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Americans Cast Their Votes for Greener, Healthier Communities in 2022
On November 8, voters across the country supported $8.4 billion in state and local funding measures to improve and create parks, trails, waterways, and other public outdoor spaces that make communities more vibrant.
By Trust for Public Land
Published November 10, 2022
Tuesday was a great day for public land advocates as voters affirmed their support of conservation and passed 31 of 34 TPL-endorsed state and local ballot measures. Altogether, the measures are expected to generate more than $8 billion in new funding for parks, climate, and conservation.
Trust for Public Land’s Conservation Finance team, which is a national leader in advising and supporting communities’ efforts to design, draft, and implement public funding, has successfully advocated for and helped drive close to $93 billion in funding since 1996.
Several of the measures, including one for forest restoration and expansion in Cook County, Illinois, that we’ve been working on since 2016 and a Bond Act in New York, will have significant climate implications.
“The effects of climate change and the pandemic over the last few years have had a huge impact on people’s lives and their communities. Parks and protected natural areas continue to demonstrate their immense value for providing clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat, helping to mitigate and make communities more resilient to a changing climate, and improving our physical and mental health,” said Will Abberger, director of Conservation Finance at Trust for Public Land. “There’s so much power in asking voters to vote ‘Yes’ for conservation, which is why Americans of all political stripes in communities large and small across the country voted to protect and expand their access to the outdoors.”
Read more about the TPL-supported ballot measures that voters approved this fall.
Rising temperatures, bigger storms, and asphalt schoolyards pose significant risks during recess. Urge Congress to prioritize schoolyards that cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, and provide opportunities for kids to connect with nature today!
