GreenER is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization which collaborates with towns and cities to restore historically significant Greens and parks, while involving residents of every age in the planning, funding and building process.

​

GreenER was founded during 2017 by two 15-year-olds and an 8-year-old (Cole Ablow, Ryan Haas and Jack Furneaux) who wanted to improve the environments of their home towns and celebrate American history by restoring historically significant public parks, starting with the Upper Green, in Newbury, Massachusetts.  They were soon joined in their quest by Lindsay Elston, 15, from Philadelphia.  They also recruited Clodagh Bartholomew, a student at Salem State University, as an advisor.

​

This group of young people, aided by a Board of Directors comprised of their parents, has already navigated the process of obtaining a 501(c)(3) designation for GreenER and obtaining approval for Phase I of the Newbury Upper Green restoration from the Newbury, MA Board of Selectmen.  This involved the young team soliciting and obtaining feedback and support from the Newbury, MA Recreational Committee, Historical Society, Tree Warden and other stakeholders.

​

As the Newbury Upper Green restoration unfolds during spring and summer, 2018, [2019] the GreenER team will identify the next site upon which to focus its efforts.  Given the current participation of students from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (with others likely to become involved), that site may be in New England or in another region of the country.  Over time, GreenER will strive to restore many historic Greens across America.  In so doing, the GreenER team will be enhancing towns, preserving and highlighting the historical importance of those towns and providing individuals and families with recreation, education and a sense of belonging—to the local community and to the fabric of the great nation Americans have built over the last 242 years.