Virginia Teen Wins National Award for Founding Nonprofit 'Planting Shade'

Evan Nied Planting Shade Planting trees Teenager making a difference

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Aug 24, 10:39 am

Photo: (Photo : KAREN BLEIER/AFP via Getty Images)

Evan Nied described himself in his Instagram biography as "The Literal and Figurative Embodiment of the Lorax," the title character of Dr. Seuss' popular 1971 children's book who stands up for trees.

That is not far from the truth because, according to Nied, he loves trees very much. The 18-year-old is the founder of Planting Shade, a nonprofit organization that has planted about 12,000 trees in the United States and other countries such as Costa Rica.

He is also an Eagle Scout and the teen who broke the gender barrier to become the first prince of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival. His most recent accomplishment, however, was because of his Lorax tendencies. He captured a national award for his tree-planting work, and he is showing no signs of stopping as he plans to continue expanding his nonprofit.

Nied started the nonprofit in 2018 after Hurricane Florence hit

Nied started his organization back in 2018, when he was just a high school freshman, according to the Associated Press. Hurricane Florence forced his family back then to evacuate, making him question how he could make a difference in the future.

He figured out that planting trees is so vital in Virginia Beach, a place that is a flood-prone area. Nied provided a tour recently of some of the 110 or so trees his organization helped plant in the Ashville Park development near Pungo. Those trees will make a difference as they could help stem flooding in the future.

Nied also wants Planting Shade to collaborate with educators so that environmental education will be open to everyone. He said he did not learn much about the ecosystem or environment as a public school student. He did learn how to be an effective activist through his experiences as a high school student in Virginia Beach.

Nied wins top award for his work with nonprofit

When Nied's grandmother saw something about a national contest for Jewish teenagers trying to make a difference, she immediately thought of him. For a teen volunteer to be eligible for the contest, they must be a leader in a project that tries to repair the world. The award, which comes with a huge $36,000 prize, is given to 15 Jewish teenagers annually in the United States.

Nied applied for the prize and won. He is still unsure what he will do with the money, but the funds he won can only be used for college or the recipient's organization. Nied is receiving his award in San Francisco and will attend a retreat with the other winners. He said that he is excited to learn from them as well.

He will start his freshman year at the University of Virginia shortly after. Nied will be a Jefferson and Echols scholar there, meaning he likely won't have as large a role in Planting Shade. The work continues for the nonprofit, as Nied said he had designed the organization so that high schoolers remain at the forefront.