The Quality of Life Foundation is a San Francisco-based non-profit whose mission is to plant trees as a means to improve our urban environment and our own health and wellbeing. The foundation's mission is to “build a mindful and compassionate community that values and protects the planet's natural ecosystems in service to humanity and all life on Earth.”
En route to that mission, The Quality of Life Foundation is organizing and sponsoring tree-planting events in schools and parks in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area. This month, they’ll be sponsoring an Earth Day tree planting on Saturday, April 24th, at an elementary school in the Outer Mission. Eventually, the goal is to plant trees at schools throughout San Francisco, the East Bay, and Marin County, introducing curriculum to more deeply involve children in the process of giving back to our world.
According to Lee D. Hwang, Founder and Executive Director of The Quality of Life Foundation: “We see tree planting as a health and wellness activity operating at three levels: (1) at the individual level, it increases psychological and physical well-being; (2) at the community level, it helps build stronger social bonds; and (3) at the ecosystem level, it helps build healthier and more resilient ecosystems (including urban ecosystems such as the one we live in).”
Tree plantings encourage a sense of environmentally-responsible camaraderie in communities, among families, and in schools. Planting a tree is a satisfying endeavor that inspires hope, growth, patience, and knowledge.
Hwang expounds: “A lot of the green movement relies on messages of fear and gloom about the future (global warming, pollution, species extinction, natural resource depletion). As a result, a lot of people either go into denial, or feel powerless, or think it's solely the problem of big government or big business to solve. Or a lot of people feel (based on the message they're receiving) that the only way they can contribute is by cutting back on resource consumption.”
“While fear is a powerful motivator—and cutting back on resource consumption is both good and necessary—I feel the entire orientation of the green movement needs to be supplemented by a simple positive action with tangible results that anybody can participate in. It is for that reason that I chose tree planting as the focus of The Quality of Life Foundation's operations.”
The Quality of Life Foundation is always looking for enthusiastic volunteers. For further information, please contact Lee D. Hwang, Founder and Executive Director, at lee@qualityoflifefoundation.org, or visit the foundation's website at www.qualityoflifefoundation.org.
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