This Monday, January 17, is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, an annual holiday dedicated to Dr. King's legacy of social justice and vision for equitable communities through action and volunteer service.

Since 2016, Canopy has marked this day through organized tree planting events where communities have gathered to celebrate MLK Jr.'s life by planting and tending trees, strengthening bonds with friends and neighbors, and investing in the urban tree canopy that will impact their community for the next generations.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s courageous leadership of the modern civil rights movement left a legacy of social change that reverberates through the environmental justice movement and legislature today.

Recognized by environmental groups as one of the first advocates for environmental justice, Dr. King understood the interconnectedness of the civil rights and environmental movements of his time, and his work led to the Clean Air Act in 1963, the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Learn more about the environmental legacy of MLK Jr. in this article by the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.

Event Update: to protect the health and safety of our communities, Canopy has chosen to cancel the large group planting event planned for this Monday, January 17, and reschedule at a later date. Please keep an eye on our monthly newsletters, website, and social media for the announcement with the rescheduled day of service!

Dig through our old Flickr photo albums at the links below and reminisce with us about Canopy's past MLK Day of Service volunteer events!

Instead of hosting a large community service day in 2021, Canopy welcomed the incoming mayors of East Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Palo Alto with a ceremonial tree planting in one of their city's parks to signify their dedication to greener communities during their mayoral term.