Wave Staff Report
WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city will celebrate Green Week 2023 April 15-22 to focus attention during April on the city’s environmental efforts and initiatives with information-sharing and educational opportunities.
Green Week is aligned with April 22, which is annually recognized internationally as Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest in Our Planet,” which highlights the importance of dedicating resources and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.
In recognition of Earth Day, West Hollywood City Hall will be illuminated in the color green throughout Green Week.
To raise community awareness about the vital role that trees play in the urban environment, the city will host its annual tree planting event at 9 a.m. April 15 at the Babi Yar Memorial at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.
The event will start with a short “how-to” planting session, followed by a discussion on the benefits trees provide to our urban environment.
The city also will host a free in-person symposium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22 in the public meeting room at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., to explore the changing nature of public and private space. It will focus on topics including socio-economics, health and wellness, and environmental and climate benefits related to such reconsideration, as well as strategies that foster high-performing open space and green space in new development in the city.
During Green Week, the city will showcase many of its programs and achievements in order to deepen the community’s awareness of environmental stewardship, including its participation in the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to mark the city’s commitment to saving the monarch butterfly.
The city was recently designated a Green Power Community by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for meeting 65% of its 100% renewable energy use through voluntary green power that goes above-and-beyond the state’s standards.
Its green building program integrates locally specific requirements for new buildings striving towards energy efficiency, improving the health of the environment and community, and helping the city shape a sustainable future. The green building program was updated at the first of the year to include more aggressive standards for electric vehicle charging stations.
The city’s urban forest management plan presents a 20-year guide to help shape the present and future state of the city’s trees. The plan identifies 68 actions and eight overarching goals that strive to sustain, protect and enhance the city’s urban forest, which is comprised of public trees and private property trees.
For more information about Green Week, contact Emily Rotman, assistant planner, at 323-848-6802.
