Going Green At This Coachella Valley High School

INDIO, CA — A high school in Indio will plant 22 trees in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, thanks to a grant from the Imperial Irrigation District, the district announced Monday.

Amistad Continuation High School, 83501 Dillon Ave., was named a recipient of a Public Green Space Grant. The program will fund the planting of roughly 1,000 shade trees across Imperial and Coachella valleys.

"We are pleased to partner with each grant recipient to invest in a greener future for our communities, " Gina Dockstader, IID board chairwoman, said in a statement.

District officials said the project is expected to eliminate more than 1.6 million pounds of carbon emissions for about 40 years and save an estimated 4.9 million kilowatt hours of energy.

The agency said it will distribute $507,501 to its recipients upon project completion.

Richard Pimentel, principal of Amistad High School, said the campus will replace trees destroyed by storms.

Funding was provided by the district's Tree for All program, supported by state-mandated Public Benefits Charge.