Mission The mission of More Plants Less Walls is to assist local schools and communities in their efforts to purchase and plant trees.
What We Do More Plants Less Walls partners with local schools and communities in need of supplemental funding for their tree-planting projects. Our aim is to provide the missing funds to ensure that their projects are completed to scale and on time. By raising and donating the funds needed to purchase the trees for specific projects, More Plants Less Walls helps to create greener, more carbon-neutral, more comfortable, and more beautiful public spaces.
History In our youth, we were lucky enough to enjoy tree-lined streets, well-maintained green belts and public parks, and school yards with shade trees. We decided it was time to give something back and help to create similar experiences for today’s generation of kids growing up in and around Los Angeles.
We met with several community leaders and after learning about the backlog of re-planting and revitalization projects in many cities, decided we had found our niche. In October 2006, More Plants Less Walls was formed with the goal of helping to clear the backlog in areas where the urban forest and tree canopy was in most need of help. We decided to invest ourselves in this aspect of Los Angeles because it is important to us personally (we're all outdoor kids) and it is something that everyone in Los Angeles shares an interest in.
After learning about the gaps in funding that sometimes delay planting projects indefinitely, we had found a way we could help. In October 2006, More Plants Less Walls was formed with the goal of helping schools and communities round out their project budgets to enable them to move forward with their plantings. Because green spaces are something everyone in Los Angeles shares an interest in, we hope to have a positive impact on as many lives as possible.
Legal More Plants Less Walls is at 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is operated exclusively for charitable purposes. We are organized under California law as a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation and have also been granted tax-exempt status by the state of California. Gifts made to More Plants Less Walls are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
Who We Are Chris LeVeque, a recent graduate of the University of Southern California Law School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UCLA in 2004.
Cheyne Tilly, founder of Hipcheq.com who has lived in Los Angeles since he graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business and Management from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2004.
Patrick Hodgins, a corporate fundraiser for the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, where he is temporarily residing. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from UCLA in 2004.