Kids Go to Bat for the Parks

The Boston Red Sox, Red Sox Foundation, and Waste Management Recognize the Emerald Necklace Conservancy's Green Team at Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox, Red Sox Foundation and Waste Management recognized the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Green Team at a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park July 27, 2009. The Conservancy’s Green Team is comprised of 37 young people from Boston, Brookline, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roslindale, Roxbury and South Boston and their six crew leaders.

The young adults have been working on various parks in the Greater Boston area this summer, working to restore and maintain them. This includes the removal of invasive plants, creating erosion control barriers, repairing pedestrian paths, weeding and pruning. As they learn conservation and environmental education skills for six weeks this summer, these youth will immediately put their newfound knowledge into practice by improving the Emerald Necklace, the park that is the backyard for so many.

“This partnership exemplifies the commitment that the Emerald Necklace Conservancy has shown not only to our city’s historic parks system but also to our children and young adults,” said Red Sox Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Sam Kennedy. “Thanks to the remarkable support from our corporate partner Waste Management, the Red Sox are proud to be part of a program that teaches our youth the importance of hard work while preserving and protecting our valuable and invigorating neighborhood parks.”

During the pre-game ceremony, the Green Team was recognized and honored for their work on the Fenway Park field by the Conservancy’s Youth Programs Manager Kate England and President Julie Crockford.

The Green Team is a partnership with the Boston Youth Environmental Network, the Franklin Park Coalition, the City of Boston, the Town of Brookline and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It receives generous support from the Action for Boston Community Development Inc., the Boston Youth Fund, the Brookline Community Foundation, the Inner Spark Foundation, the Red Sox Foundation and Waste Management. The partnership is also a great example of stimulus funds received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act being put to great use for the improvement of neighborhood communities while engaging our youth in productive and character-building work.