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
27
Sustainable gardens installed
1.9M
Annual water impact (gallons)
213
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
Save The Butterflies and The Bees — Our Favorite Pollinators Are in Jeopardy
Cristina Goulart shares this article on why the choices made in our yards and communities are so important to protecting beneficial insects.
Bioneers Experience Both Personal and Profound
Attending Bioneers was an intense experience, yet a very interesting one. The conference offered a space to learn from each other — from seeing art inspired by the environmental movements we are a part of to connecting with like-minded individuals from all over the country and the world.
On Garden Parties
Food Forest Keeper Nam writes about the friendships made in the garden and how, “The belief that through earth care, human care, and fair share, we can sustain and fill each other up.”