The past two weeks have been a whirlwind at Green Columbus. I’ve been keeping busy, attending parties, and working on editing our website.

Recently, our board welcomed two new members, and we celebrated their arrival with a fun party last Wednesday. At the event, I tried BLT pizza for the first time and found it surprisingly delicious – definitely worth recommending. One of the new board members is a sustainability wedding planner and shared a fantastic pro tip: after the wedding, donate the flowers to hospital or hospice patients. Despite being the youngest at the party, I enjoyed interacting with and getting to know the other board members. Their knowledge and experience in environmental conservation far exceed mine, but we also connected on other common interests.

We participated in a tree nursery tour with members of the community, exploring different nursery setups and exchanging ideas. It was eye-opening to see how others run their nurseries, as I had become quite accustomed to our own practices. Our Linden nursery was an example of a small tree nursery. We toured a large nursery and medium nursery in Springfield. I proposed a capstone project to OSU, suggesting we merge our two nurseries into one for better efficiency and security.

Recently, I completed my first report for one of our Earth Day grants. While it may seem like a mundane task, understanding how crucial grant funding is for nonprofits like ours made it feel important and rewarding. Seeing the impact of the funds and the difference they made kept me motivated throughout the process.

Exciting changes are happening on our board as well, with a new president taking the helm. This switch in leadership brings fresh approaches to organizing our organization. Since Green Columbus is primarily run by our executive director, Shelly Douglas, we’ve decided to form teams within the board to share responsibilities and support Shelly. We also learned the importance of effective information organization for a nonprofit, especially during transitions. To that end, I’ve been helping organize and document project cards to streamline processes for both us and future volunteers.

Our nurseries have been bustling with activity as we hosted two volunteer days in the past two weeks. Corporate groups lent a hand in caring for our trees, and I thoroughly enjoyed working hands-on with the trees and interacting with the diverse group of volunteers. Additionally, I’ve taken the initiative to plan our social media schedule for the upcoming tree giveaway and created graphics for future use by Green Columbus after my departure. Keep an eye out for sign-ups for the free tree giveaway in the coming weeks! If you’re interested in volunteering for the giveaway, check out our website for links to sign up.

I am sad there is only two weeks left at Green Columbus. I have enjoyed my time working with Shelly and working at this nonprofit. Hopefully I can volunteer at the giveaways to see all of our baby trees get new home!