As a political science major at Allegheny, Erika Svensen '90 first learned about global environmental problems. Today, she fulfills her collegiate aspiration to make a difference by working as an urban forester, bringing communities closer to the natural world. Svensen is the director of Green Thumb, a program in New York City with the goal of bridging the gap between urban areas and the environment.
People often misconstrue our role as 'beautifying' the city, but it goes far beyond that.
Thanks to Green Thumb, New York City now boasts 750 more parks. These areas frequently serve as counseling areas, community centers, recreational spots, or just places that offer families a respite from city life. And in addition to increasing canopy cover and creating a vast number of environmental oases, Svensen says Green Thumb even takes some credit for redirecting drug dealers away from street corners that have been turned into mini-parks. After graduating from Allegheny, Svensen worked for the Rockefeller Foundation in its Global Environment Program. The program approached the environment in an interdisciplinary fashion, gathering professionals from diverse fields to collaborate on new approaches to problems.