TreePeople Turns 40: Thank You, Los Angeles!

April 23, 2013

Today marks 40 years since the Los Angeles Times shared a kid’s dream of saving our city and our forests. “Andy vs. the Bureaucratic Deadwood,” by Michael Seiler, touched many thousands of people–especially other kids and grandparents–and moved them to send in their pennies to nurture that dream.  Following the publication of  the article, the kid’s dream grew into a movement that over the years has engaged, educated, and supported millions of Angelinos in taking action to green and repair their neighborhoods, schools, and the forest watershed surrounding the city.

TreePeople continues to bear the fruit of  goodness, clean water, fresh air, empowerment, partnerships with other organizations and government… And, on our 40th anniversary, a newly energized dream of  a vibrant, resilient, climate-safe Los Angeles. Thank you, L.A., for making and being TreePeople.

Check out our historic timeline to see more vintage photos from the last 40 years: www.treepeople.org/history

Learn how you can volunteer with TreePeople: www.treepeople.org/volunteer

By Andy Lipkis

Andy Lipkis is a practical visionary who has dedicated his life to healing the environment while improving the lives of individuals and communities. He founded TreePeople in Los Angeles in 1973 at age 18 and continues to serve as its President. Andy has spearheaded an approach using trees and forest-inspired technologies to make cities sustainable while mitigating floods, drought, pollution, and climate change. Called “Functioning Community Forests,” it is being demonstrated in L.A. as a model for cities everywhere.