In the News
Celebrate 5 years of Southside ReLeaf by helping make a new city park
South Richmond News
Kendall Taylor at The Richmonder has a great look at the origin and impact of Southside Releaf as they celebrate 5 years. Want to get involved? Southside Releaf has a Community Workday at Ernest Road this Saturday as part of helping bring 5 new city parks to South Richmond.
Southside ReLeaf celebrates fifth anniversary with big plans for the future
The Richmonder
For Amy Wentz, community is key. The first step in what she describes as “people-powered projects” is listening to those around her. Her passion for her neighborhood led to the creation of Southside ReLeaf, a local nonprofit currently celebrating its fifth year of operation. Wentz co-founded the organization with Sheri Shannon. The two joined forces through Richmond 300, a master plan for equitable and sustainable growth in the city.
Richmond’s plans to combat urban heat no longer on ice
Chesapeake Bay Journal
Even though it was a hot day, Lisa Aikins-Afful, outreach and engagement coordinator from Southside ReLeaf in Richmond, didn’t feel bad about inviting people outside to see the location of a new park planned for their neighborhood. The wooded plot’s thick canopy, she said, cooled the air by almost 30 degrees. And the neighbors were excited to share their ideas on how to make it a community park.
Southside ReLeaf receives $25,000 grant from Robins Foundation
Richmond Free Press
Southside ReLeaf has received a $25,000 grant from the Robins Foundation to strengthen its work in creating green spaces and advancing environmental justice in South Richmond. The funding will help the organization expand its outreach, grow its staff, and enhance its ability to engage with the community.
Southside ReLeaf awarded $25,000 to support work
South Richmond News
Local environmental advocacy organization Southside ReLeaf was awarded $25,000 from the Robins Foundation.
The hottest summer ever
Southern Environmental Law Center
The South is already known for having hot summers, but climate change amplifies the effects of extreme heat and makes heat waves more frequent and more intense. By the middle of this century, much of the Southeast can expect to see an average of 90 days per year over 90 degrees due to climate change, compared to the historical average of about 40 days per year over 90 degrees. And extreme heat combined with the humidity the region is famous for makes it harder for people to keep their bodies cool and safe. In this piece we explore how communities across the South are working to address heat islands.
$126 million segment of Fall Line Trail could rewire Southside's transportation
The Richmonder
Extending across six lanes above the James River, the Manchester Bridge was built for cars, and the stretch of Commerce Road into which it flows is similarly engineered: multiple north-south lanes, overhead signage, large parcels of land scattered with parking lots fronting on the street. Over the coming decade, that picture could change dramatically.
Low-income Richmond residents suffer more heat-related emergencies
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Beads of sweat dripped down Sparkle Veronica Taylor’s neck as she walked over the North First Street bridge spanning Interstate 95, headed away from Jackson Ward, on Thursday. She tucked a green towel in the strap of her shirt to wick away sweat as she walked in the summer heat.
VDH: ‘Tree equity’ is a health issue, especially during summer months
ABC 8 NEWS
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is taking a look at equitable access to shade outdoors, or “tree equity,” and how this directly impacts health.
Member Highlight: Southside ReLeaf
Choose Clean Water Coalition
For this Member Highlight, the Coalition’s Virginia State Lead, Pat Calvert, interviews Amy Wentz and Sheri Shannon, cofounders of Southside ReLeaf.
Personality: Sheri Shannon
Richmond Free Press
Sheri Shannon has long believed that focused community-action work can battle climate change head on.
Williams: Richmond's growth is not sustainable without affordable housing
Richmond Times-Dispatch
J. Elias O’Neal moved from Texas to Richmond in 2016 and lived at Port RVA apartments, on Hull Street near the James River, before purchasing his current home in Blackwell.
Southside lacks crucial infrastructure. Are city priorities, history holding it back?
VPM
Between sips of coffee, outgoing Richmond City Councilor Mike Jones recalls a ribbon cutting ceremony he attended in March for the opening of the Starbucks at Chippenham Parkway and Hull Street.
Out with the green, in with the heat
Virginia Mercury
When I visited the Hickory Hill Community Center last week in Richmond’s Southside, the first thing I noticed was the pervasive presence of the Richmond Fire Department.
Williams: A burn tower at a community center? Make it make sense, Richmond.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The parking lot at the beleaguered Hickory Hill Community Center was nearly full Thursday evening. The center — inside and outdoors — was bustling.
Could historic preservation be a tool for environmental justice? Richmond to find out.
Greater Greater Washington
While serving as a member of the Racial Equity & Environmental Justice Roundtable which helped craft the City of Richmond’s Climate Equity Action Plan 2030, Rev. Monica Esparza never imagined that less than a year later she would find herself fighting local officials to save green space in her own backyard from becoming a burn site.
South Richmond Residents Oppose Fire Training Facility
Inside Climate News
South Richmond residents are fighting back against a 21,0000-square-foot fire training facility approved for construction on a site bordering a wildlife sanctuary.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation, partners create green spaces in Richmond's South Side
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Near the front doors of the Hickory Hill Community Center, Ann Jurczyk wades on her knees through the newly-added flower bed, pulling up any weeds in her path.
Richmond Fire eyes Southside field for new training facility
VPM
Some residents say the proposal would contradict Mayor Levar Stoney and City Council’s push for more green spaces south of the James River. Richmond Fire Department's proposal to build a new fire training facility on existing green space next to Hickory Hill Community Center in Richmond’s Southside has led to disagreements among city leaders and community members.
Activists sketch out plan for Henrico on fighting climate change
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Henrico County should be as green as its neighbors, activists say. Several localities have different degrees of climate plans. Chesterfield County announced a detailed plan in 2019. Richmond recently released its RVAgreen 2050, a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by the year 2030, and by 100% by the year 2050.