TreePeople
Have you ever wondered how to move away from a thirsty planted landscape to a more climate appropriate one? How you could get more trees, greenery and shade in your neighborhood without needing a huge amount of additional water? How you could do your part to prevent water pollution and save water by collecting rain?…
Yes, it just rained in L.A. And since this is the season of gratitude, we should all give thanks for that ½” of rainfall, because in this dry year—the driest in 164 years—we need to make every drop count. It’s hard to remember that technically we are in a severe drought. After all, we can…
A tree is always the right size, never goes out of style, doesn’t need wrapping, spares shoppers a trip to the mall and reduces climate change. According to the International Society of Arboriculture, a single mature tree can absorb the amount of carbon produced by a car driven 26,000 miles. What better way to celebrate…
There’s been quite a bit of outrage over the Toys‘R’Us “Meet the Trees” ad campaign. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll give you a brief synopsis: kids think they’re going on a boring tree-related field trip, but instead get to go to Toys‘R’Us to pick out a free toy. Cue great wonderment and enthusiasm from…
It’s lining up to be another dry winter, with water reserves at worryingly low levels. So what’s with L.A.’s obsession with expansive green lawns? How did this landscape ideal, imported from rainy Northern Europe, come to mean the good life in water-scarce Los Angeles? Can we keep it up, or is there a better way?…
I am excited to announce that today’s edition of the Los Angeles Times carries a timely Op-Ed that I wrote titled, “Not enough water, L.A.? Look up.” Did Mulholland Get it Wrong? Nearly one hundred years ago today, William Mulholland stood before a crowd of 40,000 near San Fernando and unfurled an American flag, signaling…
Dogs love trees, and if you love dogs, you’ll love this news! Beginning today, November 1, 2013, every time you purchase a ten-pound box of The Honest Kitchen’s dog food at Healthy Spot locations in the greater Los Angeles area, you will directly support TreePeople’s work in greening our city. We are excited to announce…
In 2012, TreePeople began an exchange between government, research and community organizations in Australia and Southern California. The aim of the program: to share innovations, best practices and experience in urban rainwater capture, water conservation practices and drought response—topics that are increasingly relevant as the climate of the American Southwest (and beyond) changes for the…
When Dolores Reece decided to head an effort to revitalize the greenery in her Los Angeles neighborhood just north of the 10 Freeway, she felt as if it was something she was meant to be doing. A California native, Dolores grew up with a profound appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and our…
In 1973, TreePeople was born from a teenager’s dream. From the beginning, Andy Lipkis’ vision was to connect the power of trees with the power of people to heal Los Angeles’ damaged ecosystem. From successfully inspiring the planting of a million trees in Los Angeles in time for the 1984 summer Olympics, to planting seven…
By now I have met many of TreePeople’s wonderful supporters over e-mail or in-person. But in case I haven’t met you yet, I will take this opportunity to introduce myself. Before beginning this position I was eager to see what this organization and its 10,000 annual volunteers had in store for me. After a very…
Our “sound bite” name of TreePeople is misleading. What we do goes way beyond trees. A recent article in Forbes describes the deeper side of our work, which is about building Los Angeles’ next water supply. Trees are inextricably linked to water—capturing, cleansing and storing rainwater and protecting us from drought and floods. As such, they…