Fun fact: If you were among the ~10,000 Nashvillians at Centennial Park on Earth Day, you helped sow the seeds for new environmental projects across the city.

Centennial Park Conservancy will allocate $50,000 from 2023 event proceeds for 15 initiatives — up from six projects in 2022 — in areas like beekeeping, tree planting, and STEM-focused education. Let's dig into the details.

Plants + gardening

Friends of Shelby Park & Bottoms | Remove invasive plants with the help of goats (think: Nashville Chew Crew)

Native American Indian Association of Tennessee | Establish a community garden in Southeast Nashville centered on native plants significant to the tribes that were historically based in Tennessee

Neighbors for Native Plants | Give away 1,300+ native plants to more than 60 families

Friends of Mill Ridge Park | Establish “gateway gardens” at Mill Ridge Park

Crieve Hall Elementary School PTA | Update and revitalize Crieve Hall Elementary School’s on-site food garden

Inglewood Elementary School | Inglewood pollinator habitat labor

Turnip Green Creative Reuse | Summer 2024 gardening workshops, plant swaps, and volunteer opportunities

Education

Urban Green Lab | Facilitate educator training sessions on bringing sustainability practices into the classroom

Nashville Tree Foundation | Fund a tree planting educational program at McKissack Middle School that will plant 40 trees and educate 180 students

Nashville Wildlife Conservation Center | STEM-focused environmental education programs in Metro Schools

Bees

Nashville Area Beekeepers Association | Annual care for 160,000 bees that reside in hives at Centennial Park

Stratford High School | Honeybee infrastructure, including fencing, landscaping, and cameras

Water care

Harpeth River Conservancy | Stream clean-up in Richland Creek and Mill Creek

Friends of Beaman Park | Water quality improvements and long-term water quality monitoring at Beaman Park

Cumberland River Compact | Expand the Residential Pocket Prairie program and promote “No-Mow May” for water quality and biodiversity