A group from Leadership Chattanooga, a ten-month leadership development
program that identifies people of promise in early to mid-career, has established Take Root, a green project that may become a model for cities across the country.
Take Root is committed to planting a large number of trees in the downtown area, and is soliciting donations from businesses and individuals who wish to support this effort. Take Root's goals include not only beautifying the city, but also cooling the city's urban core and improving air quality.
The project's official launch is March 7, when the Tree Commission hosts an Arbor Day ceremony at Battle Academy on the corner of Market and Main Street.
The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be marked by the ceremonial planting of a new tree on the school's campus. Mayor Ron Littlefield has also gotten behind Take Root's efforts, stating that, "Chattanooga is a community that has a long history of bringing people together and getting things done. Take Root is the newest example of that community spirit and will be an asset as we continue to move towards a greener city."
Paul Belk, Millie Callaway, Anita Polk-Conley, Rafe Goldbach, Mike Griffin, Janis Hashe, Helen Johnson and Thomas Rusk are the eight members of The Green Team, the group from Leadership Chattanooga's 2008 class responsible for Take Root's conception. City Forester Gene Hyde and the Chattanooga Tree Commission have mapped out 1,500 plots for new trees to be planted in the downtown area.
"In 2007 we completed an analysis of our street trees in the expanded Central Business District. We found that just the street trees sequestered 1.6 million pounds of CO2, provided $109,000 in storm water benefits from the interception of rainwater, and conserved money by modifying the climate through shading, transpiration, and reducing wind speed," said Mr. Hyde.
With several levels of donation, starting as low as $20, participation is affordable for everyone. Take Root hopes to unite the community behind its cause, including the graphic design students in the Professional Practices course taught by Leslie Jensen-Inman in the Department of Art at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
These students are creating Take Root's graphic identity, including the organization's logo design, stationery brochures and banners.
Junior Tracy Moore, one of 13 students working on the project, said, "It's great to be part of something that gives us real-world experience, helps build our portfolios, and will also continue to have an effect on the community after we have completed the project."
For more information about Take Root, or how to donate to the project, contact Gene Hyde at hyde_gene@mail.chattanooga.gov or 423 757-7283. The UTC student contact is Nicholas Turner, at Nicholas-Turner@utc.edu.