News Briefings

From Asphalt Jungle to Green Haven: Urgent Work for Schools and Neighborhoods in LA

By ACoM

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Was Live Friday, May 3, 2024 | 11am PST

Guest Speakers

  • Marci Raney, Senior Program Manager in the Office of Well-Being at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, former Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and Certified Exercise Physiologist and Playground Safety Inspector
  • Rocío Rivas, LAUSD School Board Member, District 2, Chairman of the Greening Schools and Climate Resilience Committee of the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education
  • Tori Kjer, Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust
  • Krisztina Tokes, Chief Facilities Executive, Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Christos Chrysiliou, Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, FAIA, CCM, LEED AP, Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Rosemary Ruiz, 11th-grade student at Brio College Prep in downtown Los Angeles, and founder of Go Green at her school

Event Overview

As the temperature soars higher year after year in Southern California, it becomes more important than ever to do the hard work of increasing the shade and green areas of the city, updating parks, and undertaking the long-overdue effort to change vast asphalt schoolyards into living spaces. This work also needs to consider existing structural inequities, where shade has become a fixture of privilege, and low-income communities lack sufficient parks and green areas.

Research has shown that greening schoolyards directly impacts children’s safety, health, and ability to learn. Yet, most schools in Los Angeles need more green space or shade.

Speakers on the first panel will address the work that community organizations and Los Angeles School District officials are undertaking to address this problem. The second panel will bring diverse voices from community-based organizations and the city to discuss urban greening efforts and plans. This event is open to all media but is required for ACoM/LENS Greening Journalism Fellows.

Presented by American Community Media

Bezos Earth Fund logo
Greening America's Cities