Over 300 gathered at Skiddy Park to attend the “Trick or Trees: time-to-plant festival,” the largest ever volunteer based tree planting and tree giveaway in the City of Syracuse with a festival highlighting aspects of   sustainable communities.

Youth from the Onondaga Earth Corps and adult volunteers in the CommuniTree Steward program lead over 150 volunteers from Syracuse Housing Authority (SHA), b.i.k.e. Syracuse, SUNY-ESF, SUNY Morrisville, 40 Below, West Genesee High School, Home Headquarters, and GreeningUSA in planting 176 trees at the SHA James-Geddes Complex and on Shonnard, Seymour and Gifford Streets -- all within the Clinton sewershed, an area targeted by Onondaga County to reduce stormwater runoff and combined sewer overflow.

Tree planting was followed by GreeningUSA’s second Sustainability Academy festival of the year. Festival goers learned about energy efficiency, green schools, green jobs, planet friendly eating habits, soil health, neighborhood engagement, rain barrels, rain gardens, green roofs, bike repairs and of course about the benefits of trees. Neighborhood youth developed a benefits-of-trees activity and a green infrastructure tour of the rain garden, rain barrels and green roof at 515 Tully St for the festival, and were responsible for giving away 130 trees to local residents and volunteers. People visited a series of stations with a festival passport and were rewarded with prizes such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy saving gadgets, cookbooks, gift certificates to local stores and trees.

Highlights of activities from each station included:

All Photo Credits: Jim Terrinoni