In late April, Garland won the $5,500 first-place prize in the EarthXPitch: Pollinator Habitat Civic Grant Competition. Hosted by Earth Day Texas, the competition is an initiative to help improve pollinator health by awarding grants to communities that make an active commitment to protect and/or improve pollinator habitats.
Cities were required to submit a proposal for project ideas to help improve pollinator health in their communities. Garland’s proposal included an idea to improve the community’s monarch butterfly habitat by purchasing milkweed seed packets and yard signs to distribute to residents. Planting milkweed provides habitat sites that will contribute to the increase of the monarch butterfly species. After planting the milkweed, residents can post their yard signs to indicate they are a “monarch-friendly habitat.”
Garland is in the process of receiving the competition grant funds from Earth Day Texas. With those funds, the city of Garland will coordinate with community organizations to disperse the seed packets and yard signs to successfully deploy and build the monarch habitats throughout the community. Additionally, part of the grant funds will be donated to community groups such as Loving Garland Green for their citizen scientist project and monarch butterfly tagging project.
Those interested in participating or learning more about this project are welcome to contact the office of the mayor at 972-205-2471 or Mayor@GarlandTX.gov.
Information and photo provided by city of Garland.
About Earth Day Texas: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on environmental education and awareness, EARTHx has created the world’s largest annual forum for sharing the latest initiatives, discoveries, research, innovations, policies, and corporate practices that are reshaping our world. What started in 2011 as an outdoor event spanning five blocks of Flora Street in Dallas’ Arts District grew to occupy approximately one million square feet of indoor and outdoor event space in Dallas’ historic Fair Park. In 2017, EARTHx hosted more than 100,000 attendees, over 900 exhibitors and 260 speakers, becoming the largest annual environmental exhibition and programming initiative in the world.