This past Friday was Arbor Day, and to honor the important date, more than 175 volunteers contributed their time and muscle to help Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plant 53 trees at a local high school.
With the blessing of perfect weather, the sunshine and blue sky helped set the stage for an important community effort at Woodland Hills’ El Camino Real High School. Million Trees LA, a non-profit organization committed to greening the City of Angels, provided 53 Australian willow saplings to be planted around the school’s grounds and walkways, and the volunteers were there to get them into their new “homes.” Once they’ve matured, the trees will provide much-needed shade and tree canopy to the campus. FIJI Water is proud to have sponsored the event.
Leading the planting effort was Mayor Villaraigosa, who also serves as head of the Million Trees LA initiative. He was assisted by many El Camino High School students, local families, members of the L.A. Conservation Corps and Forest Fire & Rescue, and other volunteers, including popular rapper Master P. (In that same spirit, a local DJ offered his services and was spinning just the right music to get the crowd ready for a morning of planting.) FIJI Water representatives included Grace Jeon, the senior vice president of national accounts and field marketing, and Scott Parido, the senior vice president of United States retail, Mexico and Canada sales. Once they and the mayor completed the ceremonial planting of the first tree, the volunteers were broken up into teams and set to planting. All told, the effort took just over two hours.
FIJI Water also supplied many eager volunteers.
Planting trees is high on the list of FIJI Water’s environmental priorities. On the Fijian island of Viti Levu, we have partnered with Conservation International to preserve and protect the Sovi Basin, 50,000 acres of critical rainforest that is home to flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth. Nearby, we’ve embarked on a second partnership with Conservation International in the Nakauvadra Forest Carbon Project, which will restore degraded grasslands and abandoned sugar cane farms by replanting them with native, high-value timber, fruit and spice trees. Like those planted at El Camino Real High School, they will grow into natural assets that benefit not only the local community but the entire planet as well.
More news and information:
Celebrating Earth Day Is a Daily Event
Highlights
