Environmental Food Justice and Community orgs of the East Bay Zine by Ella Bhat, Chloe Olsen, Ty Shelton, Ashley Yue

Who We Are: BCGC is composed of diverse community garden members who share a common commitment to organic, urban agriculture and access to healthy food for all residents of Berkeley.

What We Do: By providing a forum for mutual support and the sharing of common resources, BCGC assists and protects existing gardens, facilitates the formation of new gardens, and advocates food security initiatives in our local schools and city.

Our Mission: BCGC actively seeks to create a more sustainable society by engaging in environmentally beneficial urban land stewardship, which includes urban agriculture, the preservation of open space, habitat restoration, and cultivating community. To broaden its impact and build alliances, BCGC partners with other organizations that share its goals. Land, air, water, and seeds are our commonwealth, which we have a right and duty to protect.

Support: Community Gardens welcome the following forms of support:

Excess untreated lumber for raised beds
Lead-free soil
Service groups and individual volunteers

View the Berkeley Community Garden Handbook here.

Moving South Berkeley Forward

Moving South Berkeley Forward (MSBF) is a youth-driven environmental, social justice project focused on community health and educational equity in South Berkeley, spearheaded by youth of color and the South Berkeley community. This project is a joint effort between the Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative, UC Berkeley’s Environmental Science, Policy & Management Department, Berkeley High School, and the community of South Berkeley.

We are working to transform the previous Santa Fe Right of Way (SFROW) railroad site into a green space and community garden through the environmental mentorship of Berkeley High students of color. Together, we are laying the foundation towards a long term goal of a greenway and youth garden.

We want this community to have accessible health resources and a better future. The possibilities of the things we could be doing in this community is endless but we can’t do these things without your help. Learn more here.

School Gardens

School gardens, on-site at elementary, middle and high schools, aim to integrate organic food production into the curricula and into the school lunch pro-grams. Children are introduced to food production, nutrition, composting, ecological awareness, and cooking and preparing the food they grow to share around the table. Most garden and cooking classes are supported by the Network for a Healthy California Program.

Berkeley Arts Magnet/Whittier Garden
1645 Milvia St. Contact: Marlee Blasenheim marleeblasenheim@berkeley.net
Berkeley Technology Academy Garden

2701 MLK, Jr. Way Contact: Matt Tsang mattsang@berkeley.net

Cragmont Elementary School Garden
830 Regal Rd. Contact: Marlee Blasenheim marleeblasenheim@berkeley.net

Early Childhood Development Gardens
1460 Eight St.
1810 Hopkins St.
1939 Ward St.
Contact: Chris Nakao christophernakao@berkeley.net

Edible School Yard at King Middle School
1781 Rose St. Contact: Geoff Palla geoff@edibleschooyard.net

Emerson Elementary School Garden
2800 Forest Ave. Contact: Jeanette Kjobmand jeanettekjobmand@berkeley.net

Ruth Acty
1400 Ada St. Contact: Jeanette Kjobmand jeanettekjobmand@berkeley.net

John Muir Elementary School Garden
2955 Claremont Ave. Contact: Keturah Kornbluth keturahkornbluth@berkeley.net

Sylvia Mendez Elementary School Farm & Garden
2241 Russell St. Contact: Ben Goff benjamingoff@berkeley.net

Longfellow Middle School
1500 Derby St. Contact: Puanani Owan puananiowan@berkeley.net

Malcolm X Elementary School
1731 Prince St. Contact: Rivksa Mason rivkamason@berkeley.net

Oxford Elementary School Garden
1130 Oxford St. Contact: Sarah Winer sarahwiner@berkeley.net

Rosa Parks Elementary School
920 Allstonway Contact: Chris Nakao christophernakao@berkeley.net

School of the Madeleine Garden
1225 Milvia St. Contact: Ken Willers kwillers@themadeleine.com

Thousand Oaks Elementary School Garden
840 Colusa Ave. Contact: Sarah Winer sarahwiner@berkeley.net

Washington Elementary School
2300 MLK, Jr. Way Contact: Emma Christie emmachristie@berkeley.net

Willard Middle School Growing Leaders
2425 Stuart St. Contact: Ellen McClure ellenmcclure@berkeley.net

Youth Training Gardens

Youth training gardens train and employ young people from high-risk neighborhoods. Mentors work closely with youth gardeners, sharing practical skills for future employment and enjoyment. BCGC recognizes that urban gardening offers lifelong learning that can help prevent substance abuse and violence. Moreover, food production is an ecological and sustainable means of economic development that addresses both hunger and hopelessness.

