LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — NFL Green teamed up with the City of North Las Vegas, Verizon, Get Outdoors Nevada, the YMCA, City of North Las Vegas Parks and Brightview Landscape to plant 32 pine trees in North Las Vegas parks.
The trees will provide more shade and cooling in historically low-income communities which suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change. North Las Vegas is an urban heat island, which results in higher energy cost, increased air pollution, and heat-related illnesses.
Ward 2 councilwoman Pamela A. Goynes-Brown said, "To put something in the ground and to see it blossom and grow speaks volumes."
Craig Ranch Regional Park had eight trees planted in the park, and 24 will go in at Gold Crest Park across the street.
NFL environmental program director Jack Groh said about the coincidence, "If you put them all together, we got 32 trees planted this morning, and we have 32 NFL teams. So if you want to say that we put in a tree for every team, that’s fine."
Groh says that the NFL has taken a long and hard look over the past 30 years on the environmental impact of the Superbowl and other big events on cities.
"We’re not going to come in, make a mess and then walk away. We’re going to come in and take good care of the community while we’re here. If possible, with events like today, we’re going to leave the city and the community a little greener than we found it. That’s a legacy for us and for the kids of the next generation and the generation after that," Groh said.
NFL Green is not done yet. They will hit Springs Preserve Tuesday to plant 10 trees and hundreds of drought-tolerant, climate-adapted pollinator plants to the botanical garden.
