I Call Myself the Lorax of Santa Clara County

I call myself the Lorax of Santa Clara County. But one Lorax can only do so much.

What if every resident grew up to be a Lorax? What kind of county would we become? Would we finally meet our carbon goals? More importantly, would we stop thinking of trees as decorations or one-time planting projects and start investing in them for the long term as infrastructure?

Trees are more than shade. They clean our air, cool our neighborhoods, and store carbon. They support behavioral health, reduce stress and anxiety, and even shorten hospital stays simply by giving patients a view of nature outside their windows. They help students concentrate, improve learning, and are associated with better academic outcomes. Trees are investments that pay dividends for generations.

I'm one Lorax, and I can't do this alone.

I'm not calling anyone out. I'm calling everyone in.

I'm calling in every resident, every student, every teacher, every business, every elected official, and every child to become a Lorax for Santa Clara County.

Because when we all speak for the trees, we're also speaking for our health, our climate, our neighborhoods, and our future.

The question isn't whether we can afford to invest in trees. It's whether we can afford not to.