Our Mission

TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share our process as a model for the world.

Our Work

Trees need People. People need Trees.

Born in 1973 from the hopes and dreams of a teenager, TreePeople is now one of the largest environmental organizations headquartered in Southern California. We have inspired, engaged, and supported more than 3 million people to take action for our environment by planting and caring for trees in forests, mountains, parks, and our neighborhoods. Our unique, engaging, and proven model empowers communities to plant a more resilient future and take personal responsibility for greening their neighborhoods. Through our on-the-ground research and educational programs, TreePeople shares knowledge with policymakers, students and educators, and communities around the world.

After fires burn, TreePeople reforests. When schools are covered in concrete, TreePeople creates green schoolyards. When communities experience food insecurity, TreePeople distributes fruit trees. When California is drought-stricken, TreePeople designs solutions to capture rainwater. As the world faces increasing threats from a more hostile climate, TreePeople helps create actionable solutions.

We do this through your involvement and support in:

Forestry

We restore ecosystems, plant trees, and incorporate nature-based solutions throughout our Southern California streets, mountains, and everywhere in between.

School Greening

We create green learning environments that enhance academic achievement, support health and well-being, and create safe places to play in nature. Through partnerships with school communities and districts, we advocate for, implement, and manage school greening projects to protect students from extreme heat, air pollution, and polluted water.

Education & Youth

We provide students, teachers, and the school community with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to create environmental change.

Coldwater Canyon Park

TreePeople’s 45-acre headquarters on Mulholland Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains offers nature trails, experiential education, and cultural programming and is home to TreePeople’s Native Plant Nursery.

TreePeople Land Trust

We steward more than 3,000 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains–protecting these spaces for the benefit of future generations. Programs include public recreation, environmental education, scientific research, and more.

Policy & Research

We conduct cutting-edge research and facilitate policies that support nature-based solutions.

Our People

The TreePeople team is made up of dedicated, passionate and veteran leaders in the environmental movement, committed to bringing research-based solutions to greening communities across our region. We represent the communities we serve, many of us raised in the same neighborhoods TreePeople works in. For this team, this isn’t just a workplace–this is our home.

Meet our team →

Our History

For 50 years, TreePeople has inspired, engaged, and supported more than 3 million people to take action for our environment by planting and caring for trees in forests, mountains, parks, and our neighborhoods. Click here to learn about our 50 year history →

Our Core Values

At TreePeople, we are....

Enthusiastic

Sparking joy is at the core of everything we do. Our work is fun, hopeful, and uplifting. We spread our passion to others and support them to change the world for the better.

Welcoming

We foster kindness and a culture that welcomes everyone. We center diverse voices to further environmental justice and equity in the communities we serve. Everyone has a place in our movement; we are all TreePeople.

Respectful

We actively listen to gain understanding and are courteous and mindful in our interactions with others. We show respect to the spaces where we work, to the people and cultures we work with, and to the history that precedes us.

Harmonious

We prioritize collaboration. We do this within the organization and the communities we serve. We are at our best when we work together and actively step up when one of us needs support.

Committed

We ensure the longevity of our work through lasting and meaningful commitment to the spaces and the communities we engage with. We strive to exemplify our mission not only through our words but through our actions. We are dedicated to learning and innovating as we strive towards a greener future for us all.