Adopt a linden tree

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Iaşi (FUA)

Region

Europe

Native title of the NBS intervention

Adoptă un tei

Short description of the intervention

"Adopt a linden tree" is a project that involved the planting and adoption of linden trees in the city of Iași, spanning from 2019 to 2023 across three editions (1 to 8). The campaign was spearheaded by the National Athenaeum of Iași, in collaboration with the Mihai Eminescu Association from Vienna (2). This initiative was launched in celebration of the Athenaeum's 100th anniversary, and it specifically chose the linden tree because of its deep-rooted symbolism in the city of Iași. The tree is not only a natural landmark but also carries cultural and historical weight, as it is closely associated with Romania’s national poet, Mihai Eminescu, who is known for his love of linden trees.
In 2019, 100 linden trees were planted, a number that was repeated in 2020. In the 2023 edition, 50 trees were added, bringing the total number of trees planted through this project to 250 (1 & 4 & 5). An important and unique aspect of the initiative is the "adoption" of the trees by volunteers who participated in the campaign. These volunteers not only lent their names to the trees but also took on the responsibility for their care, ensuring the trees' survival and growth until they reached maturity .
Volunteers were encouraged to participate, and the campaign was supported by donations from individuals, businesses, and public institutions. The municipality of Iași also contributed by providing funds, approving the initiative, and preparing the land through its subsidiary, Servicii Publice Iași S.A., reflecting strong public-private collaboration.
Beyond its cultural significance, the campaign aimed to achieve several other objectives. These included enhancing the city’s aesthetics, promoting community engagement, and improving the quality of life in Iași by contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment . The initiative also aimed to raise environmental awareness among residents and foster a stronger sense of responsibility toward the natural world. (1-8)

Website of the intervention

https://www.ateneuiasi.ro/adopta-un-tei/

Principal problems

Environmental Degradation

Air pollution

Land use and Socio-economic change

Rapid urbanization

Health, Well-being and Social cohesion

Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)

Disconnection from nature

Poor community engagement

Implementation area characterization

Climate

Continental (Cold-summer humid continental, Cold-winter dry continental, Cold-summer dry continental)

Ecosystem

Urban or built environment

Address

Rond Agronomie
700496 Iași
Romania

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary (map-based)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

Google maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rond+Copou/@47.1812593,27.5606997,3061m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x40cafd0bc3b2dbcf:0x958f88352bd71e9a!8m2!3d47.1906444!4d27.5588158!16s%2Fg%2F11h915njmw?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwMi4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Area description

Urban (main city)

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Roads / Roadsides

Central Business District / City Centre

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2019

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2019

End date of the intervention

2023

Present stage of the intervention

Completed

2. Objectives of the intervention

Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

To improve the aesthetics of the city.
To involve, engage and empower the community in decision making processes, and activities that required planting and maintenance of trees
To create a healthy environment for future generations by improving air quality.
To preserve and promote the city's cultural and historical heritage through symbolic actions.
To raise awareness about the importance of green spaces in the city.
To combat CO2 and air pollution by planting trees that store CO2 and release oxygen. (1-8)

Key Priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)

Social Justice and community

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)

Climate change mitigation

Environmental quality

Air quality improvement

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Cultural heritage and cultural diversity

Preservation of historic traditions

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Improving physical health

Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)

Inclusive governance

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Sense of community and community engagement

Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential

Implementation activities and NBS focus

Implementation activities

The initiative involved the planting of a total of 250 linden trees over the course of three editions, with volunteers playing a key role in the process, alongside the leading NGO that implemented the action. The NGO issued a call to civil society, inviting proposals for planting locations in different parts of the city. Following this, the team approached the mayor's office, obtained the necessary approvals, and focused their efforts on the Tătăraşi cultural axis, including the Tătăraşi neighborhood where the National Athenaeum of Iași is located, extending up to the pedagogical high school and Copou, creating the Tătăraşi-Copou cultural axis. Institutions that supported the project joined in the effort to beautify the city. The trees were planted along the streets of Iași after the terrain was prepared in accordance with procedures set by public institutions. Each tree was named after the volunteer who planted it, fostering symbolic connections between the participants and the trees, while also entrusting the volunteers with their care to ensure the trees reach maturity (requiring periodic checks and reporting any needed cleaning, toileting, or treatments to the NGO). Crowdfunding events were also organized to raise the necessary funds and ensure the project’s success. (1-8)

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Creation of any other green urban spaces

Improved governance of green or blue areas

Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Grey infrastructure featuring greens

Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

Amenities offered by the NBS

Unknown

Design elements for well-being

Visual elements (e.g., expansive views, scenic views, natural light, diverse vegetation)

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Regulating services

Air quality regulation

Carbon storage/sequestration

Cultural services

Aesthetic appreciation

Mental and physical health and wellbeing

Spiritual and / or emblematic (symbolic, sacred and / or religious)

Scale

Spatial scale

Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)

Beneficiaries

Demographics in implementation area

The Tatarasi district, where the actions were carried out, is one of the most densily populated districts of Iasi (9). Nonetheless, it is also regarded by the citizens as a good area to live in compared to other districts in the city, and its air quality is also regarded as being good (10). In comparison to other districts, it also has a higher number of public and community spaces (11, p. 146). Nonetheless the acess to these are challenging it is northern area (11, p. 148).

