This month we had 12 youth graduate from our summer Youth Environmental Academy. Our youth had their first green job, supporting our farmers’ markets and Farm Fresh Choice stands. Through our environmental literacy curriculum, they learned about renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, resource recovery, water management, and green job career paths. Lastly, we had lots of fun – visiting local food businesses, the Ecology Center’s EcoHouse and recycling yard, and sharing food at a weekly cooking class.
As our awesome summer comes to an end, we want to thank all the collaborating partners that hosted, taught, or supported our Youth Environmental Academy. Thank you Avalos and Swanton Berry Farms, Bikes for SF Youth, City Slicker Farms, Cooking Matters, Numi Tea, Pie Ranch and all of our partners from the Northern California Youth Food Justice Summit. We also want to send a big thank you to our youth – they gave over 700 hours of service to the East Bay. Thank you Alana, Antwan, Briana, Claire, Darren, David, Daya, Emma, Imran, Jacques, Katherine, and Mesoma! We’re so proud of all your hard work, dedication, and thoughtfulness this summer!
Generous support for the Youth Environmental Academy is provided by The Horner Foundation and Ecology Center Members and Donors, in partnership with Berkeley Youth Alternatives, and the City of Berkeley’s YouthWorks Program.
This photo was from our tour of the recycling yard, led by our Executive Director, Martin Bourque. Check out more photos from our summer on our Flickr album.
