A True Environmental Steward Leaves Her Mark
After almost eight years of dedicated service, Jennifer Cole is stepping down from her role as Director of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program this month and relocating to Virginia. At a farewell party held in her honor this past Wednesday the 6th, the city awarded Ms Cole three commendations for her work.
During her time at PNPP, Ms Cole organized the planting of at least
3000 trees, won a RI Tree Council award for community outreach, and
worked through personnel changes in both the City Parks Superintendent
and the City Forester positions. Outside of her work at PNPP, Ms Cole
has also helped to open the Conservation Law Foundation office where
she worked for four years on urban environmental advocacy issues. In
addition, she served for five years as a Mayoral appointed member of
the City Planning Commission. Ms Cole has said that she is very proud
of the impact she has had on incoming developers, who now frequently
present their landscaping plan first to the City Planning Commission
when making development proposals. Here are her thoughts on leaving;
"I’m not sure what I'll be doing next and I can only hope it is as
fulfilling and valuable to the community as my time with the PNPP has
been. I am looking forward to a new city and new challenges but I will
be leaving pieces of my heart in Providence, kept safe with friends and
a legacy of important work. I will miss the city, and its great
potential, dearly."
New Director for PNPP
Stepping in as the new Director of PNPP is Liz Downing. Downing grew up in Providence and received her BS in Environmental Science and Management from the University of Rhode Island. She has run her own ecologically friendly garden maintenance, design and installation business for the past 5 years as a means of developing scarce wildlife habitat within the human habitat. Ms Downing is “excited to expand the scale of my work to citywide reforestation, honored to walk in the footsteps of those who created this program and to work alongside the Providence residents who join together to manifest our city’s full potential.”
Contact information:
Providence Neighborhood Planting Program c/o Groundwork Providence, Inc.
8 Third Street
Providence RI 02906
401-351-6440 x13
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