Socio-economic profile of the area

Unknown

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Unknown

Non-government actors

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches

Primary Beneficiaries

Non-government organisation/Civil Society

Citizens or community groups

Specify primary beneficiaries

-Non-government organisation/Civil Society: "The project enjoyed great popularity, both through the result of online fundraising and through the volunteers who helped to materialize the initiative" (2).
-Citizens or community groups: ""ADOPT A TEI" is a project dedicated to all those who love the city of Iași and who want to contribute to the creation of a healthy environment for future generations" (3).

Marginalized groups

Unknown

Other beneficiaries

Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)

Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Led by non-government actors

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The project was initiated by the National Athenaeum of Iași in collaboration with the Mihai Eminescu Association from Vienna. The partners selected the tree species to plant, organized crowdfunding efforts, and arranged events for planting. The municipality of Iași approved the initiative, partially funded the project, and designated spaces for planting through its subsidiary, Servicii Publice Iași S.A. Support came from various organizations, including the I.S.U.J. Iași (Inspectoratul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă al jud. Iaşi) and the military brigade Brigada 15 Mecanizată „Podu Înalt,” which contributed through volunteer efforts. The private transportation company Teisa also provided financial support. To promote the campaign, the municipal museum „Regina Maria” assisted in outreach. Citizens were encouraged to suggest locations for planting spots and could "adopt" trees, allowing them to name the trees and take responsibility for their care and maintenance. (1-8)

Key actors - initiating organization

Non-government organisation/civil society

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Local government/municipality

Public sector institution

Non-government organisation/civil society

Citizens or community group

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Stages of citizen and community engagement

Planning and design (e.g. site selection, identification of key priorities)

On-the-ground implementation

Monitoring and evaluation of project outcomes

Level of citizen and community engagement

Moderate

Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives

Formation of community-led groups responsible for the the implementation, maintenace or monitoring of the project

Creation of collaborative decision-making processes that actively involve community members

Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Crowd-sourcing/Crowd-funding/Participatory budget

Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Co-management/Joint management

Citizen monitoring and review

Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")

Public Services

Ministry of Defence / military and law enforcement authorities

Private Sector

Private transport companies: railway, bus, airports

Other

Please specify other missing actor

Municipal museum (8).

Land owners

Public space owned by the city

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Unknown

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Enablers & Barriers

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)

Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.

The municipality of Iasi partnered with the NGOs. Financial support also was provided by a private company. (1)

Governace and decison-making instruments

Public - private business agreement (e.g. public private collaborations, public-private-partnerships (PPP))

Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)

Arrangements for governance cooperation

Performance monitoring and evaluation frameworks (e.g. adoption of KPIs, or establishment or monitoring and evaluation processes)

Barriers

Unknown.

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Unknown.

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

Unknown.

Source(s) of funding

Public local authority budget

Corporate investment

Crowdfunding

Type of fund(s) used

Earmarked public budget

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Donations

Non-financial contribution

Yes

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)

Citizens (e.g. volunteering)

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land

Provision of goods

Provision of labour

Provision of expertise

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-governance arrangement

An NGO

Entrepreneurship opportunities

Business models

Risk reduction model

Green densification model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)

5. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Climate change

Enhanced carbon sequestration

Expected enhanced carbon sequestration

Environmental quality

Improved air quality

Expected improved air quality

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Achieved increased green space area

Increased number of species present

Achieved increased number of species present

Description of environmental benefits

-Expected enhanced carbon sequestration: "And an adult linden can absorb, in a year, between 28-67 kg of carbon dioxide and can produce 20-50 kg of oxygen" (3).
-Expected improved air quality: "In addition, it can retain significant amounts of dust which, washed away by the rains, ends up in the soil" (3).
-Achieved increased green space area: "we meet on the Tătăraşi cultural axis, the Tătăraşi neighborhood where the building of the National Athenaeum of Iasi is located and up to the pedagogical high school, to Copou, the Tătăraşi-Copou cultural axis, alongside institutions that have offered us support to beautify the city" (6)
- Achieved number of species present: "The initiative assumed the responsibility of the people of Iași by adopting 100 linden trees, assuming their purchase, planting and care in the areas where they would be needed" (2).

Environmental impact indicators

Carbon storage (kg carbon/m2)

20-50

Economic impacts

Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)

Description of economic benefits

-Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): "thus considering that by getting involved in this project, not only a planting is encouraged of trees, but infinitely more - an "adoption" of the future linden trees (symbol) of Iași" (3).

Social and cultural impact indicators

Number of environmental education programs, workshops, outreach activities (eg. in schools, community centers, public spaces)

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Yes

Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts

Non-government organisation/civil society

Citizens or community group

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Type of indicators

Outcome indicators

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown.

