Shocked By Dr. Jane Goodall’s Death, Students At Event She Was to Address Carry On Tree-Planting Initiative

In an extraordinary confluence of shock, dismay, and hope, 1,000 students from across Los Angeles launched a major reforestation initiative Wednesday in Pasadena shortly after learning that Dr. Jane Goodall, who was to have been their keynote speaker, had died earlier that morning at age 91.

The students, gathered at EF Academy Pasadena for the launch of TREEAMS (Trees + Dreams), a youth-led movement to plant 5,000 trees in wildfire-ravaged areas, proceeded with their ceremony despite the devastating news about the world-renowned conservationist who had championed their cause.

Dr. Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace, had been scheduled to address the students directly about their ambitious response to the January 2025 wildfires that devastated communities from Altadena to Pacific Palisades. That initiative, conceived by Margarita Pagliai, Head of School at Seven Arrows Elementary School, aims to transform grief into ecological action through environmental education and large-scale tree planting over the next three to five years.

The gathering proceeded with a ceremonial planting of a Coast Live Oak on the EF Academy campus and the creation of a time capsule containing students’ hopes for Los Angeles’s future, transforming what was to have been a celebration with the legendary primatologist into a moment of both mourning and determination.

In the aftermath of the January 2025 wildfires, TREEAMS was imagined by Margarita Pagliai, Head of School at Seven Arrows Elementary School and Founder of both Seven Arrows Elementary and Little Dolphins by the Sea Preschool, to help students heal and contribute to the restoration and reforestation of Los Angeles.

With key partners, including UCLA School of Education, Saint Mark’s School, EF Academy Pasadena, the SoLa Foundation and EcoRise, plus dozens of other public and private schools across LA as well as local expert advisors on tree planting, the goal is to plant more than 5,000 trees over the next three to five years.

“The TREEAMS movement represents the very best of what young people can achieve when they come together with courage and compassion,” Dr. Goodall in an earlier statement. “By planting trees, they are helping restore ecosystems, combat climate change, and bring healing to communities in need.”

Uniting students from Altadena to Pacific Palisades, TREEAMS will empower youth to learn, grow and move forward together, as they transform Los Angeles into a model of ecological renewal and harmony for generations to come. Through environmental education, tree mapping, and large-scale tree planting, the project seeks to transform grief into action by restoring burned landscapes, replanting lost trees, and cultivating resilience.

“This movement shows what is possible when schools and communities come together with a shared purpose,” said Margarita Pagliai. “I am very concerned about the depression among young people. We want to provide the scaffolding for students across Los Angeles to lead the way in turning loss into a vision for a brighter and greener future, and we are honored to stand beside them.”

“Hosting the launch of TREEAMS and planting the first tree in support of this incredible program on our campus is both a privilege and a responsibility,” said Dr. Sally Mingarelli, Head of School at EF Academy Pasadena. “Our students understand that healing the earth begins in our own communities, and they are eager to lead with compassion, courage, and action.”