Partner Spotlight: APANO

APANO is part of our IRA Community Forestry Grant’s 11-member coalition

For Alisa Kajikawa, it’s all about finding the balance of working toward the dream and working for the present. She’s APANO’s Community Development Manager for the Jade District, and we spoke to her about APANO’s vision for the community forestry coalition.

APANO is part of the 11-member coalition led by Friends of Trees that was awarded a $12 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the Inflation Reduction Act grants. The grant will fund community forestry work including tree planting, natural area restoration, post-planting care, community education, opportunities for direct community input and participation, and workforce training.

APANO unites Asians and Pacific Islanders to build power, develop leaders, and advance equity through organizing, advocacy, community development and cultural work. Their coalition work will be geared toward education and outreach, workforce development, and community infrastructure.

“We can’t grow canopy overnight,” Alisa says. “What can we do now that will still help alleviate pollution and heat in our community?”

For APANO, it means a few things, like working with businesses in the Jade district to host planter boxes filled with native plants. It means hosting community workshops on environmental justice and heat impacts. And it means thinking big picture about creating a transportation system that doesn’t rely on cars.

Alisa is excited about all the possibilities that the coalition can bring.

“When have we ever had 11 different organizations coming together as one coalition for a cohesive goal? It’s really awesome,” she says. “Hopefully this is a case study for the future, showing what happens when we stop working in silos and work toward a shared goal in different ways.”

Support our community partners

 

If you viewed any of our Earth Month events (here’s the playlist) you probably noticed that we often talk about partnerships and climate justice. Friends of Trees’ community includes partnerships with a number of truly impactful local organizations that work with underserved communities. Underserved communities experience the worst effects of climate change and our partnerships that help connect communities to the benefits of trees play an important role in achieving climate justice.

We have a special request of you: Support our community partners. Yes, Friends of Trees will always need you, but if we are going to achieve true climate justice we all need to support Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC) organizations that are part of the movement to ensure equitable outcomes around trees and the urban canopy.

These organizations are Friends of Trees’ partners and need your support:

Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO): Uniting Asians and Pacific Islanders to achieve social justice.

The Blueprint Foundation: Uplift, educate, and support the development of black-identified youth and other communities of color.

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC): Committed to the success of underserved youth and adults.

Wisdom of the Elders: Native American cultural sustainability, multimedia education and race reconciliation.

If you’d like to learn more about how Friends of Trees partners with these organizations visit our website here.

Thank you for supporting our work and the work of our partners, and for being a part of the Friends of Trees community.