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 professional development workshop for LA County 6th-12th grade explored the different waste and water issues in the region and how service learning projects can be a point of entry to explore these topics with students.… Read more >>

TreePeople Fellows Strive to Save Urban Forests

TreePeople is blessed with an array of amazing minds that come through Yurt Village, and this past summer, we had two bright young minds join our Policy & Research Department.

Erik Ndayishimiye and Matthew Stieg were brought on at the beginning of the summer through our fellowship program to work on issues surrounding LA’s urban forest. Both put their talent to work to help support our team offering their unique skills and backgrounds.

Erik hails from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies with a newly completed Master’s Degree in Environmental Management while Matthew is about to finish his senior year at the University of Michigan where he studies Mathematics and Statistics.… Read more >>

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 of school-aged volunteers mobilized to care of them.

On any given weekend, TreePeople’s Regional Manager, Cristina Basurto partners with local youth to plant, water and care for trees they plant to provide a greener future, cleaner air and a healthier community for residents.… Read more >>

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 doesn’t just attract top musicians and athletes, but also incorporates local art, community and culture.

“Getting big air requires big snow and snow needs water.” – Shaun White

Professional snowboarder soars over Mt.

… Read more >>

Climate Conversations for Beginners

Massive wildfires engulfing the west coast and extreme hurricanes bludgeoning our neighbors in the east have left a lot us scared and wondering ‘Is this the future of our climate?’

Media doesn’t always help either. Alarming reports and frightening statistics can sometimes make you feel like all you can do is curl up in a corner and watch while Mother Earth gets her revenge for the abuse she’s endured.

We’re here to tell you that this is a completely normal way to feel.… Read more >>

Slow It. Spread It. Sink It.

With last year’s record breaking rain, it is more important than ever to prepare for another onslaught of moisture heading toward LA this winter.

Did you know 3.8 billion gallons of polluted water is sent into the ocean for every inch of rain that falls on the City of Los Angeles?

This isn’t how it always used to be.

The LA Basin used to capture 90% of the rain that fell from the sky, while 10% made its way out to the ocean through rivers and streams.… Read more >>

Collecting Seeds, Collecting Hope

Every year as Southern California heats up, the threat of wildfires becomes ever more present. All it takes is a wayward ember for generations of green to be transformed into a charred moonscape overnight – trees to lonely carbon ghosts, and rolling hills to dusty ash. Even though these post-blaze landscapes may appear dead and barren, chaparral – the brush and shrubs that carpet our canyons – offers hope. These hardy plants, like black sage and California lilac, are the first to return after tragedy, slowly breathing life back.… Read more >>