I’ve always had a personal connection to trees having grown up in rural Ontario where we would run free in the forests and fields behind our house. I felt that wild and inherent bond with nature that I suspect most children experience in some way. When I was around 10, my first true performance of environmental activism was triggered when I found out that the gravel road at the end of our street was to be paved to accommodate a new industrial building.
The old trees lining each side of the street were to be torn out. I was devastated and entirely unconvinced that they couldn’t be saved. I wrote to the village newspaper and made my point clear - why couldn’t we have both a paved street and large trees? The loss seemed so illogical and short-sighted.
The trees came down. I battled for the underdog and lost.
But my desire to advocate for the natural environment wasn’t crushed. This, along with a growing love for the vibrancy of urban places, is what brought me to the University of Guelph where I completed my undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture. My understanding of the human-nature relationship evolved and a personal philosophy of environmental activism began to take form.
Inspired by grassroots movements and stories where communities took ownership and action to create the changes they wanted to see around them, I began to move away from designs of sophisticated plazas and fancy hotel master plans. What really interested me was the ways people interact - with their environment and with each other. I was drawn to stories of people empowered and mobilized - of environmental victories.
After graduation, my explorative nature took me to the west coast. I got involved with the Green Streets Program, a project where residents care for street gardens in their neighbourhoods, diversifying and greening the urban landscape while also discovering a deeper connection to their community.
I also had the opportunity to work as part of the urban food movement, another matter that sits close to my heart. Whether it’s planting fruit trees in our backyards, enhancing bee habitat on our rooftops or growing tomatoes in our neighbourhood parks, I love the spirit of community, collaboration and co-creation that come with greening our communities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33jW3btENrA
I’m excited about my new role at LEAF and all of the exciting projects that lie ahead. And I can’t wait to meet all of you volunteers and community members who are working together to make our urban forests even better to live in – one tree at a time!
Erin MacDonald is the interim Volunteer & Stewardship Coordinator at LEAF.