A Tree a Family

  • Location
    Pacific Palisades, California
  • Status
    Active
  • Age Level
    Any Age
    5 to 7 Years
    8 to 10 Years
  • Group Type
    School-Based Program

The Problem

20-odd years ago, Jane Goodall came to Temescal Canyon to inspire and educate us about conservation and reforestation. It's time to pay it forward! Seven Arrows Elementary is glad to announce the beginning of the "A Tree a Family" initiative. Deforestation has led to all sorts of crises with weather, fires, and losses of habitat for flora and fauna. Conservation was one of the cornerstone of the foundation of the community of Pacific Palisades, CA. Founded a 100 years ago this year, we want to celebrate both our hometown and Jane by planting a tree per family (or more) and stimulating our larger community to take action on climate change. Now the plan is to celebrate Pacific Palisades' centennial and Jane's message of Hope by creating an event to educate, inform, and plant in the very same place Jane's message transformed us: Temescal Canyon.

Our Plan

Our first priority is to contact the City's relevant authority to start the processes of permits, coordination, and enactment. Our students will reach out to them, with teacher and parent guidance, so they can feel and experience the process of actually changing and improving their world. One of the first orders of business would be to contact Palisades historian Randy Young and the Pacific Palisades Gardening Committee to start researching what trees would be best to plant in the space we have been given permission to reforest in: Temescal Canyon in Will Rogers National Park. Another priority which would also engage our kids and community would be the process of getting all the permissions from local government, teaching them about civic responsibility and processes, giving them first hand experience of what it takes to enact change in their own community. Having them be a part of the planning for the event to mark the reforestation and the 100 years of the foundation of the City of Pacific Palisades. This centennial marks the foundation of a Community built upon Conservation and communion with nature. The area's hiking trails are among the best in the area, with fantastic views and diverse wildlife and plant species. The children have an opportunity to learn about the indigenous fauna and flora as well as the history of their city and communities, and the values that are shared with those founders. Finally, enacting the actual campaign to plant the trees and encouraging the community of Pacific Palisades to reforest at least one tree per every family in honor of both the City's birthday and Jane's Million Trees Initiative. We hope our students will gain valuable social, organizational, and civic skills, learn about community building, and recognize the positive experience they can have on their environment.

Themes Addressed

  • term icon
    Climate Change
  • term icon
    Community Enhancement
  • term icon
    Habitat Destruction
  • term icon
    Sustainability

The Benefit

  • term icon
    People
  • term icon
    Animals
  • term icon
    Environment
About Roots & Shoots

We are nurturing the compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

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