Reflections from an SSC Fellow

May 25, 2026

By Manpreet Singh, Public Education Coordinator Fellow

Manpreet joined SuSol in February as our Public Education Coordinator Fellow through the Sustainability Service Corps. Here, she shares about her experience. It has been such a positive experience for the organization that we are honored to be a host site again this year for the September 2026-July 2027 Fellowship. 

Are you interested in bringing change while growing as a sustainability leader? Learn more and apply here: https://www.sustainabilityservicecorps.org/fellowships

Manpreet works alongside community members at the Prosperity Park resilient garden installation in Suisun City

When I joined Sustainable Solano as a Sustainability Services Corp (SSC) Fellow, I hadn’t fully anticipated how deeply fulfilling this work would be, both personally and professionally. 

During my graduate program at Boston University, I became passionate about addressing the intersection of climate change and social vulnerabilities. As I was navigating career goals and potential pathways for public service, I was driven to take climate action that addresses environmental injustices, empowers communities to speak up and take action, and plant the seeds for systemic change for regenerative, just and resilient communities.  

I was drawn to join the AmeriCorps Fellow Program as a 2026 SSC Fellow due to their mission to support community-based climate change solutions. As Sustainable Solano’s Public Education Coordinator Fellow,I not only get to actualize the organization’s mission to build an ecologically regenerative, economically and socially just world through programs that empower communities to take climate action, but I also get to serve my community in Solano County where I was born and raised. 

Although it’s only been a few months, I’ve had the opportunity to support a range of work that resonates with my core values and goals — particularly focusing on community-led localized action and addressing urgent and current issues impacting Solano County. Some key projects that I’ve supported include

  1. Drafting the Rio Vista Community Air Quality Action Plan, a strategic document that centers community voices at the forefront of city decisions that affect air quality and resiliency.
  2. Collaborating with community members and local government representatives to assess sea level risks in Solano County, raise awareness of sea level rise and how it can impact environmental justice and frontline communities throughout Solano County, and ensure that community input is heard and implemented in the development of a Regional Shoreline Action Plan as part of the Bayshore Resiliency Project
  3.  Developing the vision for a new program focused on a just transition in Benicia and Vallejo to set the stage for the shift away from a fossil fuel-based economy to a regenerative economy through youth and community empowerment, education, and workforce development.
Manpreet (center) conducts community asset mapping for flood resilience along with Vallejo Environmental Leadership Fellowship interns at the Vallejo Farmers Market
Setting up for tabling at Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District’s 75th anniversary event

Reflecting on my work over the past months, the moments I found most fulfilling were when I was engaging with people and the environment. I’m supporting community-engaged adaptation planning that puts community members’ voices at the forefront of addressing critical issues — a mission that I am passionate about pursuing.

At tabling events, workshops and garden installations, I’m not just sharing my knowledge, but I’m also listening and learning from community member’s lived experiences. Additionally, supporting classes for high schoolers in the Youth Air Protectors and Vallejo Environmental Leadership Fellows programs gives me the opportunity to connect with youth leaders and help shape the next generation of sustainability leaders. Actively engaging with residents and government leaders has provided me with pathways to pursue deeper connections within my community and help me hone my role as someone who can help my community grow.

A key goal of my going into this fellowship was to grow both professionally and personally. This means strengthening my policy analysis skills, communication skills, and confidence so that I can be the leader that I want to be. Sustainable Solano and SSC are actively making efforts to help me grow by shaping opportunities that align with my goals and providing mentorship that acts as the cornerstone of my career development.

At Sustainable Solano, I’m part of a team dedicated to empowering residents to take action at home and within their communities to address critical climate and environmental issues. This role has proven to be much more than just a job; it’s providing unexpected opportunities to make a real difference and grow. I‘m driven to leverage my experience as an SSC Fellow to champion community-driven policy in my public service career and ensure that community voices are central to policy development.

I encourage anyone interested in taking climate action through building systemic change and collaboration with communities to apply to serve as an SSC Fellow with Sustainable Solano.

Please feel free to reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to learn more or have any questions!

