Policy & Research Work
Transforming LA into a sustainable city takes more than grassroots change—our government needs to create policies that meet our environmental challenges.
We believe that 21st century green infrastructure -- restoring nature and renewing natural systems -- is key to solving LA's environmental challenges. TreePeople works with all levels of government to create progressive laws, policies and incentives to support this approach. Our policy work is critical for transforming Los Angeles into a sustainable city, as one law, policy or incentive can impact millions of people and their immediate environment.
Over the past 20 years, we have played a leading role in demonstrating that it is technologically, socially and environmentally feasible to use green infrastructure to create a local water supply source and transform our neighborhoods to be healthy and resilient. Now, faced with an historic drought and a changing climate, it's time to move from demonstration to widespread adoption. Progressive policies and collaborative governance help us get there.
Current Initiatives
Protecting Our Urban Canopy
Over the next 30 years, the City of Los Angeles will spend $1.4 billion to fix our broken sidewalks and improve sidewalk accessibility. These changes are opportunities to improve our sidewalks for ALL communities, and necessary for protecting the environment and public health.
StormCatcher
Read on to see how the groundbreaking coalition of agency partners facilitated by TreePeople, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the City's Bureau of Sanitation and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, have joined forces to craft integrated solutions to local water challenges.
Learning From Australia's Drought: Bringing Lessons To LA
As California's drought continues to worsen, the need to learn about the best policies, technologies and innovations and then translate and adapt them to LA only grows in importance. Australia is recognized for its swift response to extreme climate and weather events and provides lessons for California.
In 2012, TreePeople began sharing innovations, best practices and experiences in urban rainwater capture, water conservation and drought response among government, research and community organizations in Australia and Southern California.
Then in October of 2014, TreePeople took the next step, and led a delegation of top policymakers from local, state and federal levels to Australia. The group experienced the innovative approaches that can be transferred to California to ensure that our water is managed in the most efficient, sustainable way first-hand. We are currently translating these solutions for widespread implementation in the Southern California region.
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TRANSFERRING LESSONS FROM AUSTRALIA'S MILLENNIUM DROUGHT TO CALIFORNIA |
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LESSONS FROM THE LAND OF OZ (A STUDY TOUR REPORT) |
Water Resiliency
Water Resiliency creates laws, policies and incentives to achieve a minimum of 50% local water supply in the LA region.
As a trusted leader, educator and convener, TreePeople is playing a unique role in facilitating policymakers and government agencies to shift their thinking and planning to green infrastructure.
One example is our work on the first-ever Stormwater Capture Master Plan (SCMP) for the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
TreePeople helped spur creation of this plan, which will be completed in 2015. The City of LA currently imports almost 90% of its water supply from distant sources at huge social, environmental and economic costs. However, initial results show that the City could capture between 30%-50% of its current water demand IF aggressive projects, funding and resolution of legal issues are implemented.
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LA CAN BE WATER-RESILIENT |
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STORMWATER CAPTURE MASTER PLAN |
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RAIN TO THE RESCUE: NRDC & TreePeople Issue Brief |
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THE RIGHT WATER FOR THE RIGHT USE |
For more information, contact Deborah Weinstein Bloome, Director of Policy dbloome@treepeople.org.