2024, A Year of Impact

Our year of programming in review, from our Green Jobs Curriculum to our 2024 Climate Justice Conference, community tree plantings and more.

With the start of a new year, we wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to you for your incredible support throughout 2024. Your generosity has not only made a significant impact on our organization, but has also brought joy and positive change to the lives of those we serve.

As we look forward to the coming year with hope and optimism, we wanted to reflect on the amazing accomplishments from this past year that YOU made possible. 

2024 Programming Highlights 

Environmental education

Providing curriculum, resources and tools to instruct youth and adults on environmental best practices, innovations and other important topics.

High School Education: In 2024, we hosted a number of educational programs for high school students. Through each program, we aim to educate and inspire young people to pursue lifestyles and careers that support a green economy.

  • Intro to Green Jobs: This class helps students build their resumes, practice interviewing skills, and develop a cover letter in a way that will attract careers in the green economy.
  • Environmental Literacy/Green Book Club: Students have the opportunity to choose from a selection of environmental books. On a regular basis, we meet with the students and discuss themes and concepts of the books. Once we finish a book, we take the students on a “field trip” that reinforces concepts we learned from the book.

Additionally, education opportunities included our Program Director, Michael finishing a semester course at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in curriculum writing for climate change. 

CJ Con 2024

Over 250 community members joined us as we built connections, exchanged ideas, shared experiences, and catalyzed action toward addressing the intersecting challenges of climate change and social injustice.  

A few event highlights: 

  • 14 speakers 
  • 45 climate justice and environmental justice definitions brainstormed 
  • 11 vendor booths 
  • 45 upcycled planter coozies made

Revitalizing urban open space

Planting trees, developing green space, creating green space on school grounds, adding parks and implementing projects to protect the environment in underserved, ignored areas.

Tree Plantings: 

  • Planted 15 trees in Carson in 6/24
  • And 32 trees in Inglewood by 2/24

Community Clean Up Days 

  • Westside Neighborhood Park Community Clean Up- Feb. 2024
  • Queen Anne Community Clean Up – May 2024: community cleanup and outreach 
  • Lincoln Memorial Park Community Cleanup – May 2024: Community clean up at abandoned cemetery 

Over 100 community members participated in our Community Clean up and together we picked up about 185 pounds of garbage in 2024.

Blackwelder Community Greenbelt: California Greenworks is currently working to restore the loss of habitat in the Blackwelder Tract of lower Ballona Creek. We seek to create a green infrastructure network along the boundaries of Culver City and Los Angeles. Stormwater gardens, bike trails, and walking paths can unite this portion of the Lower Ballona Creek while increasing opportunities for the pollination of the native flora. In February 2024, we hosted our Blackwelder walkthrough of the project site. Participating partners included; Kamlager-Dove office, Woodard and Curran. 


Looking Ahead to 2025

As we step into 2025, we remain committed to deepening our impact and driving meaningful change. Our Strategic Plan for 2025 lays out key initiatives designed to strengthen our programs, enhance workplace culture, and expand our reach.

Next year, we will:

✅ Expand and develop the Blackwelder Community Greenbelt project to create more green spaces and sustainable urban environments.

✅ Enhance our educational initiatives, introducing new curriculum and workshops focused on environmental stewardship and sustainability.

✅ Increase community engagement through more clean-up events, hands-on learning opportunities, and advocacy efforts.

✅ Foster a stronger, more inclusive workplace culture, prioritizing staff well-being, transparency, and collaboration.

This strategic direction ensures that our organization grows sustainably while addressing immediate needs and long-term goals. For a deeper dive into our vision for 2025, refer to our full Strategic Plan [insert document link or location]

Be a part of our impact 

There are a number of ways you can join us in 2025 from joining our email list, adopting a tree, hosting one of our educational programs, attending one of our events, volunteering your time, or telling a friend about us. 

If you have any questions about how you can join, send us a message, we would love to hear from you. 

