“Did You Know?” will be a monthly feature that shares information on various topics that affect our Common Home, such as plastics, aerosols, water, compost, etc. This feature will address and offer a challenge pertaining to the following Laudato Si’ Goals:
- Response to the cry of the Earth
- Adoption of a simple lifestyle
- Ecological education
- Community engagement and participatory action
Benefits of Trees
- A walk among the trees correlates with a drop in anxiety and depression.
- Trees clean the air so we can breathe more easily.
- More trees in cities, especially in lower-income neighborhoods close to highways and factories, can reduce ailments like asthma and heart disease.
Trees filter more than half of the water supply in the United States making your drinking supply cleaner and more reliable. - One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year and remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year.
- Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable.
- Strategically placed trees save up to 56 percent on annual air-conditioning costs. Evergreens that block winter winds can save 3 percent on heating.
- Consumers shop more frequently and longer in tree-lined commercial areas and are willing to spend more.
- Each large front yard tree adds to a home’s sale price.
Sources: Nature Conservancy; US Forest Service
CHALLENGE: Plant a tree on your property or donate the cost of a tree to your local community.
