For Earth Day, the Southern California offices of Studley, through its Community Involvement Committee, and TreePeople, an environmental non-profit serving the Los Angeles area, planted 20 trees in San Pedro’s Peck Park.

Twenty five Studley volunteers planted 15-gallon trees that included, Eastern Red Bud, Incense Cedar, Strawberry, and Torrey Pine.

TreePeople’s mission is to inspire the people of Los Angeles to take personal responsibility for the urban forest – educating, training and supporting them as they plant and care for trees and improve the neighborhoods in which they live, work and play.

San Pedro was a premier location for planting because of the urgent need for trees in that area. The communities surrounding the Los Angeles Harbor have the second sparsest canopy of trees in the City of Los Angeles (8.9% existing tree canopy cover) and some of the worst air quality in the county.

San Pedro was also a focal point between our four Southern California offices in Downtown and West Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego

- Emissions from the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro Bay reach all the way up to downtown Los Angeles, more than 20 miles away.

Earth Day week (April 21-25) began in the spring of 1970 as a way to raise awareness of emerging environmental concerns. Ironically, some of the same issues at the leading edge of the young environmental movement in 1970--air pollution, dependence on fossil fuels, diminishing water quality--are still at the top of the list 37 years later. Earth Day is now observed in more than 180 countries on every continent.

The Honorable Janice Hahn, councilwoman, 15th District, City of Los Angeles (Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts and Wilmington) recognized Studley’s effort on behalf of her community with an official commendation.

After an orientation session on the “tools of the trade” and proper planting technique, Studley volunteers embarked on the task at hand.

After the first tree, a Strawberry tree (Arbutus Unedo), was planted, Studley volunteers broke into teams to plant the remaining 19 trees.

The clay soil at Peck Park made the task of digging a hole one of great challenge and difficulty for the Studley tree-planting volunteers, many of who had not experienced manual labor in many years.

After each tree was planted, Studley volunteers joined in the TreePeople ritual of blessing it by reciting: “Trees need people and people need trees…”

The naming of the tress took on sentimental meaning for Studley volunteers. Dedications were made on behalf of Jacque Ducharme (“Jacque”) as well as Studley staffers’ countries of origin: “Canada” and “China”.

- Planting “Jacque”

Within hours, Peck Park had 20 new trees, several of which surrounded the park’s playground. Thanks to Studley’s generous financial contribution and people power, the trees will provide shade and protection from harmful environmental contaminants for years come.

Studley volunteers are able to return annually to water, mulch, and care for the trees they planted.

As is the end result of all volunteer work, Studley staffers had a great time, bonded and left with a sense of fulfillment…