As 2022 comes to a close, we here at TreePeople are looking back at what was an exciting year for creating a greener future across Southern California. With the help of people like you – our volunteers, our donors, those who spread the word, and those who fought alongside us to push for resilient cities, green schools, and climate action – we racked up some big wins. 

Our mission to work hand in hand with communities to expand shade equity saw us planting across Southern California. We galvanized over 8,000 volunteers to bring thousands of new trees into Watts, Lynwood, Commerce, San Fernando, and Riverside. This vital work will help these communities combat the effects of climate change, reducing the risks of extreme heat and saving lives long into the future. 

In our local wildlands, TreePeople expanded our projects across the Santa Monica mountains and Angeles National Forest. We worked to restore coastal sagebrush and oak woodland plant communities in lower elevations and chaparral and conifer forest in higher elevations. We’re building back lands that were transformed by the ravages of wildfire and make sure this crucial habitat is preserved for decades to come. 

This year saw major achievements for us at the state level as well. Our fight to rethink schools as green, supportive learning environments was met with a historic $150 million dollar investment from Sacramento. These funds will help turn the barren concrete schoolyards of the past into the flourishing, tree-lined spaces our students deserve. Alongside our partners, we also won big as part of the South LA Eco-Lab project, which was awarded a $35 million dollar Transformative Climate Communities grant to build resilience in South Los Angeles. 

Thank you for being a part of this momentous year in planting a greener future. We could not do this work without your support. 2023 will mark TreePeople’s 50th anniversary, and we couldn’t be more proud to expand on that legacy as we build out new programming across Southern California from Inglewood to the Inland Empire. 

To support our efforts with a donation, please visit https://www.treepeople.org/supportus.To find a volunteer opportunity near you check out our volunteer calendar.