Earth Month: How to Get Involved

Organizations We Love 

TreePeople inspires and supports the people of Southern California to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes.Born from the efforts of a teenager over 40 years ago, we have involved more than 3 million people in planting and caring for more than 3 million trees. We unite with communities to grow a greener, shadier and more water-secure city at homes, neighborhoods, schools and in the local mountains. We work with volunteer leaders using our unique Citizen Forester model, and we influence government agencies for a healthy, thriving Southern California.

A little over a year ago, Echo Park local Erin Fein was saddened to see trash piling up in her neighborhood, so she decided to do something about it. With the help of the Nextdoor app and Instagram, Fein connected with others in her area and started a weekly trash pickup. The group is called the Echo Park Trash Club.

Friends of the LA River or FOLAR looks to  build capacity for communities, students, and future leaders to advocate for nature, climate, and equity on the Los Angeles River. They envision a verdant Los Angeles River that supports vulnerable communities in climate adaptation. The river will be transformed into a dynamic, functioning ecosystem that reduces flood risk, cleans the air, cools temperatures, and supports the biodiversity essential to our collective wellbeing. The LA River traverses through diverse communities of people, plants, and geographies. It provides an opportunity to reshape our environment in a way that is more inclusive, equitable, and just. FOLAR is committed to building a team, leadership, and a River Movement that is as diverse as the communities the River touches. They believe in working with nature and alongside communities to achieve climate resilience, park equity, and environmental health for all.

OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon builds power for environmental justice and civil rights in our communities.
OPAL emerged out of the Portland-area Environmental Justice Action Group (EJAG), and brought together many regional movement leaders to form a new organization. OPAL’s founders worked together as community organizers with EJAG, then established OPAL in 2005, incorporating as a non-profit in 2006. Early OPAL organizers worked with the Multnomah County Health Department on environmental health concerns facing public housing residents in North Portland. Many of these residents expressed concerns related to transportation and transit access, and so OPAL pivoted toward transportation justice organizing and founded Bus Riders Unite (BRU) in 2011. OPAL brought this community-based transit justice work to East Portland neighborhoods that were becoming increasingly diverse, and started the OPAL Organizers In Training program to train the next generation of movement leaders.

EarthDay.org’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earthday.org is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet.

How to Participate Year Round:

• Tree People 
• Tree People’s volunteer and training events empower neighbors with the support, training and tools they need to be an engine of change. For inquiries, to volunteer with us or to stay up to date on TreePeople’s volunteer offerings, email volunteer@treepeople.org
• VOLUNTEER CALENDAR
  
  
• Echo Park Trash Club 
• Follow on Instagram and sign up for their email newsletter to find out when and the next cleanup starts!
• Elysian Park Picnic: Join Echo Park Trash Club on Sunday, April 17th, 2022 followed by elysian park picnic. 
• Friends of the LA River
• Clean Up
• This volunteer opportunity is nine weekends in June in July free to the public
• Habitat Restoration  (Free)
• Habitat Restoration Days are monthly. Generally what happens is volunteers are trained at the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve on how to properly remove invasive plant species and how to plant the native plant species before doing the actual work. There is also a free guided nature walk.
• Washington Irving Branch Library Terrarium Build 
• This class will teach participants how to prepare a terrarium using drought-tolerant plants and how to maintain a sustainable garden. Patrons will be responsible for providing their own materials for this presentation.
• Materials needed: glass bowl 6in., river rocks or pebbles, 3 types of succulents they desire, a small bag of cactus soil, and spray bottle.

Ways to Educate 

• Washington Irving Branch Library Terrarium Build (Kid-Friendly!)
• Saturday, April 23, 2022 11:00 am
• This class will teach participants how to prepare a terrarium using drought-tolerant plants and how to maintain a sustainable garden. Patrons will be responsible for providing their own materials for this presentation. Materials needed: glass bowl 6in., river rocks or pebbles, 3 types of succulents they desire, a small bag of cactus soil, and spray bottle. This LA Made program was made possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Earthday.org Environmental Education Resource Library
• Resources for classroom, at-home and community learning intended to to guide your environmental education lessons and stewardship activities on Earth Day and throughout the year. These resources can be adapted to a variety of ages and settings. 
• Friends of the LA River (FOLAR)
•  Student Resources
  

Ways to Support

• OPAL
• Your donation will build the movement for justice in Oregon. Black and Indigenous people, people of color, and those with lower incomes disproportionately bear the impacts of climate, environmental, economic, and social injustice. OPAL is building a movement for change, organizing and activating leaders in BIPOC and low-income communities to take action. By making a donation that is significant for you, OPAL will have the resources necessary to keep building a statewide movement to end environmental racism and build environmental justice in Oregon.
• https://www.opalpdx.org/donate
• FOLAR
• When you become a member of Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), you help us better fulfill our goal to build capacity for students, communities, and future environmental leaders to advocate for a naturally climate-adapted LA River. Your membership provides crucial support for equitable climate resilience and healthy ecosystems on the LA River. Becoming a member has the added benefits of accessing member-only items and events. Thank you for your support and welcome to the FoLAR family! Go team river!
• https://folar.org/memberships/

• Groundwork Earth Month Nalgene
• By purchasing our limited edition Nalgene (w/ custom Earth Day sticker sheet) you are supporting both OPAL and FOLAR!
• Shop Limited-Edition Nalgene