The City of West Hollywood will celebrate “West Hollywood Green Week 2023” to focus attention during the month of April on the City’s environmental efforts and initiatives with information-sharing and educational opportunities, which aim to elevate community awareness about City programs and policies related to West Hollywood’s natural and built environments, ecology, and sustainability.

West Hollywood Green Week is aligned with the date of April 22, which is annually internationally recognized as Earth Day. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest in Our Planet,” which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues. Investing in our planet is necessary to protect it and the best way to pave a path towards a thriving future. In recognition of Earth Day, West Hollywood City Hall will be illuminated in the color green from April 15 through April 22.

Locally, as part of West Hollywood Green Week, the City will host a free in-person symposium called POPS + PARTS: Reconsidering Public and Private Space Relationships, which will 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 of West Hollywood. The POPS + PARTS symposium will take place in the coming weeks and updated information will be available on the City’s calendar at www.weho.org/calendar.

The City of West Hollywood is dedicated to sustainability and preserving the environment. During West Hollywood 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 and other pollinators through public awareness and expansion of pollinator gardens throughout West Hollywood. This year, the City has partnered with The Center for Early Education to organize two outdoor classroom educational events that will feature monarch butterfly conservation education and activities, including planting nectar plants at Kings Road Park;

• Designation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Green Power Community by meeting 65% of its 100% renewable energy use through voluntary green power that goes above-and-beyond the State of California’s standards. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase Green Power use among U.S. organizations to advance the American market for renewable energy and development of those sources as a way to reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. Learn more about how the West Hollywood community gets its Green Power;

• Green Building Program, the first-in-the-state green building code, that builds upon state requirements and integrates locally specific requirements for new buildings and remodels to strive towards energy efficiency, improve the health of the environment and community, and help the City shape a sustainable future. The Green Building Program was recently updated effective January 1, 2023 to include more aggressive standards for electric vehicle charging stations; and

• Implementation of a new organics collection program in compliance with SB 1383, a statewide effort to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants by reducing organic waste disposal. To assist community members in collection of food scraps, the City of West Hollywood and Athens Services hosted two events to provide free kitchen compost pails for food scrap collection to community members.

To raise community awareness about the vital role that trees play in the urban environment, the City will host its 2023 Annual Tree Planting event on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 9 a.m., at the Babi Yar Memorial at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. West Hollywood community members are invited and encouraged to participate. Supervision, instruction, and tools and gloves will be provided. 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 tree selected for this year’s celebration is the purple orchid (Bauhinia variegata). Widely planted throughout Southern California, this tree species is native to India and China. The purple orchid is a partly deciduous, small tree with a maximum height of 35 feet. It has a medium water use rating and features two-lobed leaves with seasonal displays of fall color and showy, fragrant flowers that will attract birds. Sun exposure ranges from partial shade to full sun.

The City’s Heritage Tree program focuses on the identification of specimen trees, promotes tree awareness, advocates for the protection of mature tree benefits, and educates community members about the City’s heritage trees and proper maintenance practices. The City has created an educational webpage about young tree care best practices and community members are encouraged to check out the resource videos and take the tree steward pledge.

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 West Hollywood’s urban forest, which is comprised of public trees and private property trees.

The City will also highlight the environmental benefits of: the Melrose & Norwich “Weaver’s Walk” gathering place; Canopy Tree Ordinance for New Developments; and Hart Park site design improvements.

Finally, the City will continue to implement its people-centered Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), which outlines the City’s intended path to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate while centering equity and quality-of-life outcomes for the West Hollywood community. The City is excited to relaunch its sustainability web pages and a public dashboard that will monitor progress under the CAAP toward achieving carbon neutrality. To learn more about the City’s ongoing sustainability programs and initiatives as well as information and resources, visit WeHo Climate Action & Sustainability.

For more information about West Hollywood Green Week 2023, please contact Emily Rotman, Assistant Planner at the City of West Hollywood, at (323) 848-6802 or at erotman@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org.