Trust for Public Land Announces Theodore Roosevelt V to National Board of Directors 

NEW YORK, NY – Trust for Public Land announced today that Theodore Roosevelt V has joined the organization’s National Board of Directors.  

“The urgency to act on climate change has never been greater. It is crucial that we protect our public lands and ensure park spaces are designed to reduce the impacts of urban flooding and heat,” said Theodore Roosevelt V, Trust for Public Land National Board Member. “Trust for Public Land’s work to create community spaces in New York City and across the country by adapting asphalt schoolyards with green infrastructure like absorbent turf fields and bioswales is truly cutting edge. I look forward to partnering with TPL and its partners to advance conversations around investing in these spaces and ensuring communities across the country have safe, equitable access to parks.”

Trust for Public Land (TPL) research shows that of the 100 most populous cities across the country, eighty-five percent of cities are adapting parks and recreation facilities to address climate change. Sixty-seven percent of these cities are improving surfaces to reduce flooding and runoff from rains, and seventy-seven percent are enlisting parks to counter urban heat. However, TPL’s analysis found that the neighborhoods where most residents identify as people of color have access to an average of 43 percent less park acreage than mostly white neighborhoods.  

In New York City, for instance, TPL has transformed 225 asphalt schoolyards into neighborhood parks. All of TPL’s Community Schoolyards projects include trees and plants, but nearly a quarter were designed specifically with green infrastructure to combat heat and absorb floodwater. Together, they capture more than 40 million gallons of water annually.

Roosevelt is a dedicated conservationist, actively involved with the National Parks Conservation Association and National Parks Foundation. He has also served on the board of directors of the New York League of Conservation Voters and as vice chair of EcoAmerica. 

 He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Princeton University and a Master’s in Business Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

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About Trust for Public Land  

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $93 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.