Building Local Flood Resilience

Apr 29, 2026

By Manpreet Singh, Public Education Coordinator Fellow

There will be an online public workshop on May 20 for those interested in learning and offering feedback on local flood resilience planning, and two upcoming community workgroups — Vallejo on May 30 and Suisun City on June 13. Residents of Vallejo, Fairfield or Suisun City who are interested in being part of a workgroup can fill out this interest form.

As a lifelong resident of Vallejo, I have seen the effects of flooding on the city. Flooding has impacted my and other residents’ ability to walk and drive on local roads, commute via highways, and get access to essential health services and public spaces. My concern about flood risks in Vallejo has only grown in recent years with the harsh impacts felt by local residents and infrastructure from more dramatic King tides that hit the Vallejo shoreline in 2025 and early 2026 and learning that the entirety of White Slough, parts of Mare Island, and portions of South Vallejo are at risk of being flooded by 2050. This affects vulnerable community members, such as the unhoused population and children, and critical infrastructure that many residents use such as essential healthcare services, businesses, homes, and government buildings.

Sea level rise projections from the Bayshore Resiliency Project

As part of the Solano Bayshore Resiliency Project, I’ve had the opportunity to share flood risk projections with community members in Vallejo. Unsurprisingly, residents expressed similar concerns and highlighted additional infrastructure that is of importance to them and that they  want protected from flood risks.

With an extensive coastline, rich ecosystem of estuaries, and low-lying lands along the Bayshore, Solano County is vulnerable to rising sea levels and flooding due to melting ice caps and thermal expansion of the ocean. Flooding can result in widespread damage and impacts can be further intensified as the Bay Area could see up to an additional 10 inches of sea level rise by 2050 and 2 – 7 feet of sea level rise by 2100. The sea knows no boundaries, which is why building resilience through a community-informed plan is key to ensuring that communities and critical infrastructure that are most vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding can adapt and be prepared for the more frequent and destructive flooding events in the coming years. Through the Solano Bayshore Resiliency Project, Solano County residents in cities vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding have the opportunity to share their voices and ensure that community priorities are centered in the planning process of the Regional Shoreline Action Plan.  

Sustainable Solano and Greenbelt Alliance, collaborating partners on the project, are leading efforts to hear from community members to identify assets that are important to them and that they want protected from sea level rise and flooding. In February and March, both organizations led asset mapping activities and flood walks with over 150 residents across Fairfield, Suisun City, and Vallejo — frontline cities that are vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise and flooding. These activities gathered information on areas important to local residents, bringing community members’ voices in as an important part of the planning to ensure adaptation and protection from sea level rise.

Manpreet (center) conducts community asset mapping for flood resilience along with Vallejo Environmental Leadership Fellowship interns at the Vallejo Farmers Market

Through the asset mapping activity, community members shared insights into where they have seen flooding and identified assets they want protected. This was an activity that I led in Vallejo where I assisted residents in identifying critical infrastructure and community resources such as Interstate 80 and Highway 37, the Vallejo Marina, local libraries, healthcare services, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions. This data will be analyzed and incorporated into the Shoreline Action Plan as recommendations of what should be protected from sea level rise and flooding. Engaging with my local community provided me with the opportunity to hear about their experiences living in regions vulnerable to flooding and trends and patterns that they have seen over time. Moreover, I heard from residents what they love about their city, such as the diversity and the people, and where they see opportunities for improvement in their respective communities.

Through interactive flood walks, residents of each city had the opportunity to learn more about sea level rise, how it will impact their shorelines, and ways flooding could threaten homes, roadways, community centers, businesses, and natural habitats. During the Vallejo flood walk, residents responded to how development and land use changes have made areas more prone to flooding and how wastewater plants can be impacted by flooding due to being built on the lowest lying parts of the city and aging infrastructure.

Suisun City Flood Walk
Vallejo Flood Walk

Community engagement is critical in addressing sea level rise and flooding impacts in Solano County. Residents have the opportunity to provide insights as the Bayshore Resiliency Project is an ongoing project with the Regional Shoreline Action Plan to be published in December 2026.

