If you’re driving toward Downtown Pittsburgh on Bigelow Boulevard, look — on a slope between the Bloomfield Bridge and Herron Avenue — for a billboard encouraging people to plant trees.
The use of the billboard was won at a charity auction (benefiting Sojourner House that serves addicted mothers and their children) by Pittsburgh writer and artist janet jai.
“Save the planet, plant a tree,” it reads. “Autumn is a perfect time to plant a tree.” Hence the golden leaves on the oak being lifted by two pairs of hands -— one Black and one white.
Ms. jai, of Highland Park — who spells her name with lowercase letters and runs a communications company called Vision and Values — created the concept and wrote the copy, then worked with a billboard designer to bring it to life.
It’s set to remain up through Nov. 7.
“Planting a tree is a great outdoor family activity,” and one that can offset climate change, she notes. “If you can’t plant a tree yourself, I encourage you to support a tree-planting nonprofit like Tree Pittsburgh locally or the Arbor Day Foundation nationally.”
Ms. jai says she’s gotten a lot of positive feedback since the billboard debuted on Oct. 11. As one friend put it, “This is beautiful!”
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: October 31, 2021, 11:00 a.m.