This Earth Week, McCormick Taylor is highlighting our employees who work with environmental groups in their communities. Oliver Baron, a Water Resources Designer I in our Baltimore Office, has been involved with Blue Water Baltimore (BWB) for a few years and is a Baltimore Parks and Recreation Department certified “Tree Keeper.”
BWB’s mission is to “restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams and Harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong economy, and thriving communities.” As part of this pursuit, BWB serves in a coalition of different organizations that work to increase urban tree canopy for the purpose of improving water and air quality in the area. Increasing urban tree canopy also reduces the urban heat island effect, and there’s evidence that urban greening has a positive effect on nearby residents' mental health.
As a Tree Keeper, Oliver leads tree plantings and helps to guide newer volunteers. “On one hand, I like doing this work because I miss being ordered around in my mom's garden," he says. "On the other, it's my (very small) way of helping create a more environmentally equitable Baltimore."
In the header image, Oliver plants a tree at an event in the Curtis Bay neighborhood of Baltimore.
