Green Infrastructure
What is Green Infrastructure?
Green infrastructure that improves the urban environment gets at the very root of what has driven Sustainable Solano since we first started — the idea of regenerative and restorative approaches to our environment that help to strengthen our communities. We want to build the capacity of our communities to develop and pursue solutions that will make physical, social, economic and cultural environments stronger.
Toward that end, our green infrastructure programs focus on the individual, neighborhood and community scale to restore natural processes to the environment through introducing cooperative plants, mulch and water-collecting landscape features to better spread and sink stormwater, build healthy soil, support cleaner air and water and create habitat. These green infrastructure efforts harness natural systems to build a healthier urban environment.
Since the first community gardens, we have drawn a connection between attention to the earth and collaboration among people. For our Sustainable Backyards program, a key component was bringing together community members and building green infrastructure skills through workshops creating food forest gardens. We are growing beyond single backyards to create urban forests and public gardens that feed neighborhoods, conserve water and trap carbon. And our Resilient Neighborhoods program helps neighbors come together to put those regenerative efforts to use on a larger, community-wide scale.
Know a property that would be a great fit for one of our programs? Fill out our Sustainable Landscaping Interest Form here.
3,947
Workshop/event participants since 2015
43
Sustainable gardens installed
3M
Annual water impact (gallons)
334
Trees planted
Solano Sustainable Backyards
Demonstration food forest gardens using sustainable landscaping techniques to create vibrant, abundant gardens.
Resilient Neighborhoods
Neighbors working together to create environmentally and socially resilient community hubs.
Solano Gardens
Edible gardens that supply fresh produce to communities with limited access.
Urban Forest
A resilient, mixed-canopy urban forest with California native drought-tolerant trees and fruit trees.
Additional Resources
News and Updates
Seeking Suisun City, Fairfield & Vacaville Residents Interested in Yard Transformation
Do you live in Suisun City, Fairfield or Vacaville? Are you interested in working with your neighbors and community to install a demonstration food forest garden or other sustainable landscaping elements in the coming months at your home or a community site, like a place of worship or school?
Grant Expands Resilient Neighborhoods Program to Suisun City & Helps Address Flood Risk
Sustainable Solano is excited to announce that we have received a grant through PG&E Corporation Foundation that will support helping Suisun City residents learn about and address the challenges of increased flooding and bring together city leaders and community members as they work on larger plans to address flood risks.
Perennial Edible Gardening
CompostGal’s Lori Caldwell answers more of your gardening questions — this time about growing perennial edible plants from artichokes to fig trees!