Between 1997 to 2010, Australia experienced the devastating “Millennium Drought,” a period that brought the region’s longest stretch of drought on record. Four years in, their drought was similar to California’s current experience: overwhelming and destructive. To learn from Australia’s experience, TreePeople has been leading the way in research to adopt drought solutions locally. In…
News
Design Our Next Shirt!
March 17, 2016Calling all creative TreePeople! If you have been to a tree care, planting or outreach event, you’ve probably noticed the green shirts our staff, volunteer and restoration supervisors wear. It’s a staple of our volunteer events! But we’re ready for a new design and want YOU to be involved! Here’s your chance to become a…
Nature: Our Best Technology
March 10, 2016What do Velcro, bullet trains and LED lights have in common? Their designs were inspired by nature. It’s true! The Kingfishers’ ability to dive at into water at high speeds to catch prey inspired the aerodynamic design of modern bullet trains. The tiny seed casings that stick to your clothes while you’re on a hike…
Training a Green Workforce for LA’s Water Future
March 7, 2016Climate change research is creating wild weather patterns. Here in California, we’re already experiencing the impact. Longer droughts. Flash floods. More intense weather patterns like El Niño. The conditions seem to fluctuate week by week. If that’s our experience now, imagine the impacts we’ll see 10 years from now, and beyond. That’s why TreePeople is…
My Hope Living on a Hurting Planet
March 4, 2016This year, several scientists intend to make history by declaring that our planet has officially entered the Anthropocene. What is the Anthropocene? We’re currently in the Holocene–a period where Earth’s patterns have been influenced by natural events. Unlike the Holocene, which began about 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, the…
Calling all Water-Wise Students!
March 4, 2016Do you know a hard working, environmentally-minded student that would like an opportunity to win a trip on a marine science boat excursion, AKA, the Floating Lab? Invite them to join the Streets to Sea Challenge! The Streets to Sea Challenge is an inter-school competition for 7th-12th graders that challenges students to create a campaign…
Welcome our new CEO, Cindy Montanez
March 3, 2016We’re excited to announce the addition of former California State Assembly Member, Cindy Montañez as the new CEO of TreePeople. She will be working alongside our Founder and President, Andy Lipkis to meet the unique climate and environmental challenges our region faces. Cindy is an Angeleno through and through, bringing extensive policy experience and deep…
6 Years Healing a Burn Area Changed Me Forever
February 26, 2016The Sayre Fire of 2008 burned over 11,000 acres in Sylmar and resulted in the loss of nearly 500 homes. It was the worst loss of homes due to fire in LA’s history. That Thanksgiving, I happened to be taking my first trip to Los Angeles. I remember passing the destruction on the way out…
ICYMI: TreePeople in the Sunday New York Times and Christian Science Monitor!
February 25, 2016Exciting news! This week, TreePeople’s rainwater capture leadership in a drought-stricken LA was highlighted in two national stories. Last Sunday the New York Times’ piece, “Storm Water, Long a Nuisance, May Be a Parched California’s Salvation,” quoted our Founder and President, Andy Lipkis pointing out, “There’s a massive amount of water we throw away.” Even…
WANTED: Friendly Faces to Empower LA!
February 18, 2016How did you first hear about TreePeople? Probably word of mouth. Maybe a friend invited you to plant trees with them at one of our volunteer events, or shared one of our blogs on Facebook. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. As a non-profit, it’s a tool we rely on to grow our organization…
Let’s Reimagine our Water Supply
February 17, 2016It’s no secret. Los Angeles needs water. Even with the promise of this year’s El Niño rains, California’s drought is expected to continue. It’s time to rethink how we use this precious resource. Think about it. We import 80 percent of our water. In an average four-person household, 68 percent of our water is used…
10 Plants to Fight Erosion
February 12, 2016Don’t let this warm weather fool you! The El Niño storm season has begun and forecasters are predicting more storms through April. If storms roll through, we can anticipate flooding, mudslides and property damage. Don’t sound the alarm just yet, though. Now is the perfect time to take action. (Plus, storms or not, putting the…