RI’s Urban Residents at Disadvantage for DEM’s Free Tree Progam, Says Rep. Williams
Wednesday, April 07, 2021
Rhode Island State Representative Anastasia Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence) on Wednesday called out the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) for not including the state's urban core in its four pick-up locations for free trees offered to Rhode Islanders.
While Wiliams commended the effort by DEM to provide 1,000 free trees, she questioned the state agency for not providing a location more accessible to city residents.
Currently, the locations for pick-up -- after going online to sign up for a tree first -- are Richmond, Bristol, North Kingstown and Johnston.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“I commend the RIDEM for continuing another year of this successful program that provides beautiful trees for our neighborhoods, communities and homes without costing our residents any more than a pickup and an ideal planting location," said Williams. "The positive environmental and community-building aspects of trees in our neighborhoods is an undeniable fact and I am happy that RIDEM is continuing to make this a priority. After the past year we all had, everyone could use a little bit more natural beauty in our lives."
“While I am very supportive of this program going on its twelfth year, I have to ask why none of the pickup locations are located in Rhode Island’s urban core, the very areas of our state that are the most in-need of additional trees," she said. "In fact, going over news reports from the past couple of years, this program has never had tree pickups in the urban core. Like every year, the community of color, the poor, the vulnerable – those residing in our urban core – have to jump through extra hoops in order to benefit and utilize services that the rest of the state expects to receive without request like clockwork annually, taking these services for granted in the process."
"Wouldn’t it make more sense to plant additional trees where they are needed most?" Williams added. "Whether its access to proper education, nutritious food, or our state’s natural resources, and even the recently passed Act on Climate, residents in our urban core are once again being overlooked and left out of the equation and frankly, it’s very tiring and unacceptable to have to continuously point out these reoccurring inequalities that arise on a daily and yearly basis for the same people and organizations every time."
DEM did not respond to request for comment at time of publication.
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