ABOUT US
Who we are
Trees for Cities is the only charity working on an international scale to create greener cities. Since 1993, we have engaged over 70,000 people to plant over 600,000 urban trees in parks, streets, schools and housing estates across the UK, as well as internationally, revitalising these areas and improving the lives of the people who live in them. We strengthen communities through volunteering opportunities and inspire children to grow and eat good food and to connect with nature.
Planting trees since 1993
Trees for Cities started life in 1993 as Trees for London, when a group of young Londoners recognised the need for more trees in the capital. Our first projects included planting street trees on Westminster Bridge Road and a large-scale community project with structural landscaping and tree planting on Bemerton Park Estate in Islington.
In 2003, we changed our name to Trees for Cities and began delivering projects outside London, working in partnership with organisations and groups across the UK and internationally.
What we do and why we do it
We focus on planting trees and greening community spaces where the social and environmental impact on local people is greatest. In London this might mean planting trees to clean the air or transforming unused community spaces into vibrant green areas, making our communities happier and healthier places to live, whilst in Nairobi it’s planting fruit trees for food and sustainable livelihoods.
Mission
Planting trees and greening cities worldwide
Values
People-led: Although our reach is global, we value the importance of a local focus. We always work through and within local communities to strengthen them and empower their members
Quality-driven: Both the quantity and quality of the trees we plant are at the forefront of our planning so that we constantly strive to maximise the impact of our projects to the environment and society
Delivery-focused: We are an organisation that gets things done. What we talk about, we do – effectively, efficiently and on-time
Strategic Objectives
To plant a total of 1 million trees by 2020
To create a robust impact monitoring framework that ensures that our funds are being used to achieve the greatest possible impact on the environment and society
To define the medium and long term vision for the organisation in regards to environmental enrichment, social impact, and access to nature
To create a ‘cluster’ approach to our initiatives that promotes more multi-annual partnerships and programmes and longer term planning horizons
Our Work
We work on an international scale to create greener cities. We strengthen communities through volunteering opportunities and inspire children to grow and eat good food.
