Sustainable Solano's long-term goal is to bring about a cultural shift where people have the capacity to consider the good of the whole, and educating and empowering youth who are our future leaders is essential to create that change. The organization, with more than 20 years of community engagement and urban green infrastructure experience, focuses on programs and projects that help improve communities, the environment and the lives of individuals.
Our main areas of focus: Resilient Neighborhoods, which encompass various ways of creating resilient, regenerative environments, including sustainable landscaping through permaculture demonstration food forests and community gardens, while pulling together community members around shared goals; Local Food, which includes supporting local farmers, locally grown food and urban agriculture as well as food access and equity to build community health and wealth; and Youth Leadership & Workforce Development, which aims to guide and inspire students to develop an expanded worldview through inspirational and global perspectives while focusing on their own communities and building practical skills through hands-on outdoor workshops.
Work with schools includes school-based garden programs, environmental sciences curriculum offerings and hands-on experiences. Internship programs for high school youth include youth culinary instruction with a focus on healthy, local food; environmental justice programs that bring together research of local environmental and health data, discussions of social and environmental justice issues, discussions with city leaders about possible solutions and hands-on mitigation work; and sustainable gardening internships that focus on hands-on learning about permaculture, growing food and supporting community gardens.