Leaf Relief
Celebrating and finding inspiration in the power of trees.
The study of trees and their power sparked the project “Leaf Relief” a community engaged tree canopy mobile floating above the escalators at downtown Burlington High School.
🍎 Made with students and faculty from the Burlington City & Lake semester 8. Experiential community based learning about interconnected civic issues happens with curiosity, creativity, and an environment set up to foster joy.
🍎 BCL students visited younger students for discussion about climate change and the power of trees. Connecting the generation – or generations. BCL students described the younger students as knowing more about climate change than the older students knew at younger ages, and found hope there.
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BCL student artists of Leaf Relief.
From the opening booklet, THE POWER OF TREES from the BCL
🌳Surgery patients who could see a grove of deciduous trees recuperated faster and required less pain-killing medicine than matched patients who viewed only brick walls. 🌳Trees filter airborne pollutants by 9 to 13 percent, reducing the conditions that cause asthma. Roadside trees can reduce indoor air pollution in nearby spaces up to 50 percent. 🌳A U.S. Forest Service study found that a 10 percent increase in tree canopy was associated with a roughly 12 percent decrease in crime. 🌳Trees’ leafy canopy intercepts rainfall and reduces storm impacts on the ground by 10 to 40 percent. 🌳All the world’s forests removed about one-third of fossil fuel emissions annually from 1990 to 2007. 🌳By providing shade, trees can lower surface and air temperatures around them as much as 20 – 30°F. This extends the pavement life of asphalt streets. 🌳Just 3 mature trees, well-placed around a house, can save an average household between $100 and $250 in energy costs every year. 🌳Tree roots in forest areas can capture 80 percent of nitrate and phosphorus nutrients from farm runoff, preventing it from getting into rivers and lakes.
Photos of the art in progress and details of leaves with student art and messages.