Harvard-Westlake's Money and Marketing got the Land

The San Fernando Valley is choking.

While coastal Los Angeles enjoys the cleansing benefit of ocean breezes, the Valley is geographically trapped, creating a persistent basin of heat and smog. Asthma rates are higher. Wildfire smoke lingers longer. And in neighborhoods already burdened by systemic inequities, the air we breathe is quietly, daily, more deadly.

Amid this public health crisis, and exacerbated by the Trump administration’s pro-fossil fuel energy position, Harvard-Westlake School—one of the wealthiest private schools in the country—has cleared a pocket of rare urban forest to expand its Studio City campus. In doing so, it has erased a natural carbon sink and accelerated heat island effects in an already overburdened microclimate.

But this does not have to be the end of the story. It could be the beginning of Harvard-Westlake’s most meaningful legacy yet: a bold investment in climate repair for the Valley.

The school has the financial resources to lead. Its endowment and donor base enable not only sustainability pledges but also transformative action. Imagine the impact if Harvard-Westlake became the first school in the nation to install a significant, measurable carbon removal infrastructure on its campus—or better yet, purchased nearby land to host large-scale carbon capture units that could directly benefit the entire Valley.

Carbon removal is no longer science fiction. It includes technologies as practical as large-scale tree planting and enhanced soil carbon capture, as well as cutting-edge solutions such as direct air capture fans, carbon-absorbing concrete, and mineral-based CO₂ sequestration. These solutions don’t just offset emissions—they actively pull CO₂ from the air we all share.

This is not just about climate change. It is about health. It is about children in Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, and yes, Studio City, who deserve to breathe air as clean as the families on the Westside. Pollution is about rising lung cancer rates among non-smokers.

Harvard-Westlake can’t restore the community green space it’s erasing. But it can—and must—lead with courage, vision, and humility. A Valley-based carbon removal project—especially one that scales beyond its property lines—would be a movement toward environmental justice, educate the next generation of climate leaders, and demonstrate that institutional privilege carries public responsibility.

Here are some Carbon Removal Technologies Harvard-Westlake could implement:

🌿 Nature-Based Solutions (On Campus)

· Urban Reforestation: Replanting native trees to restore lost canopy and expand natural carbon sinks.

· Landscaping with Native Plants: Using deep-rooted, perennial plants and compost-rich soil to absorb CO₂ long-term.

·Bioswales & Rain Gardens: Boosting soil carbon capture while improving water quality and reducing runoff.

🧪 Technology-Enhanced Sequestration

· Biochar Production & Soil Integration: Converting plant waste into a charcoal-like substance that locks carbon in the ground.

· Enhanced Rock Weathering: Spreading crushed basalt or olivine rock to capture CO₂ through natural chemical processes.

· Carbon-Absorbing Building Materials: Using CarbonCure or CarbonBuilt concrete in new campus construction.

🌬️ Direct Air Capture & Land-Based Expansion

· On-Campus Direct Air Capture Demonstration Units: Educational-scale fans that extract CO₂ from ambient air for student learning and research.

· Vertical Moss Walls or Living Filtration Systems: Green infrastructure to remove carbon and pollutants while beautifying buildings.

· Purchase of Off-Site Land for Carbon Farm or Direct Air Capture Facility: Acquire or partner in the San Fernando Valley land to install industrial-scale carbon capture units, increasing native reforestation and soil carbon initiatives.

The private school has promised environmental improvements for its next property, but this plan pales compared to the Valley losing a 16-acre green space that was accessible to all. Harvard Westlake has the resources and responsibility to make a much bigger, more impactful environmental commitment.

In an era where climate pledges are easy and action is rare, powerful schools like Harvard-Westlake must invest in the future for their students, and the Valley that is our home.

Wren Woodward Sarrow

www. sarrowstudio.com

Studio City resident; Former Cultural Chair, Studio City Neighborhood Council, 2021 -2023; Parents Board, Carpenter Charter Elementary School, 2016 - 2017