April 22 is internationally recognized as Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest in Our Planet.
The City of West Hollywood has released a short humor video to promote awareness among City social media followers about drought and to focus attention on conserving water, especially as we move from spring into the hotter summer months. The video is posted on the City’s WeHoTV YouTube channel.
The City of West Hollywood is encouraging residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce water use to help preserve the region’s water storage reserves in response to extreme drought conditions impacting California. Water use regulations, tips, and rebate information, along with other sustainability tips are available on the City’s website at www.weho.org/gogreen and tips for saving water are available at www.weho.org/waterconservation
The Earth Day organization EARTHDAY.ORG manages multiple global initiatives. Among these initiatives, Earth Day’s Canopy Project recognizes that forests are one of the most powerful tools to combat climate change and provide food and habitat for many species. The planet is currently losing forests at a staggering rate — more than 18 million acres of forests every year — that’s about 27 soccer fields of forest lost every minute. Since 2010, EARTHDAY.ORG has planted tens of millions of trees with The Canopy Project, working worldwide to strengthen communities.
Locally, the City of West Hollywood is committed to thoughtfully managing its urban forest, parks and green space, and public open spaces interwoven throughout its commercial districts and residential neighborhoods. Trees improve the shared environment. In the spirit of Earth Day, the City of West Hollywood will hold a tree-planting ceremony on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. The tree-planting ceremony will take place in the park adjacent to N. Fuller Avenue. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. To raise community awareness about the vital role that trees play in the urban environment, the City will highlight its annual tree planting event, Heritage Tree Program, and Urban Forest Management Plan, on its social media channels.
In addition, EARTHDAY.ORG’s Great Global Cleanup is a worldwide campaign to remove billions of pieces of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks. In May, the City of West Hollywood will host two community clean-up days. The Eastside Community Clean-Up will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2022 beginning at 9 a.m. at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard; the Westside Community Clean-Up will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2022 beginning at 9 a.m. at West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. These clean-up events follow a Mid-City Clean-Up that took place on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Cleaning supplies, water, and snacks will be provided to volunteers. All ages are welcome, but children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those interested in volunteering should contact the City of West Hollywood’s Community Affairs Coordinator, Jasmine Duckworth, at jduckworth@weho.org or at (323) 848-6559.
In December 2021, the City of West Hollywood adopted its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, WeHo Climate Action. WeHo Climate Action asserts a comprehensive roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2035 and maintain net negative emissions thereafter. It also challenges community members to dream of a future with little to no dependence on fossil fuels and to build resilience against extreme heat and other climate change impacts; a thriving and equitable urban forest; flourishing biodiversity; a sustainable and resilient building stock serving occupants of all abilities; and a restorative relationship with the Tongva people. Although climate change is a global problem, the City of West Hollywood recognizes that strategies to adapt to a changing climate are best enacted at the local level. To find out more, visit www.weho.org/climateaction.
For additional information about the City’s ongoing sustainability efforts, visit www.weho.org/gogreen. For more information, please contact Andi Lovano, City of West Hollywood Community & Legislative Affairs Manager, at (323) 848-6333 or at alovano@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
The City of West Hollywood remains in a declared local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. West Hollywood City Hall is open for in-person transactions by appointment; to make an appointment, visit www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services remain accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org. City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood @wehocity on social media, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.