Initiatives

Elements of this initiative include:

• Promotion of "Global Gardening" / Backyard Garden and Farm Network
• Building a network of "Global Gardeners" - Backyard Gardeners & Farmers
• Interviewing and celebrating local gardeners on this web site
• Development of an annual event that celebrates the work of everyday gardeners who do extraordinary things through the universal medium of gardening

Global Gardeners are gardeners with a global mission, but who literally and figuratively "ground" their work in their backyards, communities, or schoolyards.

See a definition of urban agriculture by clicking here. Collective Roots has created a directoy of urban agriculture links and resources. You may access this directory by clicking here.

Science education is at risk in the Bay Area. Read more about research on this issue by clicking here.

Science & Technology Projects

Alternative Power

8th Grade Students at East Palo Alto Charter School are changing their food system!

Collective Roots is committed to creating food system change in underserved communities. The following are current projects in this initiative:

Collective Roots has joined together with other community organizations and government officials in taking a lead role in establishing the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market. This is a Certified Farmers' Market, joining a strong movement of food system change in San Mateo County.

Please download a nice 8.5" x 11" color flier/announcement to share with other by clicking here (English) or by clicking here (Spanish).

Collective Roots Emerging as a Powerful Force for Transforming Schoolyards Into Green, Ecological Habitats for Learning and Environmental Restoration

Collective Roots is a member of the California Food and Justice Coalition (CFJC). We join with CFJC to envision a California food system in which all activities, from farm to table, are equitable, healthful, sustainable, and community-driven.

You are probably reading this page because you care about gardens and know from your own experience why gardening is beneficial. You probably know that gardens are vital to many aspects of our individual and community life. Because gardens are already an important part of your life, you may not give them a lot of thought. We hope to fertilize and enrich your thinking about gardens and gardening with the information we provide on this page.

Over 50 tons of green "waste" recycled so far!

This initiative has several components:

There are many signs of a revolution in progress with regard to the quality of school lunches in the United States. Collective Roots is focused on improving meal quality in public schools and bringing together resources from local and national leaders in this important area of food system change. We have created a resources page on School Lunch Nutrition (click here to view it).

“East Palo Alto’s Weeks Neighborhood is unique in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a richly green place with many large trees and open views, in sharp contrast to the concrete and freeways of much of the nearby Bay Area. Many people come to the neighborhood and stay for a lifetime, creating a close-knit community. Historically it has been a farming place due to its rich soils, abundance of clean water and sunny climate outside the coastal fog zone.

Your help is needed in developing some product lines that benefit our nonprofit organization as well as provide income for low income women, youth, and families. Cooperatives are well established structures for promoting micro enterprise. Collective Roots needs your help in utilizing these time honored approaches to generating income in resource starved communities.

These are some sample ideas:

Saree Mading, a lifetime resident of East Palo Alto, Board Member of Collective Roots, and Vice Principal at East Palo Alto Charter School, has written an amazing letter about Collective Roots' initiative to develop the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market.

Our Environmental Action Initiatives are linked to our curriculum which focuses on environmental and life science. Please view more about the following programs by clicking on the links featured on this page.

Collective Roots garden at East Palo Alto Charter School is a Bay-Friendly Garden and is also a Certified by the National Wildlife Foundation as a Wildlife Habitat. Read more about these distinctions by viewing the links on left hand side of the page.

Bay-Friendly Gardens mean…

Welcome to the Collective Roots' tree projects page. Collective Roots is proud to be an active participant in the East Palo Alto Tree Initiative led by Faye Brown.

The Sustainable San Mateo 2007 Report Card is essential reading.