Earth Economics

Planting the Seeds of Tacoma’s Future 

This year we will be raising funds to support the Tacoma Tree Foundation (TTF). Our goal is to raise $20,000 to produce a factsheet for the Tacoma Tree Foundation that estimates the economic and social benefits of their tree planting in Tacoma. By communicating the value of the work that TTF is doing, we hope to inspire more investment and funding to continue tree planting in Tacoma.  Any further donations will go towards mapping the flow of benefits of tress and creating Tree Value Profiles on different types of urban trees such as street trees, parks trees, and school trees. 

Tacoma Tree Foundation was formed in 2018 from the growing interest of residents in greening their neighborhoods and learning more about trees. TTF functions to educate, support and coordinate community planting in the Greater Tacoma area. Tacoma has the lowest canopy cover of any western Washington city, and the canopy cover is predominantly located in wealthy and white demographic areas. This disparity is born out of Tacoma’s history of inequitable policies and investment that impacts multiple quality of life, such as access to green space. TTF work focuses on planting trees in areas that have been overlooked and under resourced with a keen awareness of the environmental justice issues at play in community greening. The foundation also seeks to protect the areas that already have existing tree canopy. Through the overlap of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and maps of Tacoma’s infrastructure and natural environment, TTF can identify areas needing neighborhood greening.  TTF provides frees trees to community members and organizes planting events in neighborhoods where the trees can have the most social and environmental impacts. Their current focus is Hilltop, Eastside, South Tacoma, South End, and Parkland neighborhoods.  

Urban trees are often overlooked, but whether in a park or lining your street urban trees provide multiple health, environmental and social benefits. Trees can help reduce temperatures by providing shade and remove pollutants from the air, both of which benefit our health and reduce associated healthcare costs. Proximity to green parks can promote physical activity, decrease stress, and increase social connectivity. Street trees and bioswales increase neighborhood aesthetics which adds to the value of adjacent property and reduces stormwater run-off and water damage.

Our History of Donor Funded Community Greening

World Relief Western Washington has served immigrant and refugee communities in Washington since 1979 by addressing community needs and building welcoming communities. World Relief’s work is based in holistic, locally-driven solutions to challenges that immigrant and refugee populations face as they rebuild their lives in a new county. In 2016, World Relief, the City of Kent and South King County came together to develop the Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden. In partnership with World Relief, Earth Economics estimated the many benefits this community garden provides in supporting local and cultural food security, building relationships, and connecting communities to each other and the land. 

Amigos De los Rios is a Los Angeles group with a mission to create the “Emerald Necklace,” a network of green spaces, green schools, parks, and trails throughout under-served communities throughout the Los Angeles Basin. Together with Amigos De los Rios, Earth Economics analyzed the economic, social and environmental benefits of greening schoolyards, specifically the playground of Mary W. Jackson Elementary school. The report found that the restored playground provides nearly $400,000 (USD 2022) in annual benefits and supports the equivalent of roughly three part-time, year-round jobs.   

As we continued our efforts to support schoolyard greening, we partnered with Trust for Public Lands- Tacoma in their Community Schoolyards Project. The Project, in conjunction with Tacoma Public Schools and Metro Parks Tacoma, seeks to transform Tacoma’s schoolyards into vibrant, green community spaces. We are currently measuring the benefits of transforming schoolyards at Helen N. Stafford Elementary and Jennie Reed Elementary for students, the school district, and the community. Through this partnership we will collect, analyze and share the data to better raise awareness, support fundraising and inform public investments on the benefits of schoolyard greening.  Be on the lookout for our published report in 2025! 

Mission

We quantify and value the benefits nature provides. Our work drives effective decisions and systemic change through a combination of education, natural capital analysis, and policy recommendations.

Description

Earth Economics is a 501(3) nonprofit organization based in Tacoma, WA. We partner with governments, firms, NGOs, tribes, and municipalities throughout the Pacific NW and beyond who are invested in a future where communities, nature, and industry all thrive together.