Stories

Dispatches from the gardens.

Field notes, school spotlights, and the people growing this work across the East Bay.

Four students play in a line, silhouetted against an orange sunset on the beach at Van Damme State ParkSunset on the Mendocino coast at Van Damme State Park
July 2026 · Environmental Education · San Lorenzo

Opening the Door to California's Wild Places

Druids interns from San Lorenzo High traded the classroom for the Mendocino coast and Yosemite's backcountry, where a first night in a tent turns environmental work into a lifelong bond with the outdoors.

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Two Druids docents kneel facing each other, spinning a bow drill between their palms to make friction fireJune 2026 · Cross-program · San LorenzoNear-Peer Mentorship in San LorenzoHigh school docents from the San Lorenzo Druids Environmental Club lead place-based garden lessons for younger students down the road, our clearest example yet of the model teaching itself.Read the story A scratch-cooked salad with romaine, mixed greens, and edible flowers grown on campusJune 2026 · Fresh Food Access · West Contra CostaRedesigning a School-Based Food SystemProduce grown by students at three WCCUSD school farms lands in scratch-cooked cafeteria meals, with student apprentices helping plan, cook, and serve.Read the story
A completed outdoor classroom with raised beds and young treesMay 2025 · Greening Schoolyards · RichmondFeatured Schoolyard: King ElementaryOne of our first WCCUSD partnerships doubled its outdoor learning space, from a modest 2019 garden project to an 8,000 square foot green schoolyard.Read the story Families pick up fresh produce at a school distribution tableMay 2025 · Fresh Food Access · West Contra CostaSchool Gardens as Food HubsFor two years, Farms to Communities made nine Title 1 schools into weekly fresh food hubs, moving 185,796 pounds of local produce from small farms to family tables.Read the story Students plant natives on the hillside at Lupine HillsMay 2025 · Environmental Education · HerculesIntegrating New Science Standards into Garden EducationAt Lupine Hills Elementary, garden lessons plug directly into the district's science curriculum, and the front of the school became a living laboratory.Read the story Student apprentices prep lunch alongside cafeteria staffMay 2025 · Cross-program · East BayBuilding Career Pathways in Our CommunitiesTen of our 31 instructors started as middle or high school interns in our own programs. That pipeline is the point.Read the story