GreenRoots works to improve the quantity and quality of open, green spaces, provides greater recreational opportunities for residents, and engages in aggressive tree planting to increase tree canopy cover throughout our community. We also advance placemaking projects when led by and for the community and in an effort to foster greater social connectivity!

Two women planting flowers in a garden planter.

Chelsea residents do not have equal access to open, green, or recreational spaces as other communities do. Only 3% of Chelsea’s land is dedicated to parks and recreation, whereas the national median is 15%.

The Trust for Public Land. (n.d.) Chelsea, Massachusetts. Retrieved from https://www.tpl.org/city/chelsea-massachusetts

  • Two youth and a woman planting flowers in a garden planter in a newly converted park, there is a bouncy house in the background.

    Increase Open Green Space

    Advocating for and leading efforts to create new parks, renovate old parks, and increase open green space.

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    Transformed Abandoned Lots

    Transformed an abandoned lot into a highly utilized park and community garden at Judie Dyer Park and Anita’s Place Youth Garden.

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    Park Renovations

    Renovated playgrounds, including Dever Park and Bosson Park. Designed, fundraiser, and oversaw the construction of Creekside Commons Park.

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    Tree Cover

    Planted and advocated for the planting of thousands of street trees.

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    Murals & Art

    Led the community revitalization and mural painting of the Chelsea Walk.

Contact Us

  • A young hispanic woman smiling with her arms crossed. She has curly hair and is wearing a black top and a cream jacket.

    Jazmin Castellón

    Climate Justice Organizer

    she, her, hers

    JazminC@greenrootsej.org

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    Jazmin Castellón (she, her, hers)

    Jazmin is full of Chelsea Pride and a passion for all things that are alive. She is excited to be a part of the fight to foster community and access to nature in the very same community that offered her family a home in the United States.

    Jazmin graduated from Boston University with a Bachelors in Biology and Marine Science in 2020. Since then she has worked as a teacher in Chelsea, both at the ILP and various local youth groups. During the pandemic, she researched longitudinal immunity in COVID patients. Later, she worked with NOAA collecting data on commercial fishing vessels to inform their policy and marine conservation efforts. Each of these experiences taught her different skills and shaped the lens through which she sees the world. She is excited to continue sharpening her professional toolkit and shaping her perspective on the world through her work at Greenroots.

    In her free time, she loves to further explore the world through hiking and food. She loves to identify different plant and animal species on her hikes and learn about their different dynamics. She also loves to try different foods by patronizing restaurants around the world and recreating her favorites. 
     

  • A woman with a black blazer and and her hair pulled back with long earrings.

    Noemy Rodriguez

    Waterfront Initiative Organizer

    she, her, hers

    NoemyR@greenrootsej.org

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    Noemy Rodriguez (she, her, hers)

    Noemy is Salvadoreña. She graduated high school in El Salvador and completed two years in the University Panamerican of El Salvador. In 2013, Noemy moved to East Boston for a better quality of life and easy access to the MBTA. When living in East Boston, Noemy faced eviction with three of her young sons which is when she got heavily involved with organizing around displacement with City Life / Vida Urbana as a community member. Since then, she’s organized East Boston residents facing similar struggles. Noemy is a dynamic leader who is widely recognized for her perseverance, ability to organize and her constant positivity. She has participated in various public forums, presentations and community events.

    In her free time. She enjoys inviting people to join the movement, la lucha, for a better life free of forced displacement, free from depression, and for environmental justice to ensure clean air for all families in her neighborhood of East Boston.

  • A man with salt and pepper hair with a tan shirt standing in front of the Chelsea Creek.

    John Walkey

    Director of Climate Justice & Waterfront Initiatives

    he, him, his

    JohnW@greenrootsej.org

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    John Walkey (he, him, his)

    John is an East Boston resident who has been a committed advocate for environmental justice and immigrant rights in his neighborhood for the past twenty years. Starting in 2017, John has led GreenRoots’ work in East Boston and along the waterfront of the Chelsea Creek. John worked for a decade in hazard risk assessment and mitigation, and natural resource management in Central America and the Caribbean for NGOs, the US government, and the United Nations. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Archaeological Sciences from Boston University and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Program Events

More events will be posted soon.

News

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Your support is crucial in ensuring our work continues.

For 30 years, GreenRoots has restored acres of urban salt marsh, created new parks, increased public access to the waterfront and improved the water quality of Chelsea Creek.

Our organizing model is rooted in base-building and community, and your help makes us a stronger force. A contribution to GreenRoots means an investment in the futures of Chelsea and East Boston!

Donate Now

Chelsea residents sitting in the newly created green space at 212 Congress Ave, Chelsea, MA.