Tree People (Los Angeles, California)

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TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit that unites the power of trees, people and technology to grow a sustainable future for Los Angeles. Simply put, our work is about helping nature heal our cities.

Our mission
TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the process as a model for the world.

Trees + people
Our early efforts in the 1970s focused on educating and inspiring people to plant and care for trees. Why? Because more trees means cooler temperatures, cleaner air, replenished groundwater supplies and a safer, more beautiful city.

Expanding the tree canopy over L.A. remains one of our central goals. But the worsening impacts of global warming and the looming threat of water shortages tell us we need to do more.

Trees + people + technology
L.A.’s urgent environmental challenges led TreePeople to ask an important question: In places we can’t plant trees – e.g., where buildings and parking lots cover the land – what else can we do to green our city? Earth’s life-giving forests inspired a solution!

We can protect our natural resources and cool our city by using technology to re-create the healthy functions of a forest in an urban setting. What type of technology? Examples include: permeable paving, French drains, swales, rain barrels, cisterns and other relatively simple “forest-mimicking” innovations.

Our task now is to assist communities to put technology into action alongside healthy, well-cared-for trees in order to create a Functioning Community Forest in every neighborhood of L.A.

A promising journey
In October 2008, we celebrated the opening of the TreePeople Center for Community Forestry, where we demonstrate how trees, people and technology add up to hope for a sustainable future. It is the integration of these three factors that promises the greatest healing impact for large cities like ours.

As always, our vision will only lead to real change with help from our volunteers, donors, members and visitors. We invite you to get involved today!