Foundation honored for overall work in building green infrastructure to boost human health
Dallas, September 30, 2021 – With a mission of building green infrastructure to improve human health and equity, Texas Trees Foundation received the 2021 Community Honors Award presented by American Institute of Architects Dallas on September 30.
The Foundation joined other recipients at a morning celebration ceremony held at the Architecture and Design Exchange in Dallas.
Texas Trees Foundation was nominated based on its overall body of work, with a focus on the Southwestern Medical District Streetscape Transformation project where health and nature intersect through strategic design and planting with purpose.
“We are thrilled to join the long list of past awardees who have been honored,” Texas Trees Foundation Southwestern Medical District Project Coordinator Lannie McClelen said. “Texas Trees Foundation is leading a visionary, therapeutic landscape redesign to transform a section of the antiquated Harry Hines corridor into a healthy, vibrant, connected, and safe multi-model linear parkway with a 10-acre park.”
Another program that has done its part in creating a greener, cleaner, cooler, and healthier North Texas is Texas Trees Foundation’s award-winning Cool Schools™ program. Cool Schools™ connect students and teachers to nature by planting trees and creating fun and engaging learning areas that include sensory paths, calming musical instruments, loop trails and labyrinths, chalkboards, weather stations, climbing structures, obstacle courses and fitness equipment powered by kinetic energy. These spaces cultivate children’s knowledge and awareness of the natural environment.
“Trees are a lasting gift to our children and our grandchildren,” Cool Schools™ Program Manager Samantha Bradley said. “The program is investing in the next generation by planting trees to increase tree canopy coverage and building outdoor learning spaces that connect students to nature through STEAM-based curriculum.”
The Texas Trees Foundation is a data-driven urban forestry nonprofit dedicated to creating healthy communities through tree planting, education, and research. The Foundation’s projects connect people and trees together and improve quality life for all by transforming the landscapes of our schools, parks, streets, neighborhoods, and cities.
For more information about Texas Trees Foundation and its programs, visit www.texastrees.org and to learn more about the Southwestern Medical District Streetscape Transformation, visit www.swmdtransformation.com.