3rd Annual End of the Year Tree Care and Clean Up

Website

www.pacoimabeautiful.org

Overview of Idea

Youth United Towards Environmental Protection (YUTEP) is a youth-led group hosted by Pacoima Beautiful, an environmental justice non-profit organization based in the Northeast San Fernando Valley in the City of Los Angeles. Our goal is to train, empower, and motivate youth to become leaders in the community by addressing environmental issues affecting the area. Our project is YUTEP’s 3rd Annual End of the Year Clean-Up and Tree Care. For the past two years, YUTEP has been hosting this extremely successful event to close out the school year, celebrate all the great work the students have accomplished while engaging the neighborhood in taking part in the beautification of our community. Every year we all meet at the corner of Glenoaks Blvd and Montague Street where we trim, mulch and water over 50 trees on both sides of the street and pick up trash and bulky items. The clean up ends 1.5 miles at the Pacoima Community Center on Glenoaks Blvd and Van Nuys Blvd. When everyone arrives to the Center, we have lunch and certificates available for all the participants.

The Specifics: What will the $5,000 fund?

With this support, YUTEP students will care for trees in the community, helping to create pride in the neighborhood. This project is an educational tool for students to learn how to properly care for trees and motivate them to host more tree care events along their street and school campuses. Since the students walk to and from the event, it also encourages physical activity through the actual clean up and walking; which is an additional benefit to our environment. The funds will support the purchase of tools for future tree care events around the community. Pacoima Beautiful will rent these tools to community members to use for their own tree care events.

Discussion

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