With businesses like ONErpm generously supporting replanting projects, the task becomes a lot easier.
ONErpm founder Emmanuel Zunz lives in East Nashville, and wanted to give back to his neighborhood after the storms. Zunz had the idea to support tree planting while spending time running and walking his German shepherd in the neighborhood.
“I love trees, and I just thought it was an easy way to give back and it’s needed in the neighborhood — supporting tree planting just seemed the clear and obvious thing to do,” Zunz said. “Trees are good for the environment and they provide psychological help and mental health. There are really many reasons why I wanted to support this, and it’s something I love. I want to see beautiful trees in the neighborhood.”
Trees make a huge difference in the way a neighborhood feels, Zunz said.
“It’s definitely sadder — there are so many houses being rebuilt still and fewer trees make everything harsher. That’s really unfortunate but what I loved about right after the tornado was that everybody came out helping each other and it was really inspiring, being outside and seeing everyone help out. The community really pulled together,” Zunz said.
Nashville is indeed special in that way, as so many of us experienced starting with the tornado, and lasting all throughout 2020. Originally from Virginia, Zunz and his team opened the ONErpm office in Nashville in 2015 and he moved here shortly after in 2016.
“People are so proud to be from Nashville, and that’s something I really love about living here. It’s a place people enjoy living. People are happy here. In East Nashville, I like the old houses and the independent spirit. There’s a great music community and it has a good progressive vibe with a lot of things to do. It’s an easy place to live,” Zunz said.
There are so many ways to give back to our city — not just through philanthropy and financial support, but also through volunteering and spreading awareness.
“What I saw in the neighborhood after the tornado, and then in the months that followed, is that people were supporting each other on a more regular basis. Helping out neighbors when you can,” Zunz said. “The country seems to be so divided and this is an eclectic town with lots of points of view but we treat each other with respect here — I think we all want to see more of that! I hope we can continue to build together and make this place even more beautiful.”
Zunz and ONErpm sponsored the planting of 150 1”-caliper trees to East Nashville — 130 to the Rosebank and Barclay Drive area, and another 20 closer to Lockeland Springs. ONErpm is a company that provides resources like marketing, technology, and licensing to musicians and creators — a more modern and less traditional record label, as Zunz describes. It’s a global business with 20 offices around the world, including here in Nashville.
Thank you to Emmanuel and ONErpm for the generous replanting support! If you are interested in supporting these efforts, please reach out to us at hello@rootnashville.org to have a conversation.