Urban Heat Island Effect

Now Hiring: Urban Forestry Internship

Thanks for your interest in California Greenworks’s Urban Forestry Internship. With your help,
we will be able to correct environmental injustices and help mitigate climate change to the
most vulnerable communities in Los Angeles.

Here’s a list of responsibilities that are associated with managing and maintaining urban forest
areas:

Tree Planting:

  • Select appropriate tree species for planting considering climate, soil conditions, and urban
    environment.
  • Determine suitable locations for planting trees based on factors such as available space,
    sunlight exposure, and proximity to infrastructure.

Tree Maintenance

  • Help manage the tree maintenance with CGW partners
  • Help monitor trees for signs of pests, diseases, or damage and taking appropriate action to
    address issues.

Tree Inventory and Mapping

  • Conducting inventories of existing trees in CGW tree planting sites and update as needed
  • Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to map tree locations and track
    changes over time.
  • Help monitor various metrics for CGW trees to measure environmental and social impacts

Community Engagement and Education

  • Organizing tree planting events and volunteer opportunities to involve community members
    in urban forestry initiatives.
  • Providing educational workshops and materials to raise awareness about the benefits of
    trees and proper tree care practices.

Urban Heat Island Mitigation

  • Strategically planting trees to provide shade and reduce surface temperatures in urban
    areas.
  • Collaborating with city planners and developers to incorporate green infrastructure into
    urban design projects.

Environmental Monitoring

  • Monitoring air quality, soil health, and biodiversity in urban forest areas to assess the
    ecosystem services provided by trees.
  • Collecting data on carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions to quantify the
    environmental benefits of urban forestry.

Policy Development and Advocacy

  • Developing and advocating for policies and regulations that support urban forestry
    initiatives, such as tree protection ordinances and urban greening strategies.
  • Collaborating with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders to
    promote urban forestry as a priority in urban planning and development.

Research and Innovation

  • Conducting research on urban forestry best practices, including tree species selection,
    planting techniques, and management strategies.
  • Collaborating with academic institutions and research organizations to advance scientific
    knowledge and innovation in the field of urban forestry.

Long-term Planning and Sustainability

l

  • Developing long-term management plans for urban forest areas to ensure their
    sustainability and resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
  • Securing funding and resources to support ongoing maintenance and expansion of urban
    forestry programs and initiatives.
    These responsibilities may vary depending on the specific goals and priorities of urban forestry
    programs, as well as the resources available to implement them.

Interested in applying? Complete our application form.

Climate Justice, 2024: Harnessing Technology for Climate Justice: APathway to Equity and Sustainability

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, exacerbating existing inequalities and disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities around the world. In thefight for climate justice, technology emerges as a powerful tool to address environmental disparities and promote equity while advancing sustainability goals. Empowering Communities: Technology has the potential to empower communities to […]

We LOVE Our Volunteers!

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month. During the month of April (and all year round) we celebrate and honor the invaluable contributions of volunteers to our communities. A volunteer is defined as a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). 

At California Greenworks, our volunteers are the foundation that allows us to carry out our programming to improve the environment and quality of life in urban communities around Los Angeles. 

Volunteers Make Our World Greener

We hosted our Community Cleanup event on February 10 at the beautiful Westside Neighborhood Park. Thanks to all of our volunteers, we were able to clean up more than 100 pounds of litter!

Four of the volunteers at the event were the Artiga Family. Their entire family showed up and worked together to clean up waste in our community. After the event, we followed up to ask them about their experience. Here’s what they had to say: 

Q: How did you hear about California Greenworks Community Cleanup Event?

A: We first heard of the organization on a web search when our family (2 dad and two, 11 year boy/girl twins) were looking for a way to do some community service around the Martin Luther King holiday a few years ago as the pandemic was lightening up.  California Greenworks was sponsoring an event in the south LA area and were eager to participate. 

Q: What made you want to take part in our Community Cleanup Event?

