Julia Zeitlin announces Cool Cities Coalition for tree planting in Bay Area

The Palo Alto City Council meeting on May 12, 2025, featured a significant presentation by Julia Zeitlin, a freshman at Stanford University and director of the 2024-2025 Bay Area Heat Mapping Campaign. Zeitlin discussed the findings from a heat mapping initiative conducted in collaboration with the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition, local cities, and community organizations.

The campaign aimed to identify areas of extreme heat in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. On one of the hottest days last summer, 30 volunteers collected temperature and location data across the cities, driving a total of 180 miles. The resulting heat maps revealed that the highest temperatures, indicated by darker red areas, are primarily found in dense urban regions with significant asphalt and concrete surfaces, which contribute to the urban heat island effect.

Zeitlin announced the launch of the Cool Cities Coalition, which will spearhead a tree planting campaign in collaboration with Canopy and volunteers from the three cities. This initiative aims to address the high-risk areas identified in the heat maps by enhancing urban greenery to mitigate extreme heat.

Additionally, the coalition is organizing a heat summit this summer to bring together Bay Area cities to discuss strategies for combating the rising threat of extreme heat. Zeitlin expressed gratitude to the City of Palo Alto and the council for their support in this data collection effort and invited further collaboration on these initiatives.

The meeting underscored the city's commitment to addressing climate challenges and protecting residents from extreme heat, highlighting the importance of community involvement in environmental solutions.