2026 Benicia & Vallejo Tour: Featured Gardens

Apr 2, 2026

Scroll through the list below to read about the Benicia and Vallejo gardens that are featured on this year’s tour, and to learn about special offerings at some of the gardens!

Register for the April 25 tour here!

Benicia Food Forest, Pollinator & Community Gardens

Avant Garden

The spring garden tour will begin at 9 am at Avant Community Garden in Benicia with a talk on healthy soil from “CompostGal” Lori Caldwell. Itinerary pick up will be from 9-11 am.

** Refreshments and free seeds will be available

Apricot Alcove

 This front yard food forest primarily focuses on native plants and pollinators. It was established as part of Sustainable Solano’s Fall 2025 Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course. The front lawn was transitioned to a large bioswale, fed by a laundry-to-landscape greywater system. Drip irrigation runs to an apricot tree encircled by natives, and the hope is for the apricot tree to provide shade and privacy once fully grown.

 

Giardino su una Colina (Garden on a Hill)

 

A 6-year-old food forest and pollinator garden installed in 2020 that includes a swale that captures roof water and mediterranean trees and plants mixed with native pollinating and nectar plants to attract bees and butterflies. This site is home to a Monarch Waystation that grows a variety of plants to support Western Monarch Butterflies.

The Monarch Milkweed Project and monarch education will be highlighted. Come to learn how you can support and participate in the Bay Area Butterfly Festival coming to Mare Island on June 14!

Bay Vista Homeowners Association

 In June 2024, Bay Vista HOA in Benicia transformed its common area lawn into a waterwise, sustainable landscape to reduce water and beautify the space.

Michael Wedgley from Soilogical was the designer for this project. A lot of consideration went into plant selection. It was important to provide plenty of native species for habitat and food for native insects and birds, while also considering aesthetics as a critical aspect in HOA common spaces.

The plants selected and water catchment from the roof downspouts to the in-ground basins makes the landscape more resilient and builds healthy soil.

Learn more

Wild Cherry Way

Southern slope food forest focused on pollinators, shrubs, fruit trees and vines, and native plants. This garden also includes perennial and edible plants, swales, raised beds, and a laundry-to-landscape greywater system.

***Sustainable Solano Board Member and Permaculture Consultant Ron Kane will be on-site to offer tours and answer questions.

Learn more

Yggdrasil Garden

An evolving food forest garden and greywater system installed as part of Sustainable Solano’s 2022-23 Permaculture Design Certificate course. Students transformed the front yard with a rain-capturing swale and planted berms with native and pollinator-supporting plants. The west side yard’s passionfruit vines and fruit tree guilds are watered by a laundry-to-landscape greywater system. The monarch butterfly-hosting back gardens were designed by Soilogical, nurtured with specially prepared compost, and supported by a Water Service Irrigation design created as part of a Sustainable Solano irrigation class. The site’s current steward, Heath Griffith of Grow with the Flow, cultivates edible landscapes with flowers and medicinal herbs, with an eye towards community engagement and ecological justice. An herb spiral was created with bricks repurposed from the chimney of the circa 1850s historic home, retaining walls were built from pieces of historic on-site stables, and patios were made from slate and brick on-site. The east side yard (in development) is watered with both a rain-capturing swale and a laundry-to-landscape system. Displays feature the historic aspects of the home; its background and ongoing tradition of art, design, and healing; information about the Ohlone Sogorea Te Indigenous Land Trust and rematriation of Carquin land; and various permaculture systems and landscape elements.

***Heath Griffith will be on-site to talk about permaculture, water harvesting, sustainable water use, and more! They participated in the 2022-2023 PDC and supported the 2025 PDC. Pick up a DIY garden design template with a plant list. The garden will also feature live music!

Learn more

California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Gardens

Bird Haven Retreat – CNPS

Visit this native plant garden and see what 30+ years of gardening dedication to native plants can create. Welcoming shade plants and green grasses abound under thriving and tall buckeye and big leaf maple trees that gain water from harvested roof rain flowing to a dry creek bed. A mature manzanita row lines the side yard walkway. Feel the intimate wildlife habitat backyard space as you find small birds flying between the branches of tall native shrubs such as the fragrant mock orange, red-blooming spice bush and the heart-shaped leaves of the western redbud. Sun-loving native perennials border a native grass lawn, and alum root hugs the shade of the understory. The owners are grateful for the relaxed and comfortable habitat that native plants provide for them.

