Environmental Academy

The Ecology Center’s Youth Development program equips the next generation with the skills, experience, and leadership opportunities to take action on climate and environmental justice.

About the program

Developing the next generation of climate and environmental justice leaders.

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The Ecology Center’s Youth Development program prepares young people ages 15–24 to become environmental leaders and advocates through hands-on learning, mentorship, and paid work experience. The program primarily serves BIPOC youth and prioritizes participants from low-income communities, building skills, confidence, and pathways into environmental careers.

Participants begin with the Youth Environmental Academy (YEA), where they build environmental knowledge, leadership skills, and job readiness through workshops, field trips, and community engagement. From there, youth can advance to internships and Program Assistant roles that support outreach, events, and program delivery.

This pipeline builds power for communities most impacted by climate change while preparing youth for careers that strengthen environmental and community well-being.

The Ecology Center has supported youth leadership and environmental education for decades as part of its broader mission to build a healthy and sustainable future. Recognizing that young people are essential partners in creating lasting environmental change, the organization has steadily expanded opportunities for youth to engage with sustainability through education, mentorship, and community action.

In 2015, the Ecology Center launched the Youth Environmental Academy (YEA) to deepen this work. Designed for youth ages 15–24, particularly young people from communities historically excluded from environmental leadership, the program provides environmental literacy training alongside practical work experience and mentorship. Through workshops, outreach campaigns, and policy engagement, youth participants contribute directly to local efforts to reduce waste, advance sustainability, and educate their communities.

Today, the Youth Development program continues to grow as a leadership pipeline, supporting young people from their first environmental education experiences through internships, Program Assistant positions, and careers in environmental and community service fields.

Upcoming Youth Development Events

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California Coastal Cleanup Day 2026

Sat, Sep 19 9:00am - 12:00pm

Shorebird Park Nature Center, 160 University Avenue Berkeley, CA 94710

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Slice of Our Markets

Thu, Sep 24 5:30pm - 8:00pm

Vintage Berkeley, 2113 Vine Street, Berkeley, California 94709

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Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the market’s information booth and ask how to receive Market Match. A market staff person will swipe your CalFresh EBT card for the amount of your choice, and you will receive tokens or paper vouchers to spend on any CalFresh-eligible food items at the market. At other farm-direct outlets such as farm stands, CSAs, and mobile markets, you can make a CalFresh purchase just as you would at the grocery store, without tokens or vouchers. Simply choose the items you would like to purchase, go to the checkout, and swipe your CalFresh EBT card.

Gas stoves are unhealthy for your family and the planet. Gas stoves emit toxic gases into your house that can cause asthma and other respiratory problems. Gas stoves emit carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere which contribute to global warming. Induction stoves use clean electricity — choose 100% renewable electricity from your local community choice energy provider. Induction is also energy efficient: just the pan is heated, with no energy wasted heating the air around it. Induction stoves are 85% efficient, while gas stoves only deliver 32% of the flame heat to the pan.

Yes! The EcoStore is excited to invite you into our Refill Station — a simple, zero-waste way to support your sustainable living journey.

Plastic is everywhere: in landfills, oceans, waterways, and even in our bodies. Every year, over 31 million tons of plastic packaging ends up in the environment. But the real issue isn’t just plastic — it’s our throwaway culture. That’s why we’re committed to being part of the solution and working alongside our community to #BreakFreeFromPlastic.

When you choose to refill instead of buying single-use, you’re joining a movement that reduces waste, conserves resources, and helps build a healthier, more sustainable future.

At the EcoStore, you’ll find a carefully curated selection of refillable products, everything you need to live plastic-free in one place. Just bring in your clean containers, and our staff will help you through the refill process. Pay by weight, refill as often as you like, and enjoy the ease of stocking up without the waste.

Like all of our EcoStore products, our refill offerings are held to the highest standards for environmental impact, safety, ethical sourcing, and sustainability. You can feel confident that every choice you make here supports both your values and the planet.

Together, we can push back against single-use culture and embrace a circular economy — one refill at a time. Come visit us and be part of the refill revolution.

We’re thrilled to be building a collection of high-quality, local, and sustainable products that align with our values and mission. Our goal is to support makers and businesses who share our commitment to sustainability and community, and we’re always excited to discover new products that will resonate with our customers.

