Environmental Equity

We believe in equitable access to trees, fresh air, clean water, safe open spaces, shaded streets, healthy food, and green jobs.

We recognize the historical, structural underpinnings of environmental injustice, and we work with community partners to identify and address these root causes. As we work alongside communities facing ongoing economic and environmental inequities, we strive to understand their unique needs in order to achieve the shared goal of a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future.

TreePeople’s Bright Spot communities are the areas across Southern California that are the most affected by extreme heat, pollution, seasonal flooding, and low tree canopy cover.

Extreme heat causes more deaths in the United States than all other weather-related causes combined. In Los Angeles, low-income communities and communities of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with older buildings, low tree canopy cover, more heat-retaining surfaces, and limited access to coping strategies such as air conditioning.

TreePeople actively engages communities most impacted by extreme heat and other environmental burdens in planting thousands of trees each year, advocating for equitable water and green infrastructure investment, promoting access to local natural spaces and providing environmental education to our youth.

Our work focuses on partnering and supporting communities to engage around issues of the environment, including water, trees, soil, and waste reduction. We implement robust strategies centered in direct community organizing through diverse outreach strategies.

TreePeople's success is rooted in putting people at the center of the solution. We distill complex topics and systems into outreach materials, strategies, and programming that are relatable, engaging, and fun.

Through our proven public outreach model, we thoughtfully engage in understanding the unique needs of communities and work alongside them to achieve shared goals.

Access to green spaces, trees, and nature has direct and significant impacts on public health. Exposure to poor air quality and extreme heat increase risk of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other life-threatening illnesses.

Economically and environmentally stressed areas often have higher rates of physical and mental health issues and an increased likelihood of exposure to trauma. These issues are exacerbated by lack of trees and green spaces, which increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.

Trees have been found to boost immune system function and cardiovascular health and to reduce blood pressure and inflammation. Trees improve mood and decrease rates of anxiety, depression, and stress.

TreePeople is conducting the research, creating the partnerships, and implementing the programming to integrate nature and the outdoors into health systems to achieve equitable access for marginalized communities.