Craft in Action: TreePeople Apr 20, 7pm

Craft in Action: Lecture Series* TreePeople’s Founder and President Andy Lipkis on Urban Forestry and the Art of Sustainability
Thursday, April 20, 2017, 7pm

It was the year of the first Earth Day, 1970, when 15-year-old Andy Lipkis learned that the forests in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles were dying, victims of the air pollution creeping up from the sprawling city below. That summer, he organized fellow campers to plant a grove of smog-tolerant seedlings in what had been a dirt lot. Along the way, they planted the seeds of an organization that grew into TreePeople.

Three years later, Andy was in college and hard at work organizing hundreds of summer campers to plant thousands of trees in the mountain forests. A Los Angeles Times article called out to the public to help him save 8,000 “baby trees” from being plowed under by the Calif. Dept. of Forestry so they could instead be planted by kids. The response to the article was overwhelming. In the next few days, Andy received over $10,000 in donations, mostly in 50 cent increments. TreePeople was born, and Andy has served as its President ever since.

Now one of California’s largest independent environmental organizations, TreePeople is a global leader in adapting cities for sustainable living. Under Andy’s leadership, the organization’s proven programs blend the science of urban forestry with an understanding of human behavior, inspiring and empowering people to take personal responsibility to ensure a sustainable future. Since its founding, TreePeople’s efforts have resulted in the planting of over two million trees in forests, urban neighborhoods and school campuses. Over two million children have participated in its award-winning education programs.

*This event marks the launch of Craft in America’s initiative, Craft in Action: A series of talks using art as a channel to build awareness and activate for social good. Stay posted for more events taking place in coming months.

RSVP for this free event: rsvp@craftinamerica.org