TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Masa Alkire, Community Development Director
Joe DeFrancesco, Interim Public Works Director
Britny Coker-Moen, Environmental Programs Administrator
Ernest Area, Urban Forester
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of an Earth Day Community Tree Planting Event (No Budget Impact) (Community Development Director Alkire).
APPROVE
Body
_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the proposed Earth Day Community Tree Planting Event.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If City Council approves the proposed Earth Day Community Tree Planting Event, sufficient funds of $3,000 are currently budgeted within the City's Public Works Department budget.
BACKGROUND:
Earth Day was first established in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson in response to a rising concern for air and water pollution. The actions at that time around those concerns resulted in the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Today, Earth Day is celebrated as the anniversary date of the modern environmental movement.
Manhattan Beach held its first Earth Day celebration in 1992 at Polliwog Park and regularly hosted an annual celebration and concert in partnership with nonprofit Volunteers and Organizations Improving the Community's Environment (V.O.I.C.E.). V.O.I.C.E. is no longer operating with the City's last Earth Day celebration and concert collaboration with V.O.I.C.E. taking place in 2018. The City did not hold another Earth Day event until 2025, when the City hosted a celebration and resource fair in partnership with the Manhattan Beach Farmers Market.
On December 24, 2025, Grades of Green, a nonprofit organization that provides students with hands-on environmental programs and education, contacted the City with a partnership proposal to host a community tree planting event for Earth Day 2026 (Attachment 1) to foster c...
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