Our Summer Institute: 40 Teachers, a Landfill and a Wastewater Plant

What happens when you have TreePeople’s Education Department, 40+ educators, a two-day Generation Earth workshop and the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Center? A whole ton of fun and learning–that’s what! Earlier this summer, the Generation Earth program delivered yet another successful Summer Institute focusing on waste, water and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in LA. The…

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Meet TreePeople’s Huntington Park Dream Team

Just three 3 miles from the trendy shops and construction cranes of Downtown LA’s Arts District, there’s a different kind of change at work in the community of Huntington Park. Where not that long ago only sun-baked sidewalks sprawled through the city, now there are blocks and blocks of tree-lined streets and a small army…

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Photo Essay: TreePeople Soars High with Olympian Shaun White

TreePeople Joins the Air + Style Music and Sports Festival Earlier this year, TreePeople teamed up with two-time snowboarding Olympic gold-medalist, Shaun White, his team at Air + Style, along with partners at Change the Course and Clif Green Notes for the Air + Style Music and Sports Festival in Exposition Park. Air + Style’s design…

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Parting Thoughts of a Volunteer Manager

I’ve been reflecting on my time as TreePeople’s Volunteer Manager as I prepare to take on life’s next adventure to pursue my graduate degree in Urban Planning at UCLA this Fall. Over the past two years, I’ve been moved by the community of volunteers I get to work with every day. I’ll never forget the…

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How LA Teens Save Trees from Summer Heat

The future of LA’s trees is in the hands of the next generation of Angelenos this summer. After five years of historic drought and extreme heat, many of LA’s trees are thirsty and vulnerable. And without healthy trees shading campuses and communities, students suffer— the air they breathe isn’t clean, they don’t have access to…

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#CoolMyCity: LA’s Urban Cooling Collaborative

LA just increased its coolness factor by $320,000! On the heels of a sweltering summer, the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council of the U.S. Forest Service awarded the Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative (LAUCC), a national partnership led by TreePeople, a $320,000 grant to fund life-saving urban heat research. The LAUCC is a…

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6 Ways to Be Cool and Stay Cool this Summer

Many people assume that LA is a desert— it’s not. Actually, we are one of the few places on Earth that enjoy a Mediterranean climate. That’s one of the reasons we all love living here. Regions like ours enjoy mild winters and warm summers. But you may have noticed that summers are feeling extra hot…

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200 Volunteers, 57 Trees and a Hopeful Future

“One tree is magic when you have none, two trees are hope when you have one, and three trees are a forest for learning, healing, and dreams.” Rosa Furumoto, Parent Pioneers Last month, TreePeople, along with our passionate partners at Parent Pioneers, transformed the campus of San Fernando Elementary School. Our team went in and…

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LA Teens Face Off at Streets to Sea

LA’s water pollution doesn’t stand a chance against our youth. This spring, our Generation Earth program hosted the yearly Streets to the Sea Challenge. The projects presented inspired and taught us all so much. What is Streets to the Sea, you ask? Each year, Generation Earth asks middle and high school students from all over…

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Re-Igniting the Teaching and Protective Power of Earth Day:

Just 3 months after the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, I took my first steps on the path to found TreePeople. I was 15, and what I learned was captivating and urgent. I’d experienced years of air pollution burning my lungs, growing up in Los Angeles; but it was at an Earth Day…

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I Am TreePeople: Paola Barcaccia

TreePeople is filled with amazing volunteers, but every so often, one of them shines bright against the crowd. That’s why we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with one of our star community members, Paola Baraccia before she left the TreePeople family to move back home to Italy. What do you…

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LA Sidewalks Reach The “Tripping Point”

Calling all urban forest advocates: Join the movement for safer, more accessible streets! LA’s sidewalks are at a tripping point! On June 10th, TreePeople, Investing in Place, Los Angeles Walks and AARP California are hosting “The Tripping Point,” a half-day advocacy summit for LA’s streets! “The Tripping Point” is a forum for community members from…

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