Photo via TBR News.
Breaking Ground in Manhattan Beach
Never underestimate the will of an environmental advocate — even if they haven’t yet reached sixth grade.
Ryan Beaupain, 11, had an idea to help reverse climate change in his local area by planting trees. He formulated his plan after searching for a shady place to rest after soccer practice one afternoon and realized the adjacent park didn’t have such a space.
Ryan wrote a letter to the Mayor of Manhattan Beach, California (where he resides), which included a detailed proposal for how he’d like to improve the city’s tree canopy coverage (currently it’s at only 3%) by planting more trees. The Mayor was so impressed with his research and ideas that she connected him with the city’s Director of Public Works, who then made an introduction to Manhattan Beach’s Urban Forester. Together they scoped out the remainder of the project, including the selection of tree species.
Taking Action
The final plan includes:
- The fundraising of $30,000
- The purchase, delivery and installation of 10 trees
- The determination of planting locations in the most sparse areas of the park
- The organization of community to help with the effort
- The planting of a variety of drought-resistant tree species to eliminate the possibility of common disease vulnerability
- The proper care once the trees are added to the landscape
Stories like Ryan’s remind us that anyone, even a child, has the power to take action against climate change and make a measurable difference in the world. We applaud him for his initiative and efforts to bring this tree-planting idea to life.
In January, Beaupain created a GoFundMe campaign to raise the funds needed to buy the trees. On that campaign page, he also provides periodic updates about the project. You can go there to follow his project, donate funds and share the page via social media.