Habitat & Harvest Garden – CNPS

(Formerly Barley’s Backyard Food Forest — one of Sustainable Solano’s first installations in Benicia — the garden is now with a new family that is adding native habitat)

The view of this welcoming tiered front garden begins right at street level with sidewalk appeal of a chaparral-inspired garden including evergreen manzanita, easy-to-grow buckwheat, and native grasses. Step down to the next tier to find a cozy deck space to sit within the garden and share the space with emerging caterpillars, hummingbirds and native pollinators as the seasons unfold. Tiered terraces and integrated drainage allow for meadow and sage, milkweed, and strawberry groundcover plantings to absorb stormwater while supporting plant health. View coffeeberry, monkeyflower, penstemon, and salvia which attract and support additional wildlife in this habitat-rich garden. Mature fruit trees, perennial edibles and vegetable beds combine with the abundance of native plantings for a harmonious full habitat that supports biodiversity and spills into the back yard as well. This garden family truly feels a calm connection with nature when they are in their garden space.

Tended Wild Garden – CNPS

Come and visit this wild-like garden to gaze upon the beautiful annual flowering natives such as the yellow and white tidy tips and the purples of lupine in the front garden patch. Travel through the side yard of orange California poppies, stepping rounds and a dry creek bed that collects rainwater, to the large backyard garden that flourishes with a thriving tapestry of wildlife-supporting native plants. Verdant grasses and spring ephemerals surround a bird bath that California Towhees are happy to visit. Tall shrubs such as rosa californica or the keystone tree coast live oak have become safe places for nests of breeding small birds. Flowering colorful annuals are servicing the many pollinators such as hover flies and bumblebees that visit the flowers for pollen. This habitat refuge is where the family connects with the wonders of nature. The owner collects seeds of many native plant species to continue the annual flowering habitat year after year.

Vallejo Food Forest, Pollinator & Community Gardens

Enchanted Cottage Garden

 This front yard lawn was replaced in May 2017 with two swales, above-ground rainwater collection and a variety of fruit trees, grapes, herbs, and year-round pollinator plants mixed with annual vegetables. There is a path through it with seating for anyone who walks by. The food forest concept extends to the back garden. This yard has inspired several neighbors to transform their landscapes. Produce from the garden is used in the food forest keeper’s small home-based restaurant and they donate excess produce.

Learn more

Loam Sweet Loam

This 700-square-foot front yard food forest was sheet mulched over 3 years ago and it includes a swale. It includes multiple layers of permaculture plants: young fruit trees, drought-tolerant shrubs such as rosemary and lavender, and soil-amending groundcovers.

The homeowners extended permaculture principles into their 900-square-foot backyard vegetable garden, and hosted workshops with Sustainable Solano and Greywater Action for the addition of a laundry-to-landscape greywater system to irrigate young fruit trees. Future plans may include diverting rainwater from downspouts into existing rain barrels to irrigate the yard, expanding the area irrigated by greywater to incorporate more trees, and increasing plant diversity throughout the yard to support a strong and edible ecosystem.

Learn more

Loma Vista Farm

Loma Vista Farm is a program of the Vallejo City Unified School District in partnership with the Friends of Loma Vista Farm, a community-based nonprofit organization.

The Farm has been a treasured part of the community since it began in 1974. Families and individuals are welcome to visit on a drop-in basis during open hours and enjoy seeing the many animals and gardens. The farm is also a field trip site for schools and groups on a reservation basis from all over the Bay Area.

The Food Forest Garden provides a beautiful demonstration to the public on how they can plant their own yard in a variety of fruit trees, perennial vegetables, herbs, native plants and pollinator rich plants.

