DRS and Associates Branches out with the TreePeople

As proud members of 1% for the Planet, we are part of a growing movement of more than 1000 companies that donate 1% of our sales to environmental organizations worldwide. In our most recent contribution efforts, we donated to the World Wildlife Fund and TreePeople, a nonprofit group that works on creating a sustainable future for Los Angeles. This year we wanted to take our participation a step further by volunteering our time and energy to this worthwhile organization.

The TreePeople are important to us because they’re in our own backyard. We’ve watched them grow (no pun intended) from a small group planting trees to a whole learning system and community resource center. From maintaining hiking trails to keeping the air a little cleaner, they’re a valuable community service in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Saturday morning we arrived at TreePeople ready to get our hands dirty. Because L.A. gets little rain and imports 85% of the water it uses, water conversation is an important component of sustainability. Our mission was to spread mulch across the trails of Fryman Canyon, which helps feed the soil with nutrients and allows the ground to absorb and hold rainwater that would otherwise run off.

The DRS team alternated between shoveling mulch into buckets and wheeling it down to the trails to be raked out by other volunteers. Despite the hot sun and occasional allergy, we were able to work together and clear the huge pile of mulch in record time.

Our Social Media team took pictures of the event, and afterwards we cooled off with a hearty lunch at Laurel Tavern. It was a great day of volunteer work, and we look forward to our next opportunity as we continue our ongoing community outreach. Besides doing our part to help the planet, getting out of the office is a breath of fresh air!