The Greening of Detroit Information

Our Mission Statement: Inspiring sustainable growth of a healthy urban community through trees, green spaces, food, education, training and job opportunities. We aspire to provide a greener tomorrow for our Detroit. The Greening of Detroit is a well-established nonprofit resource agency with a long history of successful and progressive initiatives. All of our work adds economic value to the communities we serve, and focuses on using land in a way that improves quality of life, has environmental integrity and promotes education and stewardship. Most of all, The Greening provides hope for the future of the city of Detroit. Between 1950 and 1980, around 500,000 trees were lost in Detroit to Dutch elm disease, urban expansion and attrition. During that same time, economic constraints prohibited the city from replacing those trees. The Greening of Detroit was founded in 1989 with a single focus in mind – restore the city's tree infrastructure. At The Greening, we believe in tomorrow's Detroit and expect to play a significant role in the development to this great city. The abundance of vacant land – spanning more than 20 square miles of the city – allows for a blank canvas of opportunity and new beginnings. That means more room for trees, green open spaces, prairies, urban farms and pocket parks. It also means job opportunities for city kids and adult workforce trainees. We look forward to working with our community residents to grow tomorrow's Detroit.