The Benedictine Sisters of Erie are grateful for the honor of being recognized with an Outstanding Environmental Steward Award for their role in the ReLeaf initiative to plant one tree for every resident of Erie County. The sisters, along with their oblates and friends, have actively participated in tree planting efforts at Glinodo Center, Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, and the Inner City Neighborhood Art House. They have planted about 400 native trees. They also participated in the initiative to plant 1000 trees on Housing Authority property. This project honored Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, a woman who planted millions of trees in Kenya.
“This year’s recipients are doing more than planting trees — they are planting climate hope,” said Diane Christin Zenchenko-Esser, founder of the Plant it Forward Urban Forest Initiative and recognized in Who’s Who in America for her national leadership in climate literacy. “And without the dedicated partnership of LEAF and ReLEAF, none of this would be possible. They are the taproot that nourishes the forest we are growing together.”
The awards are supported by recognition from the Sierra Club Lake Erie Group, the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators, and the IU5 Environmental Literacy Coalition and were presented by Plant it Forward Urban Forest Community at Presque Isle on June 26. Plant it Forward Urban Forest Community Initiative is also celebrating its 10th Anniversary. They recognize individuals, nonprofits, citizens, and businesses whose actions are advancing climate resilience, ecological literacy, and community-rooted reforestation. Their contributions are interwoven with the work of LEAF and ReLEAF, who have planted over 56,742 native trees across the region since 2020 and supply the trees that anchor the Plant it Forward mission.
The award recipients are: Mercyhurst University (Tiny Forest Initiative); Business Sustainability — Kronospan USA (GROW Program, Clarion); Citizen Action — Alex Luddy, Erie PA; and Nonprofit Leadership — The Benedictine Sisters of Erie.
Overall, the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, through their participation in tree planting and other environmental initiatives like reducing mowed areas and using goats and manual labor to control invasive plants along trails and in wooded areas, are demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship and caring for their local watershed. They were nominated for this award by Butterflies for Kids / Plant it Forward Urban Forest Initiative.