***This year’s tour is on the same day as Loma Vista Farm’s annual Spring Open House, making it an extra special day to visit. Plants will be available in the greenhouse for sale. For more information check out Lomavistafarm.org.

Learn more

Terraza Dominicana (St. Patrick-St. Vincent Catholic High School)

SPSV Food Forest comprises six planting guilds, each with a central tree and underplanting on a steep hillside. It is used as a living laboratory for students to explore soil health, water conservation and pollination. The food forest highlights design features to address erosion control as well as techniques using repurposed materials for terracing a hillside. The garden space also includes a beautiful meditation labyrinth for reflection and contemplation.

**The school will have different varieties of tomato plants for sale for $5. Please bring exact change or credit card/Apple Pay.

Pollinator Pathway (Vallejo People’s Garden)

Pollinator food forest garden filled with a variety of California native plants that support the habitat of butterflies, bees, moths, wasps, hummingbirds and so much more. This garden was installed in February 2023 as a collaboration with a variety of organizations including Vallejo People’s Garden, Vallejo Project, Solano Resource Conservation District and Monarch Milkweed Project. Alana Mirror wrote three songs inspired by the installation, featured in her Pollinator Pathway Lawn Transformation Mini Series!

**Join the Vallejo Environmental Leadership Fellowship interns for a fun community day at the Pollinator Pathway Garden! Vallejo People’s Garden will offer tours of Pollinator Pathway at 1 pm  and 2:30 pm. Make seed balls with our interns to support local pollinators. Pick up a DIY garden design template with a plant list.

Learn more

Partner Gardens

Vallejo Unity Garden (Vallejo Project)

A Youth-Led Food Forest & Community Hub

 The Vallejo Unity Garden is a youth-led initiative of the Vallejo Project, rooted in a vision of food justice, sustainability, and community healing. For the past five years, young leaders have worked alongside community partners to transform this space into a thriving food forest and sustainable garden designed to nourish both people and place.

Blending natural, ancestral, and modern agricultural practices, the garden integrates local, Indigenous, and international growing techniques to maximize food production in an environmentally responsible way. From soil regeneration and composting to water conservation and permaculture design, the Unity Garden serves as a living classroom where youth and community members learn sustainable food systems that can be replicated at home and across neighborhoods.

This work is especially grounded in service to our immediate community, providing fresh, healthy food and hands-on learning opportunities for our unhoused neighbors and residents surrounding the Vallejo Project site. The garden is not only a source of nourishment, but also a space of dignity, connection, and empowerment.

In addition to the food forest, the site includes a small-scale farm with animals and a community workshop space where participants build DIY projects and develop practical skills. Every Saturday and Sunday 10  am-4 pm, the space comes alive with volunteers, youth leaders, and community members working together to grow food, share knowledge, and build sustainable solutions.

This ongoing effort has been made possible through the dedicated partnership and support of Sustainable Solano, the Global Center for Success, the City of Vallejo, and Justice Outside. Together, we are cultivating not just a garden, but a model for community resilience, youth leadership, and collective care.

Learn more

Georgia Plaza Garden (4th Second)

The Georgia Plaza Garden is a community garden space designed and led by Vallejo youth. The space was reclaimed as an initiative to educate middle and high school students about environmental health, stewardship, nutrition, and civic engagement / beautification. Since June 2024 the space has expanded to 10 plots for youth to plant seasonal crops, learn about native plants, soil health, and internalizing a life long positive coping skill as part of nature based therapy curriculum. Learn more about environmental cleanups and planting days to come as we expand the green space in the heart of downtown Vallejo!

**Restrooms and water on-site, and can also serve as a cooling center. Stop by to learn more about the program and plant native plants/summer crops to add to the pollinator pathway.

Learn more

Inspired Garden (Wildway Garden)

Homeowners Carolyn and Mike attended the 2025 Garden Tour and dug swales for the garden installation at Touro University. They to apply permaculture principles to their yard.

Carolyn is a pruner and horticulturist working towards a degree in Arboriculture at Merritt College. Mike teaches paragliding locally with Penguin Paragliding. They moved into our house in 2022 and were excited to have our first chance to garden in our own space after having worked on various farms in the past.