Below, you’ll find our store’s product policy, which outlines the criteria we use when selecting products for our store. We carefully consider each submission to ensure it aligns with our vision and meets our quality standards.

We truly appreciate you reaching out to us and sharing your product. While we may not be able to carry every product we receive, please know that we will reach out if we believe your item is a good fit for our store. Thank you again for your interest, and we look forward to reviewing your Vendor Application.

The Ecology Center Store carries a unique selection of products that are carefully vetted to fulfill our mission: to inspire and build a sustainable, healthy, and just future. Below is a list of considerations that we bear in mind when selecting which products to offer.

We consider whether a particular product is: good for the environment or better than conventional alternatives; made from sustainable, organically grown, or recycled materials; affordable and durable; reusable, repairable, biodegradable, or compostable; compatible with sustainable practices or resource conservation; reflective of multicultural values; produced locally.

We generally avoid products that are: packaged in non-reusable, non-recyclable or excessive packaging; made from substances that are harmful to the environment, the end user, or the workers who produce it; disposable, if there is a good reusable alternative; made from plastic or other products that are derived from petroleum; made from genetically modified crops.

We favor vendors who share our values. We consider the following: Does the vendor make an effort to minimize waste in the production, transportation and marketing of its products? Does the vendor engage in fair labor and fair trade practices? Does the vendor contribute to environmental or socially conscious causes? Is the vendor engaged in any dishonorable behavior?

If you are a vendor of a product that aligns with the Ecology Center Store mission and product policy, contact our Store Program Manager to discuss the potential of the Ecology Center carrying your product.

We always accept CalFresh EBT at our farmers’ markets. Customers who have CalFresh EBT can also receive a dollar-for-dollar match up to $15 at any of the Ecology Center farmers’ markets with Market Match. Market Match is California’s healthy food incentive program, which matches customers’ nutrition assistance benefits (CalFresh) at farmers’ markets. When people use their benefits at farmers’ markets, Market Match provides matching funds so that they can buy even more fruits and vegetables. For example, a shopper who wishes to spend $15 of CalFresh benefits at the farmers’ markets gets an extra $15 to spend on fresh produce. For more information, visit the farmers’ market information booth and ask about Market Match.

The Ecology Center assists farmers’ market operators and community partners in establishing, implementing, and promoting CalFresh EBT access, and works with partners statewide to offer Market Match. Click here to read more about our statewide Farmers’ Market EBT Program.

Farmers’ markets generate business, and business creates jobs. A 2011 Economic Research Service report found that fruit and vegetable farms selling into local and regional markets employ 13 full-time workers per $1 million in revenue earned. By comparison, fruit and vegetable farms that do not sell locally employ only 3 full-time workers per $1 million in revenue.

Farmers’ markets also bring business to neighboring stores and communities. Spending money at farmers’ markets keeps your money in circulation within the local community, preserving and creating local jobs. A 2010 study of the Easton Farmers Market in Pennsylvania, for example, found that 70% of farmers market customers also shop at downtown businesses, spending up to an additional $26,000 each week.

This is very different from many major grocery stores, where a large percentage of sales leave the community, and possibly even the state or the region. A Virginia Cooperative Extension report showed that if households in Southern Virginia spent 15 percent of their weekly food budget on locally grown food products, $90 million in new farm income would be created for the region.

For nearly 30 years, the Ecology Center hosted an annual Winter Crafts Fair in the Civic Center Park adjacent to the Downtown Berkeley Farmers’ Market. In 2023, we began reimagining this beloved event as a series of pop-up vendors at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market in December. For this event, we are recruiting makers interested in popping up at the market to sell locally made goods to our farmers market shoppers.

Locavore Wonderland will not take place in 2025, but we look forward to its return in 2026!

Thank you for your interest in becoming an integral part of the Ecology Center’s Berkeley Farmers’ Markets! Our markets are well-established and have limited spaces available to new vendors. That said, our team is always excited to hear about new farms and prepared-food businesses, particularly those that align with our values of sustainability. We keep applications on file and review them when openings occur.

All vendors must abide by our policies. Please read them thoroughly before applying.

Farmers
In accordance with the Ecology Center and Ecology Center Farmers’ Markets’ mission, we are committed to supporting small-scale farmers who practice sustainable agriculture. All products sold at our farmers’ markets are grown in California by the farms that sell them. We always prioritize organic growers. Regardless of a farm’s organic certification status, all genetically modified varieties of crops and the use of the pesticides Methyl Bromide or Methyl Iodide are banned from our markets. California farmers with a valid Certified Producers Certificate are welcome to apply to our markets by filling out our Digital Farmer Application.

