LOS ANGELES, CALIF – TreePeople, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, has built a new facility in Coldwater Canyon so visitors can see tangible, immediate and easy steps they can take to create a sustainable Los Angeles. Called the TreePeople Center for Community Forestry, the four-acre, $10-million environmental educational campus, located in Coldwater Canyon Park, is primed to serve more than 70,000 visitors annually. The Center supports TreePeople’s vision of creating “functioning community forests” throughout Los Angeles, where people come together to transform neighborhoods into ecosystems that act like a natural forest.

Actor Annette Bening helped celebrate the opening of TreePeople’s Center for Community Forestry. “Forests have always been the life support system for the planet,” said Bening. “I’m inspired by TreePeople’s work to use trees as visible models of sustainability and to also help transform Los Angeles into a truly green city.” Bening joined school children at the ribbon cutting event at TreePeople Center, where attendees learned basic principles of how natural forests function and simple ways to apply these principles in an urban setting.

As a sign of appreciation for Annette Bening’s support, TreePeople founder Andy Lipkis presented Ms. Bening with a piece of artwork from David Leaser titled, “Ananus.” The piece is a 24” x 24” botanical image mounted and framed by the imaging center the Smithsonian Institute uses for many of their gallery exhibits.

 

“Thank you again for the lovely gift for Annette Bening. It was a wonderful, heartfelt way to acknowledge her presence and committment to nature.”

Laurie Kaufman
Treepeople