Chino student nonprofit uses AI to target extreme heat risks

Conservly, a youth-led nonprofit founded by Chino high school student Aarav Desai, is using machine learning and on-the-ground aid to address extreme heat vulnerability across Southern California. The group has mapped neighborhood-level risk in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and delivered 200 heat-relief kits, with more outreach planned this summer.

Why it matters: - Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., and the burden falls hardest on seniors, unhoused people and neighborhoods with little shade or cooling access. - Conservly is combining predictive data with direct relief to reach residents who are least able to protect themselves during dangerous heat. - The effort is youth-led, with a high school student building both the research tool and the community response.

What happened: - Aarav Desai founded Conservly, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to fight heat vulnerability in Southern California. - Desai began the project after a fellow Scout collapsed from severe dehydration at Boy Scout summer camp in 2024. - Conservly built THRIVE, short for Tactical Heat-Health Risk Vulnerability Explorer, to predict heat-related emergency room visits at the neighborhood level across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. - Conservly has distributed 200 heat-relief kits to vulnerable residents across the Inland Empire and Los Angeles County.

The details: - THRIVE uses optimized XGBoost machine learning models to identify where heat-related medical risk is highest. - Scientists at NYU, USC and Children's Hospital Los Angeles have agreed to mentor and supervise the research. - The relief kits include water, sunscreen, hats and cooling essentials. - Conservly plans to distribute 300 additional kits this summer. - The nonprofit also plans to educate more than 100 local seniors on heat safety and plant urban trees in Chino. - Conservly has raised more than $8,000 through grassroots fundraising and partnerships with the Riley’s Way Foundation and Karma For Cara Foundation. - All funds raised go directly to community programs.

Between the lines: - The project reflects a broader shift toward using local data to guide public health outreach instead of relying only on general alerts. - Desai’s model pairs academic-style research with immediate service, which may help a small nonprofit punch above its weight in a public health crisis. - The focus on seniors, unhoused residents and tree planting suggests Conservly is aiming at both short-term relief and longer-term heat mitigation.

What's next: - Conservly plans to expand kit distribution, senior education and urban tree planting during the summer. - The organization is likely to keep refining THRIVE as it tracks heat risk across Southern California neighborhoods. - Desai said the group will continue pairing data with community service to respond to extreme heat.