Processed Food Vendors
In addition to the Certified Farmers’ Market area of our markets, we have an adjacent area where processed food items—such as baked goods, pickles, and hot-prepared foods—are sold. All the processed food items in our Markets are made by local purveyors and align with our primary focus of promoting sustainable farming. To this end, we ask that you share your complete menu, including ingredients, their sources, and whether they are certified organic. If accepted, Berkeley Farmers’ Market may ask for changes to the ingredients in order to align with our mission. To view our processed food criteria and apply to our markets, please fill out our Digital Processed Food Application.

Craft Vendors
During the majority of the year our markets focus exclusively on food, however during the month of December we have limited spaces at each market for vendors of giftable items such as arts, crafts, body care, and other giftable items. Apply here for our Winter Craft Fair.

Because plastics and their ingredients are pervading our oceans and waterways, invading the bodies of humans and wildlife, and filling landfills (with new and once recycled plastic) the Ecology Center recommends eliminating plastics from your life, as much as possible.

To get started, consult our handy fact sheet, Get Plastic Out of Your Life.

We also highly recommend Beth Terry’s blog, My Plastic-Free Life.

Some plastics we know are toxic, such as #3, which is also known as PVC or vinyl. PVC contains phthalates and heavy metals, and creates dioxins when it burns. Other plastics contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), which has been identified as a chemical that disrupts hormones. Plastics can contain thousands of possible additives, and manufacturers are not required to disclose what their recipes are. Any plastic can leach, depending on the conditions (light, heat) and what additives it includes. The Ecology Center recommends avoiding plastics when possible, particularly in toys and products for children, and products that come in contact with food or drink.

According to the EPA, plastics make up more than 12 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, “a dramatic increase from 1960, when plastics were less than one percent of the waste stream.” US residents are buying more plastic, and only about 8 percent of it gets recycled. The plastics industry rarely uses recycled plastics in the vast majority of their products, unlike the glass and metal industries. The recycling arrows stamped on plastic products and the cities that collect every type of plastic via their recycling programs lead people to believe that all plastic products are recyclable and being recycled, and that’s simply not true. Non-recyclable plastics are separated and landfilled.

The Ecology Center currently picks up clean, rigid plastic containers, but we encourage people to avoid buying plastics whenever possible, since most plastics are not recyclable in the same way that glass, metals, and fibers are. Plastics are typically turned into only one other product, which must be landfilled at the end of its life. As the plastics recycling infrastructure develops and viable new plastics markets emerge, the Ecology Center will evaluate the collection of other plastics, based on operational, cost, and environmental concerns.

While some grocery stores do carry a small number of local and organic products, most cannot equal Farmers’ Markets in the variety and quality of local foods, let alone guarantee farmers a fair price. In 2025, American farmers received only 15.9 cents of every dollar Americans spent on food. At farmers’ markets, farmers head home with upwards of 90 cents on the dollar. Shopping at a farmers’ market is also a unique experience where farmers and shoppers get to know each other, do business, and help one another. Meeting friends and neighbors at the farmers’ market while shopping and supporting local businesses is just fun. When was the last time you told your friends to meet you in the aisle of a grocery store?

Berkeley is gradually replacing older residential recycling carts through a neighborhood-by-neighborhood program funded by the City of Berkeley’s Zero Waste Division. If your cart is scheduled for replacement, you will receive a notice in the mail and a new cart will be delivered before your collection day. Please place your old cart at the curb on your next pickup day so it can be removed and recycled.

For questions about cart replacement, call the Ecology Center Recycling Hotline at (510) 527-5555, Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM.

You may share the following language with your attorney or add it to your will: “I, [Name], of [City, State, Zip Code], give, devise, and bequeath [Written Amount, Percentage of Estate, or Description of Property] to the Ecology Center, a nonprofit organization currently located at 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite H, Berkeley, CA 94702, tax ID 94-1703351, for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose.”

Bequests can help reduce federal estate taxes for heirs, and these benefits are not limited to cash gifts. Planned gifts may include assets such as real estate, IRAs, or stock. The IRS also provides favorable tax treatment for certain giving vehicles, including charitable remainder trusts. While the potential tax advantages can be significant, donors are encouraged to consult with a financial or tax professional to determine what is most appropriate for their individual circumstances.

