TreePeople
Encyclopedia
TreePeople is a CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
based nonprofit environmental advocacy group
Environmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization that seeks to protect, analyze or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation or lobby for these goals....
. TreePeople focuses on promoting the creation of sustainable urban ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s through education and the planting and care of trees. TreePeople has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades. They offer sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems, focusing on three areas:
- Training and supporting communities to plant and care for trees.
- Educating school children and adults about the environment.
- Working with government agencies on critical water issues.
With thousands of members and volunteers and 45 full-time and part-time staff, TreePeople is one of the largest environmental nonprofit organizations in California.
History
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1973 by 18 year old activist Andy Lipkis. Lipkis and a group of teenagers began planting trees three years prior, when he was fifteen, at summer camp in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
. Lipkis heard that smog from Los Angeles was drifting up to the mountains and killing the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. He rallied his fellow campers, tore up a parking lot, planted smog-tolerant trees...and TreePeople was born.
Since then, TreePeople staff have gone on to plant more than two million trees in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area and have developed one of the nation’s largest environmental education programs
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
. A recent program is T.R.E.E.S. – Transagency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainability - demonstrating the feasibility and facilitates the implementation of integrated urban ecosystem
Urban ecosystem
Urban ecosystems are the cities, towns, and urban strips constructed by humans.This is the growth in the urban population and the supporting built infrastructure has affected both urban environments and also on areas which surround urban areas...
management to increase the health and sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
of our cities.
Accomplishments
- 1973 - The first Los Angeles Times article, "Andy vs. the Bureaucratic Deadwood," appears in April with a public request for four thousand dollars to fund what is to be the first TreePeople activity (although no formal organization exists at this time), a summer tree-planting program of 8,000 trees in the San Bernardino National ForestSan Bernardino National ForestSan Bernardino National Forest is a federally-managed forest covering more than 800,000 acres . There are two main divisions which are the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Range, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular...
. By summer, $10,000 is raised. The California Conservation Project (CCP) is created as a nonprofit corporation to handle the money needed to do the tree planting. - 1974 - Year Two begins with a goal of 10,000 trees potted during the week of Arbor DayArbor DayArbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many...
. Agencies involved include the California Division of ForestryCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire ProtectionThe California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is the State of California's agency responsible for fire protection in State Responsibility Areas of California as well as the administration of the state's private and public forests. It is often referred to as The California Department of...
, California Air National GuardCalifornia Air National GuardThe California Air National Guard is the air component of the California National Guard. The California Air National Guard is headquartered at Sacramento, California.One of the duties of the California Air National Guard is defense of the United States...
, U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles Urban Forest Council, L.A. Bicentennial Committee, Southern California EdisonSouthern California EdisonSouthern California Edison , the largest subsidiary of Edison International , is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, USA. It provides 14 million people with electricity...
(SCE), Camp JCA, ACTIONACTION (U.S. government agency)ACTION was a United States government agency described as, "the Federal Domestic Volunteer Agency". It was formed in 1970 from VISTA; the Peace Corps; and the Foster Grandparents, Retired and Senior Volunteer, and Senior Companion Programs...
(Peace CorpsPeace CorpsThe Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
/VISTA), and numerous civic groups and schools. The public unofficially renames the California Conservation Project "the tree people." - 1976 - The Los Angeles City Recreation & Parks Department grants TreePeople a conditional-use permit of its Mountain Fire Station 108 (which eventually became Coldwater Canyon Park) for developing a small-scale nurseryNursery (horticulture)A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
to grow seedlings. The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) donates a '50s vintage fuel truck, which becomes TreePeople's water truck. - 1978 - Severe rains and local flooding give TreePeople its first experience in mobilizing volunteers for disaster-relief work, resulting in the headquarters being designated L.A.'s Emergency Resource Center.
- 1979 - In March, TreePeople closes the Marina Freeway for a Tree Run. The closure, a first for an L.A. freeway, attracts 5,000 runners and makes California transportation history by requiring special legislation in Culver City, Los Angeles County, and the California State Legislature.
- 1980 - In February, 3,000 volunteers (responding to 1,200 calls for help) are mobilized to assist local homeowners in volunteer-organized emergency-relief effort during excessive rains and flooding. Andy Lipkis appears on The Tonight Show, and Johnny Carson makes a personal contribution to replace shovels lost during the relief work. On the tenth anniversary of Earth DayEarth DayEarth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, 2,000 people attend a celebration at the TreePeople headquarters. - 1981-1984 - Persuaded Los Angeles residents to plant one million trees in time for the Olympics. The millionth tree is planted in the San Fernando ValleySan Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, four days before the Olympic torch is lit. To celebrate, staff and volunteers go to the mountains and plant 7,000 seedlings in one day. - 1986 - Coordinated volunteers to rescue thousands of water logged books from the Los Angeles Central Library
- 1986 - Planted 6,000 bare root fruit trees in Africa.
- 1987 - To help L.A. prepare for its goal of creating citywide mandatory recyclingRecyclingRecycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
within three years, TreePeople develops a recycling component for its curriculum. During the school year that follows, 60,000 children—double the number stated in the contract—go through the program. - 1990 - Organized 3,000 volunteers to plant nearly 400 trees along the Martin Luther King Boulevard in one day. The Simple Act of Planting a Tree, by Andy and Katie Lipkis, is published.
- 1998 - Andy Lipkis is honored as Founder of the Year at National Philanthropy Day.
- 1999 - Second Nature, a guide to adapting LA’s Landscape for sustainable livingSustainable livingSustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
is published by TreePeople. - 2002 - TreePeople is among only 15 agencies worldwide to be honored by the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Committee, receiving the Spirit of the Land Environmental Education Award.
- 2003 - The Sun Valley Watershed Project was highlighted in the United Nations World Forestry Organization’s State of the World’s Forests 2003 as an example of partnering to create a sustainable water supply.
- 2004 - TreePeople completes construction on one of Los Angeles’ most sustainable buildingsSustainable designSustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
– the Center for Community Forestry Conference Center. Designed by Marmol Radziner + AssociatesMarmol Radziner + AssociatesMarmol Radziner is a Los Angeles-based design-build practice founded and led by architects Leo Marmol, FAIA and Ron Radziner, FAIA. The firm offers a full range of design services, including architectural design, programming, master planning, historic restoration, landscape design, interior...
, this building had been a vision of Andy’s for over a decade and includes a 220,000-gallon cisternCisternA cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
to capture, clean and re-use rainwater. - 2006 - TreePeople committed to helping the City of Los Angeles plant 300,000 trees in parkParkA park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
lands to support Mayor Villaraigosa’s Million Trees LA initiative. This work will include restoring the fire-damaged Griffith ParkGriffith ParkGriffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
. TreePeople is currently working with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on his Million Trees LA initiative. - 2007 - In the summer of 2007 Andy served as special advisor to Mayor of Los Angeles’ climate change studyClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. In August, 2007 Andy was featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary, The 11th Hour (film)The 11th Hour (film)The 11th Hour is a 2007 documentary film, created, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, on the state of the natural environment. It was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and financed by Adam Lewis and Pierre André Senizergues, and distributed by Warner Independent...
, about the environmental crises caused by human actions and their impact on the planet. Also within the year, TreePeople was recognized in Edens Lost & Found, a nationally broadcast PBS program which highlighted the sustainability work of four U.S. cities. - As of 2011, the organization had planted over 2 million trees in the Los Angeles area