recently planted trees and pulling out invasive species like blackberry and English Ivy plants. Although the work was tough, it was rewarding to see the pile of plants we had removed throughout the time volunteering. Getting involved with Friends of Trees is incredibly easy, and they encourage people to volunteer constantly.
Trees of Friends does more than just planting trees around neighborhoods. They average more than 6,000 volunteers every planting season and building strong ties within local communities. Friends of Trees believes in “inspiring people to improve the natural world around them through a simple solution: planting trees. Together.” They have even stretched their outreach to six counties across Oregon and Washington. There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities within the organization. You can check out their website or simply show up to an event listed on their planting event calendar! Our team is excited to keep the volunteer momentum going and plans to organize another event before the year is out.
