Student Engagement in Climate Justice
Pollinator Gardens Counteract Heat Islands in New Hampshire
When Peggy Drew signed up for the Community Organizing for Climate Justice as Love in Action program, she thought she would organize a workshop for her congregation. However, after some nudging by the trainers, she started to think of how her unique skills and passions could be a force for climate justice in her community beyond her church.
Peggy’s church’s motto is “Church with a Heart, in the heart of Nashua”. Having grown up in the heart of Nashua, NH, Peggy was familiar with the lack of greenery in the neighborhoods around her downtown church. According to First Street (a leading climate risk accessor) downtown Nashua has a major heat factor risk – all other Nashua areas have a moderate heat factor risk .
Downtown Nashua is a heat island – a term used to describe urban neighborhoods that absorb and retain more heat than other areas due to having more concrete and less greenery. Daytime highs within a heat island can be as much as 7 degrees hotter than surrounding neighborhoods .
Despite – or maybe because of – growing up in the neighborhood, Peggy developed a passion and expertise in pollinator gardens. After learning more about the causes and impacts of heat islands, Peggy began thinking about how gardens could benefit her old neighborhood. With the encouragement of the community organizing trainers she began volunteering at a community garden near her church. Soon Peggy met neighbors who shared her interest in gardening while at the same time building a relationship with Nashua’s Environmental Justice Advocate.
After five months of building relationships, Peggy has built a team that includes church members, the City of Nashua Environmental Justice Advocate, and other neighborhood community organizers and individuals to plant a pollinator garden in an underserved neighborhood or public space. They received a grant for $350 and will break ground fall.
The team hopes this will be the first of many projects to increase greenery and lower temperatures in downtown Nashua. Peggy said, “This project isn’t about one community garden, it is about being empowered and then empowering others to do something.”
Peggy’s church’s motto is “Church with a Heart, in the heart of Nashua”. Having grown up in the heart of Nashua, NH, Peggy was familiar with the lack of greenery in the neighborhoods around her downtown church. According to First Street (a leading climate risk accessor) downtown Nashua has a major heat factor risk – all other Nashua areas have a moderate heat factor risk .
Downtown Nashua is a heat island – a term used to describe urban neighborhoods that absorb and retain more heat than other areas due to having more concrete and less greenery. Daytime highs within a heat island can be as much as 7 degrees hotter than surrounding neighborhoods .
Despite – or maybe because of – growing up in the neighborhood, Peggy developed a passion and expertise in pollinator gardens. After learning more about the causes and impacts of heat islands, Peggy began thinking about how gardens could benefit her old neighborhood. With the encouragement of the community organizing trainers she began volunteering at a community garden near her church. Soon Peggy met neighbors who shared her interest in gardening while at the same time building a relationship with Nashua’s Environmental Justice Advocate.
After five months of building relationships, Peggy has built a team that includes church members, the City of Nashua Environmental Justice Advocate, and other neighborhood community organizers and individuals to plant a pollinator garden in an underserved neighborhood or public space. They received a grant for $350 and will break ground fall.
The team hopes this will be the first of many projects to increase greenery and lower temperatures in downtown Nashua. Peggy said, “This project isn’t about one community garden, it is about being empowered and then empowering others to do something.”