They could see the potential in the big back yard, which had been neglected for years and was covered in tall fennel but still had a number of mature fruit trees. They immediately planted a peach tree, a nectarine tree, and an asparagus patch and watched with excitement as the mature trees bloomed: apricots, plums, apples, loquats, and two prolific quince bushes. Over the years they have distributed multiple massive truckloads of arborist wood chips from ChipDrop into the garden to build the soil, in addition to planting cover crops and spreading compost. The sunniest part of the yard now hosts the vegetable garden and some perennial edible plants such as tree collards, walking onions, rhubarb, and raspberries. They installed a drip irrigation system and four valves/zones, mostly for the fruit trees and veggies. California native plants fill the front yard and many other spaces in the back yard, where they attract pollinators and provide habitat to lots of critters.

Dixon Youth Air Protectors Reflect on Program

Mar 2, 2026

SuSol launched our Air Quality program in 2022. The program is centered around Youth Air Protectors — high school students and young adults who learn about air quality challenges that affect their cities and seek ways to educate the community about those challenges and possible solutions while working on hands-on projects. In 2025, we were fortunate to receive funding from the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District to bring the Youth Air Protectors program to Dixon. Here are reflections from two students in the program, which will conclude by May.

Dixon Youth Air Protectors speak with community members about air quality, community priorities and locations for new bike racks at a community event in January 2026.

By Layla Booth, Dixon Youth Air Protector

My internship this year has been an eye-opening journey into the world of environmental health, specifically regarding the air we breathe every single day. One of the most impactful parts of my experience was getting directly involved with you, the community. Through conducting surveys and interviewing neighbors about their opinions on our local air quality, I discovered that while many are concerned about pollution, there is a powerful shared desire for a healthier environment. I also had the opportunity to host public events to promote clean air awareness, which showed me that when we come together, we can turn complex environmental issues into manageable, community-driven solutions.

Advocacy was another major pillar of my work. I had the privilege of speaking at a city council meeting to highlight how crucial walkability and bikeability are to our community’s future. By pushing for better infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, we aren’t just making our streets safer — we are directly reducing the number of cars on the road and lowering the emissions that cloud our air. I also spent time attending public meetings to learn about sustainable practices like local gardening, even getting my hands dirty helping with the garden at our public library. These experiences taught me that air quality isn’t just about what comes out of a tailpipe; it’s about how we design our cities and nurture our local ecosystems.

As I wrap up this internship, I want everyone to know that improving air quality is something we all have a hand in. You can help today by choosing to walk or bike for short trips, supporting local gardening initiatives that help filter our air and staying engaged with city council decisions regarding our environment. Our collective voice matters — whether it’s through a community survey or a public meeting, your input helps shape a cleaner, more breathable future. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Let’s continue to work together to keep our community’s air clear and healthy.

Dixon Youth Air Protectors work alongside community members to plant at the community garden

By Sophia Ferri, Dixon Youth Air Protector

In my time in this internship during the fall semester, I’ve learned a lot about air quality and generally everything surrounding it. I interacted with my peers in order to plan and survey the community on problems and their opinions. I had a lot of fun, actually; it was very interactive and educational at the same time. I’m doing the internship again in the spring semester and highly recommend it to students. Even if they’re not interested in the environment, there are still extremely intriguing topics discussed each meeting. The most fun I had was when we went to a community garden and planted with other community members. It was a fun way to reach out to others outside of the classroom we meet at. In general, this internship has furthered my understanding that air quality is such an important aspect to many people and everyday life.

Throughout my time in this internship, I was introduced to various resources that are available to anyone! Websites or maps that show air quality indexes or general environmental concerns in communities. I think that’s just really cool that we have that available to anyone. At one point in the internship, we created an air filter from vents and a fan! I learned how air filters work, which I didn’t previously know and now I do! I got to experience seeing my community up close as in many instances I had to research and survey common areas for people and other spots that need improvement. Whether that’s through bike racks, crosswalks, or more.

Overall I have really enjoyed my time in the internship. I got a lot closer with my peers and built friendships that’ll last a lifetime from this internship. It gave me something to look forward to every week.

