Blissville residents will kick off Climate Week by planting 35 trees along Review Avenue next Tuesday as part of efforts to beautify the local area and reduce pollution in the neighborhood.
The event, organized by the Blissville Civic Association, will take place from 9 a.m. until 12 noon on Tuesday, Sept. 23, beginning at 38-20 Review Ave.
Blissville Civic said it has received around 35 trees from the Parks Department and is seeking around 25 volunteers to help members of the neighborhood organization and representatives from the Park Department at next week’s tree planting.
Blissville Civic Secretary Tom Mituzas said the 35 trees will compliment the 75 trees planted along Review Avenue during the inaugural community tree planting event last year.
Mituzas believes planting trees can help improve air quality in the neighborhood by counteracting pollution from nearby plants. He also believes it can help mitigate the impact of stormwater by absorbing rainfall, adding that the newly-planted trees can provide a habitat for wildlife.
Blissville experiences an Urban Heat Island effect, referring to an area that experiences significantly higher temperatures due to man-made structures absorbing and trapping heat. Mituzas said planting more trees would help to tackle that phenomenon.
He said the trees would also have an aesthetic purpose by creating a tree-lined greenway from Blissville to Laurel Hill.
“Aesthetically, it looks wonderful,” Mituzas said. “It’s a really nice addition to the Blissville Greenway.”
Tree planting events can also help foster a sense of pride in the local community, Mituzas said.
“Many local residents are eager to come out because it’s nice to have something positive happen for the people of Blissville,” he said. “To see that city agencies do care and that we do matter… It gives people hope.”
Blissville residents have been involved in a months-long campaign against the local Green Asphalt plant, which locals say has been spewing pollutants into the local area. Mituzas believes that freshly planted trees can have a mitigating impact against such pollutants.
“It absolutely can (have an impact),” Mituzas said. “In fact, the section that we’re planting in is directly across from Green Asphalt.”
Climate Week NYC will run from Sept. 21-28 and aims to promote climate action by appealing to a broad range of local groups and elected officials.
Anyone interested in taking part in next week’s event is encouraged to do so by registering here.
