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Community

30+ Years of Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention Education at Garden for the Environment

GFE Staff hosting a public workshop. Photo credit to the Garden for the Environment.
  • Kathryn Bowman

Established on a vacant San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) property in the Inner Sunset during the 1990 drought, Garden for the Environment (GFE) began with the goal of educating every San Franciscan about low water use landscaping and regenerative urban gardening. Over the past 30 years, GFE has come to pride itself as “San Francisco’s teaching garden” and has grown to encompass practices that mitigate and adapt to a changing climate. 

The Garden for the Environment is open 365 days/year and 24 hours/day to all. Photo credit to the Garden for the Environment.
The Garden for the Environment is open 365 days/year and 24 hours/day to all. Photo credit to the Garden for the Environment.

Today, the garden is a vibrant community space dedicated to climate resilience, urban agriculture, and environmental education. GFE’s long-standing ethos of “right plant, right place” demonstrates the importance of minimal intervention and a deep connection to the surrounding ecosystem. GFE uses a teaching and mentorship approach to environmental education. Through training programs and field trips, GFE empowers individuals to be environmental ambassadors within their communities. Workshops held throughout the year at GFE cover topics such as growing food, beekeeping, and designing and maintaining a garden.

GFE’s flagship Get Up! program is an intensive three-month program that immerses a cohort of San Franciscans in the fundamentals of regenerative gardening and urban agriculture. Get Up! graduates gain practical skills in gardening and are equipped to educate their communities. With a powerful network of over 800 alumni spread throughout the Bay Area, participants are prepared to be leaders in urban agriculture.

Instructor Carey Craddock leading a community workshop. Photo credit to the Garden for the Environment.
Instructor Carey Craddock leading a community workshop. Photo credit to the Garden for the Environment.

GFE’s partnership with SFPUC is rooted in a shared vision of building a better, more livable future with the resources entrusted in our care. GFE is an integral component of SFPUC’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits’ public education requirements for addressing pollutants of concern—in this case, pesticides. Supported by a grant from the SFPUC, GFE provides interactive field trips, classes, and hands-on activities at GFE and educates over 700 San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) students annually on water conservation and pollution prevention among other topics.

At its core, GFE exists for the community. With no gate and open access 365 days a year and 24 hours a day, GFE welcomes all. By actively engaging the community to create a greener future, GFE empowers individuals to move from apathy to action. The garden catalyzes collective action toward protecting and preserving our planet. “The more apathy we have, the worse the climate crisis will be. The garden serves as a space where people can come together to cultivate hope and create change at GFE and in our communities," said Maggie Marks, Executive Director of Garden for the Environment

SFPUC and GFE believe that individual actions matter. By working in collaboration with our environment and community, our residents have the power to make an impact. Deborah Chilvers, SFPUC Water Conservation Program Manager, says, “Every small action we take has a collective impact on sustaining our water supply and protecting the environment.”