Community Greening Awards
The Garden’s Community Greening Awards recognize the work individuals, businesses, municipalities, and community organizations do to create beautiful, sustainable, usable green spaces within their neighborhoods. Each year, multiple awardees receive a one-year membership to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Certificate of Greening, professional hand pruners, and recognition at our Annual Meeting in June.
Submit your nomination for 2026 awardees here.
Award Criteria:
Awards will be evaluated on how well they meet these standards. Projects do not need to fulfill all these criteria to be considered, but need to be located in the New England region.
- Enhances the space, as well as the environment
- Exhibits plant diversity
- Shows positive use of native plants
- Promotes food security
- Supports pollinators
- Mitigates urban heat island effects
- Improves stormwater management
- Showcases an innovative design
- Demonstrates sustainable and ecologically beneficial practices such as: reducing water use, avoiding herbicides and pesticides, reducing carbon emissions, keeping existing materials and resources onsite, using natural, reused, and up-cycled materials, and avoiding potentially harmful plants.
All public green space should be planted and maintained in accordance with the city or town’s guidelines where the project is located.