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

No evidence in public records

Cost-benefit analysis

Transparency

Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)

Clear communication channels for stakeholders to provide feedback, raise concerns, and ask questions about the project

Justice

Community satisfaction

Positive: The majority of feedback and reports indicate high levels of satisfaction and appreciation for the NBS project within the community.

Description of locals satisfaction with the project

The first edition of the project reported "high popularity, both through the result of online fundraising and through the volunteers who helped to materialize the initiative" which represents a positive feedback from the community (2).

Trade-offs & Negative impacts

Unknown

Please specify Trade-offs & Negative impacts Selected

Unknown.

Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement

No initiatives or policies were implemented

High-quality & Transformative NBS

Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)

Yes

Goal setting and impacts delivery

No, although benefits were delivered in all the 3 key areas, but in the planning phase, the project did not aim to address issues in all the 3 key priority areas.

Reaching original project goals

Most of the project goals were achieved

Please specify the achievements of the project goals

Climate action Goals:
-Expected enhanced carbon sequestration: "And an adult linden can absorb, in a year, between 28-67 kg of carbon dioxide and can produce 20-50 kg of oxygen" (3).
-Expected improved air quality: "In addition, it can retain significant amounts of dust which, washed away by the rains, ends up in the soil" (3).
-Achieved increased green space area: "we meet on the Tătăraşi cultural axis, the Tătăraşi neighborhood where the building of the National Athenaeum of Iasi is located and up to the pedagogical high school, to Copou, the Tătăraşi-Copou cultural axis, alongside institutions that have offered us support to beautify the city" (6)
- Achieved number of species present: "The initiative assumed the responsibility of the people of Iași by adopting 100 linden trees, assuming their purchase, planting and care in the areas where they would be needed" (2).
Social justice and community:
-Expected improved social cohesion: "they are symbols of the involvement of community members and public institutions in beautifying the city" (2).
-Expected improved liveability: "The National Athenaeum of Iasi not only improves urban aesthetics, but also contributes to a healthier and more sustainable environment for all its residents" (8).
-Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: "The National Athenaeum of Iasi and its partners demonstrate that local actions can have a significant impact on the environment and contribute to creating a more sustainable future" (8); "Adopt a linden is not only about planting, but also about taking care of these wonderful trees, until they grow big and take care of us. That's why we launched many calls to the population, to civil society, to come up with proposals for spaces, in different places of the city, we went to the town hall and got the necessary approvals and we'll see you on the Tătăraşi cultural axis, the Tătăraşi neighborhood where it is located the building of the National Athenaeum in Iaşi and up to the pedagogical high school, up to Copou, the Tătărași-Copou cultural axis, alongside institutions that offered us support to beautify the city." (6)
-Expected improved physical health: "In addition, linden trees also emit phytoncides, i.e. some complex organic substances that destroy the tuberculosis bacillus, the agent of dysentery and some lung diseases" (6).
-Expected improved prevention of respiratory problems: "In addition, linden trees also emit phytoncides, i.e. some complex organic substances that destroy the tuberculosis bacillus, the agent of dysentery and some lung diseases" (6).
-Achieved increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging: "The brand of Iași is also linked to "TEI", having in this sense, in Copou Park, next to the oldest monument in Romania, respectively, the Obelisk with lions and an impressive tree, approximately 540 years old, known as "Eminescu's Linden" (3).

Long-term perspective

Yes

Cost-effective solutions

Equitable impacts

A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project

Transformative capacity

Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)

Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)

Magnitude of change

Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation

Application of lessons learned

Unknown

Perception of Environmental Change

Unknown

NBS Supports ecological or environmental anxiety

Unknown

6. Sources

References

IasiTV Life (2019). Adopta un tei-100 de arbori vor fi plantati intr-o singura zi. Accessed on March 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Ateneul National din Iasi (n.d.). Adoptă un TEI - Ateneu Iași. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

inOras.ro (2019). ADOPTĂ UN TEI - In Oras - Iasi. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

inOras.ro (2023). ADOPTĂ UN TEI - a 3-a ediție - In Oras - Iasi. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

IasiTV Life (2023). Adopta un tei Facebook. Facebook , Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Coronovici, A. (2019 ). Adoptă un tei! - Radio România Internațional. Radio Romania International , Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Paleu, A. (2023). IAȘI_ Campania Adoptă un tei, la a treia ediție . Radio Vacanta , Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Salut Iasi (2023). Un oraș în verde - Campania „Adoptă un tei” transformă peisajul urban. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Inter Imobiliare (2020). Prezentare cartier Tătăraşi. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

10.

STORIA (n.d.). TRAI Storia Tatarasi Sud . Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

11.

UAT Municipiul Iasi (2020). STRATEGIA INTEGRATĂ DE DEZVOLTARE URBANĂ A MUNICIPIULUI IAȘI ȘI A ZONEI METROPOLITANE 2021 - 2030. p. 146 & 148 Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Comments and notes

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