California ReLeaf » Earth Day

Teen Hooked on Tree Planting

Ashley — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Self-proclaimed tree hugger, Julien Levy, started planting trees when he was just five-years old. Today, at the age of 13, he’s leading volunteers in an effort to replant trees that were lost or damaged by the San Bruno Fire.

Levy started with a goal to plant at least 100 ornamental and fruit trees in the Crestmoor community before June. In partnership with the City of San Bruno and San Bruno 4H, he planted 52 of those trees on Earth Day. Julien led close to 250 volunteers in the tree planting.

To read more about Julien’s project, visit the San Bruno Patch, where he updates the community on his progress. We think this kid is pretty cool!

Happy Earth Day!

Ashley — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:00:49 +0000

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22. To learn about how Earth Day started and how it’s grown, visit this site.

How will you celebrate and protect the planet that we live on? All of us at California ReLeaf hope that you’ll plant a tree!

Trees do so much to help our planet. To learn how they benefit our soil and water, click here. To find out how they clean our air and reduce energy consumption, click here. On Sunday, we hope you’ll give the Earth the gift of trees!

Urban Forestry Success Stories

Ashley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:42:18 +0000

Through an education and outreach grant from California ReLeaf, the Huntington Beach Tree Society was able to include 42,000 brochures outlining the benefits of urban trees in the city water bill. This mailing was followed by a second mailing with 42,000 Arbor Day invitations included in the same city water bills. To date, the Tree Society has seen an increase in the number of calls from homeowners for assistance and in the number of neighborhood groups requesting tree plantings, all in addition to 42,000 households being educated on the benefits of trees in their community.

Volunteers plant a tree at a Huntington Beach Tree Society event.

The Spanish Speaking Unity Council, a community development organization in Oakland, used grant funds to engage residents and merchants in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in tree planting events commemorating Cesar Chavez Day and Earth Day, planting a total of 170 trees. Letters in English and Spanish reminded property owners after the planting of their commitment to care for the tree adjacent to their property. The Unity Council also trained 20 neighborhood volunteers to monitor the new trees and continue public outreach and education. Total attendance at the Cesar Chavez and Earth Day festivals was 7,000.

Teens learn from one of their mentors at the Ojai Valley Youth Foundation.

The Ojai Valley Youth Foundation enlisted the help of high school students to spread the urban forestry message, particularly stressing the value of native oaks and the need to preserve the remaining oaks in this Southern California community. Under the tutelage of adult mentors:

Students wrote a series of 8 articles on local urban forestry issues that appeared in the local newspaper, circulation of 8,000.
Six youth were trained to speak and present a PowerPoint on oak tree care to governmental councils, civic groups, and schools, reaching a total of 795 decision makers, homeowners, and students.
The PowerPoint on oaks was shown on a local TV channel, reaching 30,000 viewers.