Cooling Newark: Aspiring Environmental Engineer Tackles Urban Heat Island with Tree Cover

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Julianna Dail. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Julianna Dail, an 18-year-old aspiring environmental engineer, is particularly intrigued by sustainable housing and curbing the effects of urban heat islands. It’s the latter of these interests that moved her to create Trees for Equity to address associated environmental, health, social, economic and infrastructure issues these regions are afflicted with. To do this, she increases the tree canopy and educates the public about the problem and practical solutions.

So far, Julianna has reached more than 800 students between her virtual course and in-person workshops emphasizing the importance of tree canopy coverage. She has participated in over 200 tree plantings in collaboration with partners, often giving speeches at the events. Her website has garnered 1,000+ tree request referrals, through which private residents are connected with organizations like the New Jersey Tree Foundation for planting. The process is free, but the requester is asked to practice consistent watering until the tree can live independently. Trees for Equity has also created an opportunity for Julianna to practice her nature photography, a creative pursuit outside of the scientific logic she deploys in her educational and nonprofit work.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I’ve grown up volunteering. I go to an all-girls Catholic High School, and we do a lot of service. It’s always been a huge part of my life.

A few years ago, I took a class on environmental science through SUNY-Canton, and I read up on air pollution and extreme heat. Sadly, a lot of underrepresented communities are disproportionately affected by these issues, so I did a lot of research to learn more about urban heat islands. I’ve always loved engineering, and this was an issue where I could use engineering to help.

What is an urban heat island?

They’re urban areas that are much hotter than surrounding regions due to a variety of factors including human activity, a high population density, a lot of tall infrastructure and factors of industrialization. These communities are often underserved or BIPOC populations. Due to the historical practice of redlining, they were denied financial assistance and weren’t able to help themselves in terms of environmental issues, because they couldn’t afford air conditioning or air purifiers. As a result, these regions have become pockets of heat and air pollution. My initiative focuses on Newark, New Jersey, an urban heat island with a heat index of 8.0. It’s one of the worst in the country.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Trees for Equity.

I’ve looked at many different solutions. Cheaper options were not as sustainable, but their sustainable counterparts were much more expensive. For low-income communities, costly solutions aren’t feasible. Planting trees is simple but effective. In large numbers, trees are highly effective at cooling down areas through evapotranspiration, which is essentially when they release water through their leaves.
Through my organization, I do a combination of spreading awareness about urban heat islands and environmental injustice as well as offering practical solutions. As the founder and president, I oversee all of our activities including tree plantings, workshops and partnerships.

Describe your heat island research with Dr. Mike Alonso’s lab at American University and how you used it to help your community.

I joined his work in Baltimore, Detroit and Boise. Those are also urban heat islands, though not as extreme as New York. We used Google Earth imagery to take 500 random data points and classify them based on their land cover–water, concrete, impervious surface or tree canopy. Using those classifications, we could determine what percent of these cities were tree canopy.

Once I’d finished my research with him, he mentored me through my own project in which I focused specifically on Newark. I used the same techniques but calculated the percentage of tree canopy and pervious surface, which is grass or areas that trees can be planted on, to analyze tree canopy trends over the past 20 years. Then, I sent that information to local environmental organizations to inform their work on how many trees need to be planted and where.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

I enjoy the workshops. I have a virtual one on my website that people can share, but I’ve also gone to local libraries and the Tenafly Nature Center. Additionally, I teach elementary school students, many of whom haven’t been introduced to environmental issues yet. They become passionate quickly. It’s amazing to see young students inspired to make a difference in the world.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned how supportive people are. When I first started this organization, I thought it was going to be hard to spread awareness and form partnerships, but there is a community out there that shares my passion. Once I found it, the work became even more enjoyable.

How can readers take steps to address heat island issues where they live, whether or not they have space for an extra tree?

First, they can show up to tree plantings. The New Jersey Tree Foundation runs many that are open to the public. You can sign up and help plant trees. I also have links on my website for people to donate time, equipment and money. And I have tree referrals on my website. Even if people don’t have space in their backyard, asking for a tree referral for your town can be helpful. Sometimes trees can be planted on a sidewalk, so if you’re near one, you can technically still plant on your property.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I’m just one person in one organization, but I can already see the difference that I’ve made in the communities that I’ve worked in and in the students I’ve taught. It’s really just important to pursue your interests and to do something you’re passionate about, and it will pay off. Sometimes, people don’t realize that environmental issues affect all of us. It’s a pressing issue, and people are starting to realize that.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Julianna? Find local volunteer opportunities.