This page displays a collection of environmental and sustainability online videos on the living urban environment. Community and urban landscaping, even in the densest urban spaces, has the potential to support a diversity of plants and wildlife. Designing urban spaces to include trees, plants, flowers, and grasses can add beauty while simultaneously improving air quality, absorbing carbon dioxide, and lowering ambient air temperature. Landscaping also reduces paved surface area, and as a result it aids ground water retention and improves water quality. From simple street trees to intricate urban parks, sustainable landscaping can improve the quality of life for people who live, work, and play in urban areas.

The living urban environment consists of a diverse range of places including public parks, paths and trails, arboretums, public gardens, open spaces, urban riparian corridors, easements, and roadsides. Some specific environmental topics within urban landscaping include xeriscaping and other water conservation measures, use of native plants, low or no chemical landscaping, and integrated pest management.

Benefits of Urban Forests. Urban forests are essential to our health, happiness, well-being, state of mind and sense of community. In this video, you'll meet people who'll tell you why they love their urban forests and what they're doing to protect and restore them. About 6 minutes. Play Video >>

Treecycle America: Certified Urban Forestry. A TEDx presentation by Damon Barron. Millions of pounds of urban tree debris are thrown away every year. Planting the right species can create a commodity in the urban forest rather than a waste product. Barron sees a need to pay more attention to the local resource at hand, regardless where that might be. About 11 minutes. Play Video >>

Urban Forests and Their Ecosystem Services. Presentation by David Nowak. This video focuses on the trees in cities that comprise an urban forest. Nowak’s work investigates the make-up of vegetation in cities and quantifies the benefits provided by urban vegetation to the environment, the economy and human health. About 35 minutes. Play Video >>

Urban Forests Equals Cleaner, Cooler Air. This animation explains how to use urban forests to fight air pollution and the urban heat island effect. See how cities can add millions of trees. About 4 minutes. Play Video >>

Urban Forest Health Benefits. Metro nature, including trees, parks, gardens, and natural areas, enhance quality of life in cities and towns. Urban forestry improves human health and well-being in many ways. Nearly 40 years of scientific studies tell us how. About 2 minutes. Play Video >>

From Street Trees to Sustainability. Examines our current capabilities to quantify the benefits provided by trees within a metropolitan area, including air and water pollution mitigation, carbon sequestration, urban heat island mitigation, and reduced energy demand. Also examines the challenges of planning and managing urban forests to optimize benefits through selecting tree species and determining planting locations. About 23 minutes. Play Video >>

Community Gardens: Different Types. There are many types of community gardens: neighborhood gardens, allotment gardens, communal gardens, children's gardens, and gardens that provide vocational training. Each type has benefits and concerns to consider before making a choice. About 4 minutes. Play Video >>

Building Community One Garden at a Time. TEDx presentation by Zoe Hansen-DiBello. Hansen-DiBello shares the stories of connection and community in her work with public schools and community gardens, growing healthy food and community simultaneously. About 13 minutes. Play Video >>

Sustainable Landscapes: The Road to Healthy Public Spaces. Learn from working professionals how to maintain landscapes using Integrated Pest Management as well as a variety of other efficient, cost-effective sustainable practices. About 45 minutes. Play Video >>

Saving Money with Your Home Landscape. Here's how the landscape outside your home can lower energy use and utility bills on the inside. From the American Society of Landscape Architects sustainable landscapes series, see how smart tree placement and green roofs and walls dramatically improve energy efficiency. About 3 minutes. Play Video >>

Reanimating Public Space Through Sustainable Design. A TEDxMiddlebury presentation by Adrian Benepe. A Senior Vice President and Director of City Park Development for The Trust for Public Land, Benepe is one of the nation's leading experts on the nexus of the public, private, and non-profit sectors in public space development and management. About 17 minutes. Play Video >>

Going Native: Urban Landscaping For Wildlife With Native Plants. Describes the problems caused by invasive, exotic plants and explains why landscaping with native plants is better for wildlife and for the environment. About 10 minutes. Play Video >>

Intro to Urban Forestry - Science, Technology & Real Life Experience. Why do we need our urban forests and green infrastructure, and why should we care? University of Maryland students share their experiences. About 8 minutes. Play Video >>

Put Your Urban Forest in the Spotlight. See how cities big and small are leveraging GIS and remote sensing technologies for urban tree canopy goal setting. Better understand the tools available to place your urban forest in the decision-maker's spotlight. Find out how imaging helps create partnerships and identify funding sources. About 4 minutes. Play Video >>

Urban Forestry and Arboriculture Workshop. An urban forestry and arboriculture workshop given by Dr. Kim Coder in Albany, GA on growing trees in urban environments, urban soils, pruning, pathology, and entomology. About 2 hours 30 minutes. Play Video >>

Urban Forestry - Making Trees Work for Your Community. A video produced by Alabama Power on the importance of taking care of older trees in an urban setting, especially near power lines. About 14 minutes. Play Video >>