Garden for the Environment

We teach people about the environment - soil, water, plants, creatures, and climate - so together we can grow a resilient, more beautiful world. In 1990 we started with a vacant lot and an idea. What if we tried to teach everyone in San Francisco to garden? What would happen? During one of the longest droughts in California history, from 1986-1992, a group of gardeners saw an opportunity to help. They wanted to teach residents of San Francisco and the Bay Area to be more climate resilient by replacing lawns and water-intensive gardens with native and drought tolerant plants, without sacrificing beauty. These gardeners partnered with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to build a demonstration garden on half an acre of the agency’s land. Today, GFE receives funding from the SFPUC to promote organic gardening, water conservation, and pollution prevention. All tours, field trips, and workshops at GFE support the SFPUC’s mission to bridge the agency’s work with environmental and community interests. Garden for the Environment was born in the summer of 1990 on land owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. It serves as San Francisco’s dedicated site for gardening and composting education.