SacBee.com: Instead of ‘doomscrolling,’ volunteers fight climate gloom by planting 200 trees in Sacramento

By Ari Plachta – November 16, 2024

The outlook on humanity’s fight against global warming has been more grim than usual lately. As the COP29 climate conference unfolds in Azerbaijan, some of the world’s most powerful leaders are notably absent. And Donald Trump, who has dismissed climate change as a “hoax” and a “scam,” is poised to return to the White House.

But more than 200 volunteers found glimmers of hope in the dirt between their fingers Saturday, as they planted more than 200 trees at a park in Del Paso Heights with the California Climate Action Corps.

The event was part of a state initiative launched by Gov. Gavin Newsom where participants, called fellows, serve up to a year working with nonprofits and public agencies. The program focuses on urban greening, reducing food waste and wildfire resilience.

Tree planting “isn’t going to solve a crisis,” said Josh Fryday, chief service officer at California Volunteers, which oversees the fellowship program. But it can give people something to do and serve as an entry point to bring climate action into daily lives.