A: We are eager to participate because we saw this as a way of helping our larger LA city community.  Even though we didn’t live in that part of south LA we deeply believe in the words of MLK that, “When one struggles we all struggle” and this was a way to help our larger city and its members.

Q: What was your favorite part or highlight of the Community Cleanup Event?

A: The best part of the cleanups was knowing we were contributing to our city and doing this as a family.  This tapped into my sense that “tiny steps can lead to many miles” in the sense that when we take some small actions together we can make a lot of good progress.  At the end of the events, the streets and parks that we helped clean up looked so much better. I asked my kids what they liked and they said “I liked cleaning…it was fun as a family.”


Thank You! 

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated their time and talent to support California Greenwork over the years! Thank you for supporting our goals to create; environmental justice and climate equity, sustainable, community-based restoration to eliminate urban blight and promote green space development, innovative, modern and actionable green education and curriculum, and advocacy for green job creation and economic development. 

Join us on May 4! 

Join us this Saturday, May 4, for our Community Cleanup event starting at 10:00 AM! We are excited to gather together for a day of community bonding and environmental stewardship.

This event is all about coming together as a neighborhood and making a positive impact on our local environment. We will be working together to clean up the park, removing litter and debris, and ensuring that our beloved park remains a clean and safe space for everyone to enjoy.

Registration link for our Community Cleanup event coming soon!

Butterfly Gardens 101

Meet Jessy Shelton, California Greenworks Project Lead

Jessy has served 10 years, both professionally and voluntarily, working with nonprofits. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management with an emphasis in Marine Sciences. In her freetime, she is a SCUBA instructor and enjoys freediving, snorkeling, surfing, skateboarding, rock climbing, camping and running around with her dog.

Here’s more from Jessy about why she’s a part of California Greenworks:

I am from a small town in a valley of southern California. Compared to the beach, the valley climate is cold at night and very hot during the day, with little breeze. I grew up going to the beach as often as I could, and partially the reason behind it was the temperature change. 

When it comes to environmental issues, the lack of understanding about the severity of the state of the planet is something that worries me. Globally, climate change is my biggest concern, as well as agricultural methods, commercial fishing and overall natural resource usage. 

I hope to build a stronger connection to the community and get our name out there more. I hope to bring attention to other environmental issues as well. I have 10 years, both professionally and voluntarily, working for nonprofits serving the community. I think I bring a new perspective to the team and am slowly building a network of other groups in the community to expand our reach!

I am inspired most by CGW being a resource for the community. I love that we are becoming a group to inform the public, put them in front of decision makers, and create a greener space for the city.

Meet Michael Berns, California Greenworks Program and Project Director

Michael has served 14 years in the nonprofit industry. He holds a PhD in Anthropology and is passionate about the environment and mental health. In his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, surfing and making mosaics out of recycled material (michaelbernsart.com).

Here’s more from Michael about why he’s a part of California Greenworks:

I grew up in the Santa Monica mountains of Los Angeles, where I ran cross country from an early age. Oak savannas and the grassy hills were always my happy place.  As I got older, I began to surf and began to notice how everything, and I mean everything, funnels into the bay of LA. After a storm, we were warned not to surf for at least 48 hours due to the increase in contaminants.  This really hit home when I saw all the trash, litter, diapers and dead possums in the water. 

CGW’s drive towards climate equity keeps me passionate. As a secular Jew from Los Angeles, the concept of social justice was constantly discussed in my family and community. I love that I am able to learn about the specific environmental aspects of social justice; and, I feel honored that CGW provides me with opportunities to correct the glaring injustices of the world.


I hope to create an impact at CGW by following the mantra of scalability.  The world won’t be saved in one day, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I hope to create more research and insights into the correlation between mental health and the environment. I hope to create opportunities of redressing historical environmental injustices. I hope to leave the world a better place than how I found it. I am an asset to the mission because of my training and passion towards research: I like reading and I like learning! I can also bridge seemingly disparate parts into a whole. I will continue to contribute to CGW through my passion, research skills, unique insights and perseverance.