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.
8,041
Workshop/event participants since 2015
68
Sustainable gardens installed
4M
Annual water impact (gallons)
409
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.
HOA Projects
Creating sustainable, beautiful and cost-saving landscapes in HOA common areas.
Urban Forest
A resilient, mixed-canopy urban forest with California native drought-tolerant trees and fruit trees.
Additional Resources
News and Updates
Testing Your Soil: A Toolkit for Gardeners
Soil testing is an accurate and definite way to get an idea about how your soil is doing and learn what issues you might be dealing with. You may want to follow a “Learn. Test. Act.” approach. Learn about the site’s history, test your soil appropriately, and act upon the test results.
Farm Field Trip Highlights Connections to Food and Well-Being for Interns
Student interns attending a field trip to Morningsun Herb Farm in March had an opportunity to touch, taste and smell a variety of plants and herbs as part of our Youth Wellness Program. The grounding, multisensory experience of visiting Morningsun provided a unique opportunity to engage with herbs, and invited full-bodied mindfulness, encouraging our students to slow down and be present with their thoughts and each other.
2024 Benicia & Vallejo Demonstration Food Forest Garden Tour: April 27
SuSol’s annual tour of demonstration food forest gardens in Benicia and Vallejo returns on April 27 for its eighth year.