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  • Trust for Public Land Joins Biden-Harris Administration in Efforts to Bring Nature Benefits to More Communities

Trust for Public Land Joins Biden-Harris Administration in Efforts to Bring Nature Benefits to More Communities



Federal agencies, local organizations and park space leaders collaborate to improve equitable access to green space 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Over the weekend, Trust for Public Land’s [TPL] Equity Director Ronda Chapman joined Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and White House Council on Environmental Quality [CEQ] Chair Brenda Mallory for a roundtable discussion of the newly convened Nature in Communities Committee to collaborate and help in strengthening investment in access to nature in underserved communities. 

The event celebrated the signing of the “United States Government Interagency Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Equitable Access to Nature in Nature- Deprived Communities” by 10 federal departments and agencies to partner with local organizations to improve collaboration to help increase access to parks and green space in communities that can benefit from it the most. 

“Quality parks and green spaces are fundamental for sustaining equitable, resilient communities and it’s imperative these spaces, and the benefits they provide are available to everyone, regardless of where they live,” said Ronda Chapman, Equity Director for Trust for Public Land. “TPL is proud to collaborate with the Biden-Harris administration to strengthen investments in these communities to ensure all Americans have access to nature.” 

Second Gentleman Emhoff, White House CEQ Chair Mallory and Trust for Public Land held an event at the Benning Stoddert Recreation Center in Washington, DC to celebrate the signing and for a discussion on strategies moving forward to on how best to address closing the park equity gap. 

TPL creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy livable communities for generations to come. Much like the vision set out by the signed memorandum of understanding, TPL believes access to the outdoors is a fundamental human need, essential to our health and well-being, and is an important tool in mitigating the effects of climate change. And yet, 100 million people, including 28 million kids, do not have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk from home. The parks we do have are often not equitable. On average, parks in communities of color in the U.S. are half the size, lower quality, and in many instances more prone to flooding than parks serving predominantly economically advantaged neighborhoods. TPL is committed to creating more climate resilient places that bring us outside—parks, trails, community schoolyards, and public lands—and making them available and welcoming to everyone, everywhere. 

For photos of the event, please see the album here. 

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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 3 million acres of public land, created more than 5,000 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $84 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected more than 9 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.