Championing Environmental Literacy in Campbell Elementary Schools

The Authority helped to fund the development and construction of an outdoor classroom and the installation of interpretive signage and trails at the Our City Forest Urban Forestry Educational Site at Martial Cottle Park in San Jose. Taken together, the classroom, signs, and trails showcase outdoor exhibits and provide facilitated and self-guided tours for the community, providing visitors a one-of-a-kind Urban Forest Education Center for learning about Santa Clara County's urban forest and its ecosystem, and how to engage in its growth, care, and protection.

Children’s Discovery Museum’s “Exploration Portal” (EP) is a nature-themed educational space designed to engage children ages 2-10 and the adults who accompany them in hands-on environmental education. With the location’s adjacency to the Guadalupe River, EP encompasses three intertwined strategies for maximum environmental and educational impacts: 1) an architectural design that improves the health of the Guadalupe River; 2) 8 interactive exhibits that inspire curiosity and help children make discoveries about the natural world along with interpretive signage in English, Spanish and Vietnamese; and 3) a landscaping plan that role models the use of native and/or drought tolerant plants, cultivates biodiversity in the site's riparian environment, and immerses children and adults into the cognitive and physical benefits of a verdant environment.

Valley Verde's San Jose Food Sovereignty Project supports urban agriculture and environmental education in underserved neighborhoods by providing approximately 120 families per year with intensive support to learn to grow fresh, healthy, culturally relevant produce. In collaboration with residents and schools, the organization creates and maintains vibrant urban gardens, provides a curriculum based on environmentally sustainable gardening methods and nutrition, fosters community building and environmental leadership, and increases access to urban green space. Families participate for an entire year or more, which gives them a foundation in growing their own food for the long-term and, ultimately, building a local food system that supports healthy ecosystems.