Education
To improve health outcomes and the quality of life for Southside residents, we focus on building the brain trust of our neighbors. The organization does this through several efforts, such as presentations and panel discussions, community events, and awareness campaigns. Every opportunity to engage with the community is an opportunity to inform the community about its history, introduce new concepts, teach skills through hands-on learning, and empower our neighbors with the knowledge to make the change they want to see.
Tree Ambassador Program
The Tree Ambassador Program (TAP) is a free volunteer training initiative by Southside ReLeaf, designed to empower community members with the knowledge and skills to advocate for greener neighborhoods. As a Tree Ambassador, you'll learn how to plant and care for trees, recognize when a tree needs water or fresh mulch, and understand your role in promoting sustainable, climate-resilient practices in your community. Registration is open for the next session of TAP!
Learning in Place
We like to say that learning happens wherever we are—in a park, while planting trees, or at a community meeting. Community education is a lifelong endeavor that inspires innovative solutions and leads to positive change. We’re in the business of educating the community about environmental justice, greening solutions, and how to be a proactive climate champion.
Please invite us to give a presentation or join us at one of our many events.
Connecting with Neighbors
Our team loves to be out in the community. Whether it’s a festival, school fair, farmer’s market, or civic association meeting, we are here to support and celebrate the Southside community. We offer presentations, education classes, hands-on activities, and event tabling.
Cool the City
Cool the City is a collaborative campaign to create greener and healthier futures in Richmond’s neighborhoods that need it most. We aim to equip community members with the tools, knowledge, and support to take action to reduce extreme heat and flooding where they live.
The Leaflet
Each month, we update our community on what’s happening with greening and environmental policy in South Richmond through our newsletter, The Leaflet. We share progress reports on our greening efforts, outline opportunities for the community to get involved, and provide resources on critical topics related to environmental justice and resilience. The Leaflet is published on the second Tuesday of each month.
Blog
Don’t miss our monthly blog posts, which are written by our team members as well as guest authors from around the community. Each blog tackles a different topic, and shares insights about environmental justice work happening in South Richmond while providing historical context about issues that affect our neighborhoods. So far, our contributors have explored the environmental policy landscape in Southside, the impacts of green space on mental health, the role of trees in keeping our neighborhoods cool, and more.