Nonprofit Spotlight: The Urban Ecology Institute

The Boston-based Urban Ecology Institute runs two tracks of programs- one on sustainable cities and the other on education.

In its education track, UEI offers great environmental studies programs that expose students to marketable field-studies techniques, where the data they gather is used in city policy decisions. UEI also offers an environmental writing program, Greentimes, and an environmental leadership program. When I was a teenager, I was involved in a program that had kids running a fish hatchery. From my experience, getting students into green issues at that time in life is particularly powerful, both to keep them on the right track, and possibly to give their lives some direction. 

UEI's sustainable cities program includes community-based tree-planting programs that not only green neighborhoods, but also hire local talent to bring residents together to complete the projects. They offer workshops to help residents landscape their yards, and track Boston’s shade coverage through a GIS program. Finally, UEI works collaboratively with other orgs to translate vacant lots to greenspaces.

I like UEI's focus on local improvement -- using the community to improve the community, a principle that can be scaled up. The group's relatively narrow focus allows an efficient use of resources, and because of this specificity it will always have work to do.