Layla and Sophia build a DIY air purifer

We’re planning a countywide Air Quality Summit this fall that will bring together community members, citizen air quality organizations and experts to share knowledge. We want to hear about your interests when it comes to air quality. Take a short survey here!

Roots in the Ground: Tree Planting

Jan 28, 2026

By Maleah J. Brown, Rio Vista Youth Air Protector

Maleah, one of our Rio Vista Youth Air Protectors this fall, wrote this blog about the tree planting project the YAP did in partnership with the City of Rio Vista. Interested in planting more community trees? Our Fairfield/Suisun City Youth Air Protectors invite the public to plant trees Feb. 21 at City Church in Fairfield. Learn more and register here.

Planting a tree seems like such a small act, until you hold it and place it in the ground. When you walk away, knowing it’ll be in the same spot it was left in, that small act seems much bigger. At the tree planting in Rio Vista last November, the sense of community was touching. The small group we started with grew as it came time to start planting.

When I arrived early in the morning at Airport Road, I was greeted by my fellow Youth Air Protectors. We discussed how the event was going to go, as we sipped our coffee and ate our bagels. When participants ranging from residents, elected city officials, and even the fire department started arriving, we tied our hair back and grabbed our gloves.

Maleah, left, works with others to plant trees

We went through a brief instructional meeting on how to properly install the trees to insure longevity. From there we took a course of action and split into groups, 3-4 people a tree. People put their ideas together to help make the process smoother, like dedicating a group to installing all the tree support posts. I joined a group including two of my peers and someone who I’d never met. This experience not only helped me connect with my peers, but also helped me branch out and make new connections in the community. We worked together, shoveling soil, spreading compost, and placing trees in the ground. The smell of nature and the warm rays of the sun made the experience calming. In the end, my group succeeded in planting around four trees. Once we were all done, I helped distribute the extra compost soil on all the trees. We were finished after around three to four hours of planting.

I returned to the scene around eight weeks later to check on the conditions of the trees, as well as to plant some native wildflower seeds. The leaves have fallen off since I last saw them, which is unsurprising due to the currently cold weather conditions, but the trees seem to be stable and thriving. They were standing tall where they had been placed, and were bright and healthy. Soon, they will have new plants to share their soil with. The beautiful flowers will enhance the view of the road, as well as providing a food source and home for native pollinators. As I left, driving past the trees I had helped stamp into their new spot in my community, I knew this small act was bigger than I could have hoped.

The Rio Vista Youth Air Protectors program is funded through the California Air Resources Board and is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest, formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.

Celebrating Outstanding Service: Honoring Noah Galgan and Stephanie Oelsligle Jordan

May 5, 2025

Stephanie Oelsligle Jordan, center left, accepts the award on behalf of Sustainable Solano’s Local Food team

By Taylor Collins, Development & Communications Coordinator

In recognition of their exceptional work to reach Solano County youth through Sustainable Solano’s Youth Wellness Program, Local Food program managers Noah Galgan and Stephanie Oelsligle Jordan were recognized Monday night at the 19th Annual CAC Recognition Awards.

The awards celebrate individuals and organizations who go above and beyond in supporting students with disabilities, and are presented by the Solano County Special Education Local Plan Area (or SELPA) Community Advisory Committee. This honor shines a light on the kind of dedication and hard work that Noah and Stephanie bring to the Youth Wellness Program, particularly in bringing the program to Golden Hills Education Center in 2024.

Through hands-on experiences in the kitchen and the garden, Noah and Stephanie have guided numerous students in harvesting, preparing, and sharing nourishing meals at the table. Cooking and gardening are incredible tools for teaching patience, responsibility, and resilience. These experiences also spark curiosity and confidence in students who may have never planted a seed or cooked a fresh meal before. By showing students that food doesn’t just come from a store shelf, but from the Earth and our collective care for it, the program builds both life skills and a sense of stewardship.

Since its inception in 2022, the program has served more than 160 Solano high school students.

Please join us in congratulating Noah and Stephanie for this well-deserved recognition!