The Tempe City Council has approved spending federal and state funds for programs to benefit neighborhoods viewed as the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Growing Together: A Tree Stewardship & Workforce Development Program “will expand local tree canopy, establish two public food forests and provide workforce development opportunities” to those living in the Alegre, Victory Acres, University Heights and Escalante neighborhoods and the Town of Guadalupe, according to a release. 

The communities selected come from Tempe’s Justice40 Zones. Justice40 is a White House initiative that aims for 40% of all federal funding “to support disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved and overburdened by pollution,” the release stated.

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said “the goal of this project is to promote community wealth-building, equitable urban cooling and resilience to extreme heat.”

The city has researched issues with heat in vulnerable communities and invested in such areas as urban forestry and green stormwater runoff.

“These human-centered, nature-based solutions will expand tree canopy coverage, create economic opportunity and promote food access while centering community neighborhoods that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” Woods said.

Tempe’s Growing Together: A Tree Stewardship & Workforce Development Program will use  $1.6 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management over approximately three years, city officials said.