Tree Musketeers Celebrate Arbor Day by Planting 'Trees to the Sea' by the Los Angeles Airport

March 8, 2008 - PRLog -- EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – To mark Arbor Day, more than 700 environmentally-concerned volunteers planted trees along the stretch of Imperial Highway that borders the Los Angeles International Airport as part of “Trees to the Sea,” a project initiated by Tree Musketeers, the nation’s first youth environmental organization.
   For the El Segundo-based nonprofit, today’s planting of 120 trees represents the conclusion of a five-year program that has transformed Imperial Highway’s formerly barren hardscape into an attractive tree-lined street with 500 trees that enlarge Los Angeles’ urban forest.
   The event also fulfills a 21-year-old dream of the 13 then-third graders who founded Tree Musketeers and wanted to create a green barrier to fight the airport’s noise and air pollution.
   “Trees to the Sea took 17 years and three generations of youth leaders to actually set the project in motion,” said Adam Miranda, a member of Tree Musketeers’ youth management team.  “We hope our efforts will serve as an example to other youth around the world of what they can accomplish if they persevere, as kids can stop global warming one tree at a time,” he added.
   The trees planted as part of Trees to the Sea will mitigate significant amounts of greenhouse gases created by airport and vehicular traffic, which are at the root of global warming, while providing a more appropriate “welcome to Southern California” to dignitaries who travel the thoroughfare when exiting at the rear of the airport.  At maturity, the trees will reduce noise pollution for the City of El Segundo, while enhancing economic vitality by beautifying a major entrance to its newly revitalized downtown business district.
   As the Imperial Highway median was designed to serve as a drainage ditch to channel inland storm runoff directly to the ocean, the recently planted trees will also help reduce the amount of polluted runoff and litter reaching the ocean.

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About Tree Musketeers
Founded in 1987 by a Brownie Girl Scout troop as the nation’s first youth environmental organization, Tree Musketeers continues to expand the vision of its founders, while operating as a nonprofit where kids are the decision makers. The mission of the El Segundo-based organization is to empower young people to be leaders of environmental and social change in the Earth’s communities, with kids teaching other kids to become active citizens and community leaders.

Website: www.treemusketeers.org