with Andy Lipkis

“The power of the experiences I’ve shared…the wake up call opened my eyes, not to scarcity, to the abundance that we don’t see. We create scarcity by throwing away water.” -Andy LipkisWe’re joined by Andy Lipkis, a visionary and pioneer in urban and community forestry and watershed movement in Los Angeles and world-wide. Andy shares with the Walking Water community formative experiences of organizing around climate resilience in Los Angeles both through advocacy and in the face of devastating climate emergencies. He shares lessons from drought stricken mega cities in Australia, drawing inspiration and tangible solutions for responding to a warming climate in order to capture precious rain water. Through Andy’s decades of work advocating on behalf of urban forests and watershed policies in LA, Andy shares first-hand the frustrations and successes of working in collaboration and, at times, in spite of multiple city agencies and bureaucracies. The Walking Water community collaborates in this conversation, including the integral voices of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, articulating the impacts of more than 175 years of settler colonialism on the original Paiute water stewards of Owens Valley/Payahuundaü, where LA continues to draw its water supply. About Andy LipkisAndy Lipkis has spent his life crowdsourcing climate resilience, both coordinating flood emergency disaster relief and addressing long-term causes and vulnerabilities. At age 18, he founded TreePeople, and served as its president from 1973 to 2019. Lipkis is a pioneer of Urban and Community Forestry and Urban Watershed Management, the principles of which have spread across the world. He has consulted for Los Angeles, Seattle, Melbourne, Hong Kong, London and other megacities, helping plan for climate resilience and adaptation. With climate change impacts already creating a chronic emergency for cities around the world, Andy’s work has demonstrated promising new ways for individuals, communities and government agencies to collaboratively reshape urban tree canopy, soil, and water infrastructure to save lives and grow a more livable future.After retiring from TreePeople in 2019, Andy launched Accelerate Resilience L.A. (ARLA), a fiscally sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, to inspire and enable people and local governments to equitably accelerate climate resilience in Los Angeles. Learn more about ARLA here.Produced & Edited by: Anne Carol MitchellIntro music by: Mamuse 'River Run Free' - featuring Walter StraussIf you feel inspired by Talking Water please consider a donation - our work relies on the community. You can donate here.For more info go to Walking Water website Hosted by: Kate BunneyProduced & Edited by: Jay LamarsIntro music by: Mamuse 'River Run Free' - featuring Walter StraussIf you feel inspired by Talking Water please consider a donation - our work relies on the community. You can donate here. https://walking-water.org/donate/For more info go to Walking Water website. https://walking-water.org/