Zonta Club of Malden celebrates Earth Day

The Zonta Club of Malden celebrated Earth Day with a tree planting at Forest Dale Cemetery in Malden. As part of Zonta International’s Zonta Says NOW To Gender-Equal Climate Action cause, the organization recognized Earth Day as a day of equality. The event focused on increasing awareness of climate change and its gender-related consequences.

The City of Malden Tree Warden, Chris Rosa, demonstrated how to plant a tree and explained the environmental benefits of a tree canopy. He was joined by Erica Holm, a certified arborist, who explained how trees help to absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen and provide habitat for various species, contributing to a healthier and more sustainable environment.

The Jefferson elm tree, which will display a plaque noting that it was donated by the Zonta Club of Malden, was planted close to the memorial site of Judge Emma Fall Scholfield. Judge Scholfield officially organized and chartered the Zonta Club of Malden and was a woman of “firsts”: the first woman to work as a probation officer in Western Massachusetts, first woman to serve as commissioner on the Massachusetts Industrial Accident Board, first woman to serve as Assistant Attorney General in New England and first woman appointed to the District Court bench. She served the Malden District Court from 1930 until 1957.