Blue Sky LA: Communities Driving Change

Green space, park access, and trees

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

With approximately 4 million residents in Los Angeles, poor air quality is a critical issue for all residents - exacerbated by vehicle emissions, ships, planes, and heavy traffic congestion. Los Angeles alone has an estimated 6.5 million vehicles contributing significantly to pollution. Disadvantaged communities across the LA region suffer from urban heat islands characterized by more emissions (as a result of high-traffic areas, less government investment, fewer shady trees, and more heat-absorbing concrete and asphalt.
Improving air quality and mitigating heat in underserved communities is critical to improving the health of low-income individuals in neighborhoods - and that’s the mission of the BlueSky LA program. These communities are disproportionately affected by heat and pollutants. Heat is connected to the air pollutant ground level ozone. Higher levels of ozone are dangerous to individuals who have respiratory illnesses even causing death (SCAG, 2020).

BlueSky LA (BSLA) is a program and partnership between Breathe Southern California and Climate Cents. As the 2023 Climate Action Leadership Award recipient at the L.A. Civic Leadership and Impact Awards, BSLA is committed to improving air quality and mitigating urban heat in underserved communities. We aim to foster connections through monthly volunteer projects and engage with nonprofits, schools, government, and other stakeholders for a greener, more equitable LA Region.
Our approach with BSLA is to listen to the voices of our partners and community members who will be affected by the projects. When ideas are proposed, we listen to the needs. In addition, we communicate with the community in English and Spanish. Ensuring their voices are heard and considered is a mission and a promise we keep.
At the heart of BSLA is vibrant community spirit, driven by volunteers who are not just passionate about their neighborhoods but also empowered to take tangible actions to shape them. Often we hear about environmental issues plaguing communities and people feeling broken. This program allows them the opportunity to restore environmental injustices and bring the community together. These dedicated individuals plant and create new green spaces with BSLA's support. Access to clean air and green spaces is not a given, and our volunteers' dedication is the key to fostering stewardship among younger generations, and strengthening communities.

The impact of BSLA has been noticeable in LA County since its initiation. We have witnessed significant transformations in various spaces. One example is Lopez Urban Farm in Pomona, where we have partnered twice to plant trees and native plants. Since the inception of this partnership, the farm has evolved into a community hub for workshops, yoga classes, and a place for people to cool down during hot summers. With every visit, more community members and visitors engage with the space. The trees and native plants planted in 2022 have grown significantly and support a variety of species, making it a larger habitat space in the fragmented landscapes.
BlueSky LA allows community residents to come together and be involved in beautifying communities and changing the landscape of the region to improve air quality, mitigate heat, and connect the currently fragmented areas in Los Angeles County. The goal is to continue adding more green spaces in disadvantaged communities in LA County.

We measure impact annually by tracking several key metrics. These include the projects conducted, volunteers involved, the number of gardens installed, trees planted and native plants planted. Additionally, we assess the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of our projects that have trees and shrubs using i-Tree software and the Tane Tree Trust Native Shrub Calculator. This data helps us understand the potential of the projects to improve local air quality in the next 15 years (for shrubs) and 20 years (for trees) in the communities where projects are complete. Although we know that there isn't an instant impact as the plants are implemented and plant death will happen, the data provides us with a better understanding of the potential impact.
Since the inception of the program in April 2022:
Projects conducted: 30
Volunteers: 1059
New Gardens installed: 6
Trees planted: 228
Native Plants planted:241
Greening projects carbon dioxide sequestration potential in 15-20 years: 691,188 lbs

BlueSky LA (BSLA) is a program and partnership between Breathe Southern California and Climate Cents. Climate Cents handles the website management and social media of BlueSky LA. https://www.blueskyla.org/
@blueskyla2028