I am TreePeople: Isabel Zavian

December 8, 2016

“Every person holds the power to make a positive impact in their community.” -Isabel Zavian.

Isabel is a changemaker.

Born and raised in the LA area, Isabel Zavian grew up hiking our park’s trails.

Seeing the effects the drought had on our park’s stressed trees, she felt moved to action.

Once during a stay at summer camp in Lake Arrowhead, she saw that many of her fellow campers weren’t conserving water. It sparked a passion in her to raise awareness to youth just like her to make a difference.

Isabel went on to be in the inaugural class of Councilman Krekorian’s San Fernando Valley Youth Leadership Academy. One day, the group visited our park headquarters for a Drought Solutions Tour. She was forever changed and took her learnings back to her campus.

Isabel, Councilmember Krekorian and the rest of the inaugural class celebrating the end of the summer program.
Isabel, Councilmember Krekorian and the rest of the inaugural class celebrating the end of the summer program.

Planting Seeds of Change

Isabel surveyed Third and Fifth Grade students at her school to learn if they knew about the drought’s effects on LA. Students buzzed with questions that reached far beyond our region’s current drought issues. They hungered for more– like how far our tap water travels and what water is used for in our City.

She was energized when she saw the kids’ passionate curiosity, so she started a new 2017 calendar project featuring the kids’ drawings on how to save water.  

The calendars sold during Earth Day events on her campus raising $1,000 dollars. She  gave back, donating 100% of the proceeds to TreePeople’s summer Drought Defense Challenge!

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Isabel hasn’t stopped yet! She plans to expand TreePeople EcoClub, to host more climate-conscious activities to her campus.

Isabel is a true inspiration to us all and is proof that no project is too small to make an impact on the drought. We’re proud to call her part of the TreePeople family.  

Looking to start an EcoClub on your campus? Fill out the form to get started!

By Caitlin Dunham

After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Forestry and Natural Resource Management, Caitlin discovered a passion for working in social media and marketing and eventually found her way to TreePeople. With her unique forestry and marketing background, Caitlin is now growing and thriving within TreePeople’s Yurt Village. She loves that she can bridge the gap between science and marketing and is at the frontlines of educating Angelenos on trees and how they can save LA.