Cindy Montanez: ‘We’re going to liberate children from school asphalt prisons’

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In extended heat waves like the one experienced by California in early September, temperatures in the school yard can get right down dangerous—upwards of 145 degrees in the asphalt—with no shade to protect children from the hot sun rays.

Now California is trying to provide some shade by allocating $150 million to “green” our schools; particularly those in low-income, Black and Latino communities, which are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

“We’ve seen that planting more trees can shade and cool schools,” says Cindy Montanez, CEO of environmental advocacy organization TreePeople.

The Los Angeles-based organization has been planting trees in schools in Pacoima, Watts, and East Los Angeles and is spearheading the efforts to bring more greenery to California schools.

“This money ($150 million) is going to go fast becase there’s such a high need,” adds Montanez. “One tree alone can bring down the temperature by 45 degrees. If you’re under a tree, you’ll feel it’s nine or 10 degrees cooler and the tree cools the air around it.”

Trees also make campuses look better, help complement environmental and STEM education and improve the health and well being of the students and staff, Montanez notes.

For decades, schools were built with no regards for green spaces, or the trees that they had were cut down or died and were not replaced. There are 2,000 empty tree “wells” in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) alone.

This has converted many schools into “asphalt covered prisons,” Montanez says.

While the $150 million is an unprecedented allocation of money, it doesn’t mean that all schools in the state will get a tree. Priority will be given based on need, with schools in overly hot areas lacking greenery being the most urgent.

Schools in the San Fernando Valley, South and East Los Angeles are among the most needy.

“The sooner we plant the trees, the better. The trees can start having an immediate effect,” Montanez says.

She adds they plant 15-20 gallon trees that take about 3-5 years to catch up to mature trees. TreePeople also provides care for the trees for that period of time.

The money, Montanez says, will help speed up this process.

“We’re ready to do tons and tons of schools.”

Forget Homelessness Plant Trees: California’s 150 Million Plan for School Green