CANOPY BLOG

Meet Oscar Rodriguez-Ortiz, Canopy’s 2023-24 AmeriCorps VISTA Member

By Canopy Team on August 18, 2023

Oscar Rodriguez-Ortiz (he/him) joined the Canopy team in August 2023 to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA representative for the next year. We asked Oscar a few questions to get to know him better.

What were you up to before joining Canopy?

Oscar: I graduated from the University of California, Davis and majored in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning.

Why do you think trees are so important?

Oscar: I think trees are important because they provide peace and tranquility to community members and because they help regulate toxins in the air.

What are you excited to be working on?

Oscar: I’m excited to work on projects that engage the youth of the communities we serve.

Hachiya persimmon fruit — Hachiya persimmon fruit via Robert Couse-Baker, Flickr

What is your favorite tree?

Oscar: Any fruit tree

Favorite Quote?

Oscar: “To live is the rarest thing in the world.” – Oscar Wilde

What are your favorite hobbies?

Oscar: Running and hiking

Thanks, Oscar! We’re so glad to have you on the Canopy team.

Category: From the Field
Tags: staff

Sign up for local tree news, events, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Previous Post Next Post

Canopy on the Radio: Discussing Community and Trees on Por la libre

Meet Bless Romo, Canopy’s new Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Canopy joins communities in celebrating trees for California Arbor Week 2024

Meet Tania Cooley, Canopy’s new Environmental Educator

Meet Desiree Humphers, Canopy’s new Adult Education Coordinator

Instagram

🌳Happy National Arbor Day🌳 Today, we celebra

🌳Happy National Arbor Day🌳 Today, we celebrate Arbor Day by congratulating East Palo Alto on this incredible journey to becoming a Tree City USA, one of the goals of EPA’s 2022 Urban Forest Master Plan. This could not happen without a coalition of people who care about the health and wellbeing of trees and communities. As Mayor López shared in his proclamation, protecting and caring for trees in East Palo Alto is important for addressing the disparities in canopy cover and ensuring all residents have access to the benefits of trees, including cleaner air and shade. After the proclamation, we planted a beautiful Silver Linden! Canopy thanks Mayor López and everyone who attended the proclamation today. We also want to thank everyone who has helped and supported us to plant and care for our urban forests. @arbordayfoundation @cityofepa @barrioscribe

Please join us in welcoming Desiree Humphers (she/

Please join us in welcoming Desiree Humphers (she/her), Tania Cooley (she/her/ella), and Bless Romo (she/her) to the Canopy team! Desiree, our new Adult Education Coordinator, is excited to develop new educational programs to connect people with nature in a fun way. Tania, our new Environmental Educator, believes environmental education at a young age is important because it affects how children relate to and feel in nature. Bless, our new Communications and Marketing Coordinator, is excited to share stories about the community members who contribute to and have been impacted by Canopy's work.
Learn more about Desiree, Tania, and Bless on our Staff webpage and say "hello" to them at future Canopy events!

On April 20, Canopy planted 6 trees in North Fair

On April 20, Canopy planted 6 trees in North Fair Oaks with the help of volunteers from Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program, YMSL (Alpine), and community members from Palo Alto. That same day, Canopy's Executive Director JP Renaud and Community Forestry Coordinator Arlene Nuñez spoke with Manuel Ortiz on Por la libre about our work in communities like North Fair Oaks and the importance of planting trees with community. JP and Arlene highlight how planting trees with community members not only helps to improve tree cover and public health but builds community. Click the link in our bio to listen to the full interview in Spanish or read about the interview in English/Spanish!

Happy Earth Day from Canopy! While every day is a

Happy Earth Day from Canopy! While every day is a good day to appreciate and steward our planet, Earth Day is a great day to reflect on the amazing gifts and life that Earth gives us and what we can do to reciprocate that love. On this Earth Day, Canopy is grateful for trees and tree stewards for their power in making our communities healthier and more resilient. Trees provide countless benefits to us, and Canopy is committed to returning kindness and love to our urban forests. Through community-engagement, environmental education, tree stewardship, and advocacy, Canopy will continue to foster healthy, equitable urban forests in the Midpeninsula.

Last week, 8 volunteers from a corporate group pla

Last week, 8 volunteers from a corporate group planted 5 trees in Palo Alto. Thank you to these volunteers for their time and care in helping increase our tree canopy in the Midpeninsula!
If your corporate group would like to volunteer with Canopy, please visit the link in our bio to learn more about organizing corporate team building tree care or tree planting events.

Canopy is hiring a Community Organizer! We're look

Canopy is hiring a Community Organizer! We're looking for a passionate organizer to help build a movement toward environmental equity in Midpeninsula communities in the Bay Area, with a special emphasis on East Palo Alto. This position will lead an ambitious outreach and engagement program that addresses climate change issues in historically under-resourced communities. Learn more at the link in our bio!
🌳Compensation: $60,000/year
🌳Hybrid, partially working from home, our Palo Alto office, and in the community
🌳Full-time, 40 hours per week position Tuesday through Saturday with occasional evening events

To celebrate Earth Month and National Arbor Day, C

To celebrate Earth Month and National Arbor Day, Canopy invites you to our upcoming tree walk and tree planting events! At Canopy’s guided tree walks, a certified arborist leads participants through neighborhood routes, sharing fun facts and tree care tips. At Canopy's tree planting events, you can help plant a tree in your community with the guidance of our Tree Team. Our upcoming events include:
🌳4/20 Mountain View: Arbor Day Celebration and Mayor's Tree Planting
🌳4/20 Mountain View: Tree Walk
🌳4/20 North Fair Oaks: Earth Day Tree Planting and Trash Cleanup **new meeting location at Garfield Community School**
🌳4/27 Palo Alto: National Arbor Day Community Tree Planting
🌳5/4 East Palo Alto: Caminata Guiada / Bilingual Tree Walk
Visit the link in our bio for more information and tree walk sign-ups.

Throwback to Wangari Maathai's visit to East Palo

Throwback to Wangari Maathai's visit to East Palo Alto for Canopy's 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala in 2006! Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and social activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977, she founded the @greenbeltmovement, an environmental organization that works at the intersection of women's rights, environmental conservation, and tree planting. As a community-based urban forestry organization, Canopy admires Maathai's community-engagement and advocacy with Kenyan women to steward their forests and foster community power. These photos are from Wangari Maathai's keynote speech at our 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala where we launched our East Palo Alto Tree Initiative with a ceremonial tree planting.

Tickets are going fast for our annual benefit - Th

Tickets are going fast for our annual benefit - The Power of Trees: Growing a Movement! Together we’ll experience the “behind the leaves” impact urban trees give through stronger community bonds, better health outcomes, more career opportunities, and greener, more beautiful neighborhoods. You can help bring these powerful benefits of trees and urban forestry to our Midpeninsula communities. Reserve your seat at the link in our bio!
🌳 The Power of Trees: Growing a Movement
🌳 Sunday, April 14, 2024
🌳 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
🌳 Mitchell Park Community Center, Palo Alto

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook

Canopy

Twitter

Tweets by @CanopyTrees