Hope
Fairfield Sustainable Backyard
Food Forest Keepers: Shelter Inc.
Shelter Inc. aims to prevent and end homelessness for low-income, homeless, and disadvantaged families and individuals by providing housing, services, support, and resources that lead to self-sufficiency. This partnership began with a shared vision for creating better access to healthier, more nutritious food options for resident guests, educational opportunities and job skill training to encourage independent sustainable living practices for residents transitioning back into the community. The garden will provide opportunities to learn about permaculture, growing food and wise water use in the garden.
Site Details
Installation Date:
December 2017
Size:
1,300 square feet
Sun Exposure:
6-8 hours
Soil:
Clay
Number of Swales:
1
Secondary Water:
Rainwater
Laundry-to-Landscape Greywater System
Roofwater Diverted to Swales
Total annual water impact:
57,960 gallons
Design:
Designer: Kathleen Huffman
Plant List:
Installation:
In December of 2017, Sustainable Solano expanded its mission to promote environmental, economic, and socially just communities by installing this edible, permaculture garden fed by secondary water sources (laundry-to-landscape greywater system and diverted roofwater). Through numerous hands-on workshops, community members and shelter residents worked hard to plant trees and edible plants, dig swales and install a laundry-to-landscape greywater system to create a beautiful, thriving landscape fed by secondary water.
Vision for the Future:
Long-term benefits of this project will include soil and soul restoration, water and energy conservation and groundwater recharge. This garden will continue to expand on our vision for sustainable food sources and clean air through continuing community partnerships. In the winter of 2018, we will launch the Urban Forest program that will include the planting of up to 60 carbon-sequestering trees across the shelter’s 3.5 acre campus. This urban forest planting project will serve as a living lab for Solano County residents to learn about sustainable landscaping and secondary water use and provide job training for shelter residents.