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.

Read the story
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 WCCUSD 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