Berkeley Youth Alternatives Production Garden
1308 Bancroft Way
Contact: Mrs. Niculia Williams, nwilliams@aolonline.org

Berkeley Youth Alternatives Orchard
2141 Bonar Street
Contact: Sequence Young, squence@aolonline.org

McGee Avenue Baptist Church Garden
1640 Stuart Street
Contact: Kimberly Wright, kmright2@aol.comm or Jaydon Widemon, widemonj@icloud.com

Sprouts Cooking Club @ Chaparral House
1309 Allston Way
Contact: Karen Rogers, karen.rogers@sproutscookingclub.org

Strong Roots Community Garden
Sacramento Street and Woolsey
Contact: Shyaam Shabaka, sms2020@aol.com
or
Pastor Michael Smith, frostmic1@aol.com

College Gardens

Gill Tract Community Farm (in Albany)
1050 San Pablo Avenue
Contact: Effie Rawlings, effie@gilltractfarm.org

Student Organic Garden Association
Corner of Walnut Street and Virginia Street
Contact: Garden Manager, studentorganicgarden@gmail.com

Nonprofit Garden Projects

Spiral Gardens Community Food Security Project
2850 Sacramento Street
Contact: Daniel Miller, daniel@spiralgardens.org or Kanchan Haynes kanchan@spiralgardens.org

EcoHouse Permaculture Demonstration Garden
1305 Hopkins Street
Contact: ecohouse@ecologycenter.org

Urban Adamah Farm
1151 6th Street
Contact: Debbie Harris, debbie@urbanadamah.org

California Habitats Indigenous Activists
Ohlone Greenway between Peralta and Gilman
Contact: Carole Bennett-Simons, caroleannbs@yahoo.com
or Dave Drummond, manzanita2@yahoo.com

Community Gardens

Community gardens make plots available to individuals, families, and groups for growing food, flowers, and herbs. Community gardeners use food to feed their families and share with neighbors.

Pinnantak/ Sogorea Te’ Land Trust Community Garden
1370 Ashby Avenue
More info: https://sogoreate-landtrust.org/

Volunteer interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlcNWTU5b82pVm8sTP5m4Rvl-60LcccbLX6fugrXvlSA-lyA/viewform

Bancroft Community Garden
1308 Bancroft Way
Contact: Steve Moros, smoros.cgartist@gmail.com

Karl Linn Community Garden
Peralta Avenue and Hopkins Street
Contact: Mary Ross Lynch, maryrosslynch@gmail.com
or Karen Fracetto, kltktf@yahoo.com

Northside Community Garden
1349 Northside Avenue
Contact: Michelle Squitieri, msquitieri55@gmail.com, and Andy Kosinski, akk333@gmail.com

Ohlone Community Garden
Hearst Avenue and McGee Street
Contact: Durwood Wiggins, durwoodwiggins2@gmail.com

Peralta Community Garden
1400 Peralta Avenue

BCGC Affiliates and Supporters

Americorps
American Community Gardening Association
Berkeley Partners for Parks
Center for Ecoliteracy
Chez Panisse Foundation
City of Berkeley
Friends of Westbrae Commons
N.Y. Community Foundation
Occidental Arts & Ecology Center
Raymond Family Foundation
Schoolhouse Creek Commons
Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE)
Master Gardener Community Garden Project Support

The Berkeley Community Garden Collaborative is working with:

American Community Gardening Association, a national organization that promotes sustainabilty through all aspects of community gardening and greening of urban, rural, and suburban communities.
Contact: 1-877-ASK-ACGA
Center for Ecoliteracy, who, in collaboration with the Berkeley Unified School District, works to implement the School Lunch Initiative by linking family farms to schools and offering all students healthy, fresh, and organic meals.
Contact: Zenobia Barlow, 845-4595
Berkeley Partners for Parks, the City of Berkeley, and the Rails to Trails Conservancy to develop the Santa Fe Right of Way into pathways, community gardens, and other choices that are compatible with the neighborhood.
The Berkeley Health Department and Berkeley Unified School District’s Nutrition Services, to make sure that our students get a lunch that is freshly cooked, mostly organic, and locally grown.

BCGC can assist your neighborhood by offering:

Resource and tool sharing contacts
Technical advice, troubleshooting, and design assistance
Compost and seeds to community, school, and nonprofit projects

You can help BCGC!

Volunteer your time in our gardens
Donate or locate garden resources, such as: irrigation supplies, garden tools, construction tools, building supplies, seedlings, etc.
Donate money to BCGC. (Mail checks made payable to Ecology Center/BCGC: 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702)

Want to garden in Berkeley? We can help you find a plot! Call the community garden nearest you, or call us at 510-883-9096. We check messages once a week.

Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative
c/o Ecology Center
2530 San Pablo Ave, Suite H
Berkeley, CA 94702
Contact: Corinne Haskins, 510-883-9096, corinnehaskins@yahoo.com

Updated: May 2023