La Mesa Verde Garden Education

Acterra developed a science-based climate science education and training program for Middle School students (grades 6-8) that explains climate change and outlines positive steps individuals and communities can take to mitigate negative effects. Acterra aims to partner with the California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF) to co-create an outdoor/urban garden experience that links nature, food, and planetary health to enrich the You(th) Be the Change (YBtC) curriculum that both organizations can incorporate into their educational programming. In addition to direct teaching of the enriched YBtC program in classrooms, this project includes a teacher training program to support and inspire teachers to provide students from under-resourced communities with high quality climate science education and outdoor/urban garden experiences while increasing awareness and usage of CNGF’s urban garden.

The Authority contributed funds to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy’s field trip program that allows for inquiry-based learning. The program is committed to getting children outdoors and uses Guadalupe River Park & Gardens' river, rose garden, and orchard as an outdoor lab. The program prioritizes serving Title One students and connects them to their local environment while providing hands-on science lessons that teachers cannot deliver inside their classrooms

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.