{"id":15395,"date":"2025-09-22T11:54:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T16:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.treefolks.org\/?p=15395"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:51:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:51:44","slug":"rooted-in-wonder-amelia-devivo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.treefolks.org\/es\/2025\/09\/22\/rooted-in-wonder-amelia-devivo\/","title":{"rendered":"Rooted in Wonder: How Amelia DeVivo Connects Trees, Teaching, and Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“We exist to be in community\u2014not just with people, but with the non-human world too.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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For Amelia DeVivo<\/strong>, her love of nature began in a backyard in Michigan. A giant tree with a rope swing became a centerpiece of joy and adventure, a place where she and her brothers would leap into the air and into childhood memories. That tree, as she tells it, was more than just a plaything. It was family, community, and freedom all rolled into one. \u201cIt was a very stable, consistent presence,\u201d she says. \u201cIt brought us together.\u201d That early connection planted a seed in Amelia that would shape her entire life.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t

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“We are not separate from nature\u2014we are nature.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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Years later, Amelia brought that same spirit into the classroom. After moving to Austin and serving with AmeriCorps in Title I schools, she became a reading specialist, working primarily with lower-income communities. Even as she guided young minds through books and language, her heart remained outdoors. She saw the disconnect many students had from the natural world, and it sparked new questions: How do we teach a conservation ethic? How do we heal the planet and ourselves at the same time? Her curiosity led her back to school to study geography and urban ecology, where she focused on who has access to nature and how that access shapes lives. \u201cI wanted to build programs that not only connect people to nature but also center equity and justice,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t

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That deep love for both people and place comes through in the stories she tells. She recalls taking students to Circle Acres Nature Preserve to measure ancient cottonwoods. They wrapped measuring tape around massive trunks, some towering over 150 feet tall, and were struck with awe. \u201cWe were just stunned to know this existed in our own city,\u201d she remembers. A photograph she took that day\u2014three students gazing out over a waterway\u2014captures a quiet moment of wonder she\u2019ll never forget. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t even see their faces,\u201d she says, \u201cbut you could feel it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

“You may never sit in the shade of the tree you plant, but you do it anyway\u2014because it\u2019s the right thing to do.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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Her work isn\u2019t just grounded in education; it\u2019s also spiritual. Amelia is a yoga practitioner and teacher, and she sees her time in nature as an extension of that practice. \u201cBeing in natural spaces teaches you presence,\u201d she reflects. \u201cIt\u2019s not about achievement, it\u2019s about just being.\u201d Nature, like yoga, gives her a sense of freedom and perspective. It\u2019s a reminder that she\u2019s not the main event, but a supporting character in something much bigger. \u201cIt helps you live more gently with yourself and others.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

“I don\u2019t want to accept the status quo. There\u2019s still an activist in me, pushing to demand more.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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Today, Amelia works with the City of Austin as a bridge between government and community. Her role is about more than policy; it\u2019s about connection. She leads efforts to ensure that neighborhoods with less access to trees and shade are heard, included, and empowered. \u201cThat\u2019s what the Tree Ambassadors program is all about,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re hiring and training community members to lead reforestation efforts where they live. It\u2019s not just about planting trees. It\u2019s about planting power.\u201d She lights up when talking about it, describing how government and grassroots efforts can come together to create lasting change.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t

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“Being in nature reminds me that I\u2019m not the main event, and that\u2019s actually a beautiful thing.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
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Amelia\u2019s dreams stretch far beyond today. When asked what she hopes for those who will one day sit beneath the trees she\u2019s helped plant, she grows quiet for a moment. Then she answers: \u201cI hope they have clean air, clean water, and a deep connection with the natural world. I hope they understand that they are not separate from nature\u2014they <\/span>are<\/span><\/i> nature.\u201d It\u2019s a beautiful, simple truth that underlines everything she does. Whether through teaching, planting, practicing yoga, or building community, Amelia is helping shape a world where people live more compassionately, with each other and with the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

“Tree Ambassadors isn\u2019t just about planting trees\u2014it\u2019s about planting power in the hands of the community.”<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t
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Interested in becoming part of this vision?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Amelia now leads the City of Austin\u2019s <\/strong><\/span>Tree Ambassadors<\/i><\/strong> program, a unique opportunity for residents to become local leaders in reforestation, community building, and environmental justice. If you\u2019re curious about how you can help bring trees and connection to your neighborhood, we invite you to learn more and get involved. Because, as Amelia reminds us, we are all part of nature\u2014and it\u2019s time we start living like it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you passionate about trees, the environment, and your community? Become a City of Austin Tree Ambassador and voice for your neighborhood’s green spaces!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t

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As a Tree Ambassador, You Will:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n