If someone is currently taking recyclables from your block, call the Berkeley Police non-emergency line at 510-981-5900 and ask for the beat officer. Provide your location, a description of the vehicle or person, and the direction they were traveling.

If the incident already happened, call the Ecology Center Hotline at 510-527-5555 and leave a message. Your report helps us track repeat offenders and build cases.

When reporting, include as much information as possible: date and time, location, vehicle description, license plate (even partial), what you observed, and your contact information if you’re willing to be contacted.

Place recyclables in your split-cart throughout the week. When full, roll it to the curb by 7 AM on your collection day, and put carts out in the morning to help prevent theft and litter.

Blue Bin/Side: glass bottles and jars; steel, tin, and aluminum cans; clean, rigid plastic containers; aluminum foil and pie plates. Please NO: plastic bags, straws, Styrofoam, window glass, ceramics, Pyrex, or crystal. Remove food and rinse containers before recycling. Flatten plastic. Caps and lids are allowed if attached to containers.

Brown Bin/Side: newspapers and inserts; office paper; small cardboard pieces; paperback books and phonebooks; mail, magazines, and catalogs; paperboards like cereal boxes or egg cartons. Please NO: food-soiled paper or wax cartons, tissue or paper towels, soy milk or juice boxes, or plastic or foil-coated paper or cardboard.

Do not wedge large cardboard boxes in your cart. Cut to fit in cart, or flatten into a 3’x2’x1′ bundle and place next to your cart for pick up.

The central Point of Sale (POS) and scrip system allows all eligible food vendors in a multi-vendor farmers’ market to sell eligible food products to CalFresh EBT recipients without each vendor needing individual authorization by the USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS). The central POS device is usually located at a staffed market information table or carried by an easily identifiable market staff person. Market signage should direct EBT cardholders to the POS device. The staff person asks the customer how much of her food benefits she would like to transfer to scrip, swipes the card, and issues scrip in the amount requested. The customer uses the scrip with vendors in the market to purchase eligible food products. At the end of the market day, vendors trade the scrip for cash, check, or a receipt for future payment from the market operator. The customer can return unused scrip for credit on her EBT card, or hold it for later use.

Recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California, are no longer issued paper food stamps. Instead, they are issued an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card where recipients can access their food benefits electronically by swiping their card at the point of sale. In order to accept CalFresh EBT cards, farmers’ markets typically establish a central Point of Sale (POS) model, allowing the market to sell EBT scrip to customers at a central point in the market. The customer then spends their EBT scrip with any eligible food producer in the market and the market manager later redeems the scrip for cash or in place of a stall fee. This system requires the farmers’ market manager or operator to become authorized as a SNAP retailer by Federal Nutrition Services (FNS) USDA, and to implement and promote the EBT program.

A Certified Farmers’ Market (CFM) is a “point of sale” location for California agricultural products. CFMs are usually set up on a weekly basis for California farmers and ranchers (“producers”) to gather together and sell their agricultural products directly to the public. A CFM may only be operated by a local government, a certified producer, or a non-profit organization. CFMs must be authorized by the county agricultural commissioner and abide by current legislation and regulations. Only producers certified by the county agriculture commissioner may sell at a CFM and must display their Certified Producer Certificate, and a sign with language akin to “We Grow What We Sell.” The re-sale of agricultural products at a CFM is prohibited. Being a CFM opens up the opportunity to take advantage of the free POS device program through the California Department of Social Services, as well as free resources from the Ecology Center when setting up an EBT program. It also allows you to be listed on the Ecology Center’s Farmers’ Market Finder.

When you shop at a certified farmers’ market, you’re buying directly from the farm that grew the food. This means you’re supporting the local economy and helping farmers. All of the produce at a certified farmers’ market is grown in California and harvested when it is in season, meaning that everything is fresh, full of flavor, and often priced comparably with a grocery store. Because the produce is generally not stored as long as it is at a grocery store, it has higher nutritional value.

The food has traveled fewer miles to get to the market than food at the grocery store, meaning it has a smaller carbon footprint. Many small and mid-sized farms that sell at farmers’ markets also implement climate-friendly farming practices, such as cover-cropping and rotational grazing.

And it’s fun!