U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan was thrilled, Thursday, when a tree was planted in her honor, on a bright, sunny spring morning, in Everhart Park.

The native flowering dogwood will flower for a couple of weeks annually, with a burst of color, usually from the end of April and into May. The dogwood joins many varieties of mature trees along rolling hills and at site of a new playground in Everhart Park.

The event was hosted by the Chester County Citizens Climate Lobby to honor the Congresswoman for her efforts to preserve the environment. She is the new Co-Chair of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Committee.

Houlahan said that climate change will be battled through bi-partisan efforts

“To me, working on climate change initiatives is more than just something I get to do, but it’s something that we collectively have to do and it’s a moral obligation,” Houlahan said. “The climate crisis impacts nearly every aspect of our lives and every aspect of American life.”

Houlahan is a member of both the Armed Services Committee and the Intelligence Committee. She mentioned two bills that she is proud of: the Inflation Reduction Act; and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Most importantly, the IRA, signed into law in 2022, is the most comprehensive climate legislation in history.

“I know the name doesn’t sound like it but it takes tremendous steps to help our climate by investing over $360 billion in climate and clean energy, including more measures to prevent soil erosion than since the Dust Bowl,” She said.

The congresswomen has made the climate change issue a priority as it relates to national security.

County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said that funding secured in part by Houlahan will help pay for the hiring of a Chester County sustainability director and plans to add EV charging stations to county parks.

Maxwell is excited that residents will be able to walk and play in the parks for thirty minutes, or an hour or so, especially those without a garage, while their cars charge. Maxwell also noted that 70 percent of county residents live within a mile of a public park.

Matt Zencey is with Chester County Citizens Climate Lobby and lauded Houlahan.

“Chrissy gets the science,” he said about climate change. “She knows: scientists agree, it’s real, it’s us, it’s bad but there is hope.”

He also mentioned that Congress is not a fair playing field and Houlahan is not afraid to push for the big solutions.

Margaret Hudgings works with the West Chester Green Team.

“Rep. Houlahan is standing up for the environment and working cooperatively in congress to advance environmental goals,” Hudgings said. “Having a tree planted in her honor is a first, she said.

“How lovely to celebrate her environmental work in this way.

“As Rep Houlahan mentioned in her remarks, green concerns have become more bipartisan and more mainstream, something we are certainly seeing here in West Chester.”

Nathaniel Smith is also a member of the grassroots organization, the Green Team.

“As Chrissy said, fighting climate change is a moral obligation today, and also a practical one, as Chester County saw firsthand from Hurricane Ida what destructive forces climate change is unleashing,” Smith said. “Her reaching across the aisle to promote the fight against climate change is very encouraging, including with a bipartisan U.S. team attending the UN’s last two Conferences of the parties on climate change.

“If our legislators are going to be able to do anything to help save the world from an unlivable climate, Chrissy will play an important role in it, and all of her constituents should be grateful to her.”