Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre and its Hollywood Village Team honored Earth Day 2024

Even before Barbie and Ken entered the “real world,” rollerblading in their dayglo outfits along its three-mile coastline, Venice Beach was a world-famous, iconic, great place to have some fun. But that wasn’t the only reason the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre and its Hollywood Village Team selected Venice Beach for their April cleanup and their annual Earth Day activity. 

Despite its glitzy exterior, Venice has a darker side. Although there are fewer homeless in Venice since a major push to clean out encampments in 2023, and while it’s a great place for tourists and locals to spend an afternoon, Venice Beach is one of the L.A. neighborhoods where visitors and locals are urged to avoid walking or taking public transportation after the sun goes down. And they are advised to “keep their wallets close and their friends closer.”

What makes a city or neighborhood dangerous? And is there anything one person can do to improve this and uplift their environment?

The Hollywood Villages believes there is. Each month following their cleanups, they reach out to others one-on-one with The Way to Happiness—the common-sense moral code written by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard.

This guide to better living is used by people of all cultures or creeds. It not only encourages individuals to embrace its practical moral compass, it also calls on them to set a good example and encourage others to improve the quality of their lives by understanding and using the book’s 21 precepts, one of which is “Safeguard and Improve Your Environment.”

So on Saturday, April 20, volunteers honored Earth Day with a cleanup of Venice Beach and promoted taking greater responsibility for the environment and contributing to a better quality of life by reaching out to hundreds of locals and visitors with The Way to Happiness and encouraging shops and restaurants to take copies to share with their clients and customers.

Hollywood Village monthly cleanups are a partnership between the Church of Scientology, The Way to Happiness Foundation and the Los Angeles Police Department. It is a community coalition of people of all faiths, ideologies and backgrounds, working together to take greater responsibility for their neighbors and neighborhood while making Hollywood, and in this case Venice Beach, beautiful, safe and clean and a great place to live and work in.