Title
To recognize B.R.E.A.D.’s dedication to community advocacy and environmental justice through their Earth Day Forum: Our Trees! Our Health!
Body
WHEREAS, B.R.E.A.D. (Building Responsibility, Equality and Dignity) is a local non-profit organization dedicated to addressing serious community problems through building the power of organized people to amplify community voices and give them a platform to engage directly with local officials; and
WHEREAS, B.R.E.A.D. is composed of 38 member congregations who represent the religious, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of Columbus and Franklin County; and
WHEREAS, on April 22, 2026, B.R.E.A.D. hosted an Earth Day Forum focused on the vital role trees play in the health of Columbus residents; and
WHEREAS, the forum featured a number of panelists from various local health agencies, as well as tree preservation experts, who covered topics ranging from the link between tree canopy loss and respiratory illness, heat stress, and mental health, the exceptionally low tree canopy in Columbus, disparities in tree coverage across Columbus neighborhoods, and policy solutions to protect mature trees and expand urban canopy; and
WHEREAS, the Our Trees! Our Heath! forum is deserving of recognition, for its dedication to educating residents on issues of environmental health and the tree canopy, facilitating important community conversations, and advocating for sustainable policies and environmental justice; and
WHEREAS, this Council is grateful to community members and organizations, such as B.R.E.A.D., who advocate for the health of Columbus residents and raise awareness to issues of environmental sustainability and justice; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby recognize B.R.E.A.D.’s dedication to community advocacy and environmental justice through their Earth Day Forum: Our Trees! Our Health!