Climate Resilient Communities

YCC Workshop #14 🚰🏙️ Learning Local Water Management and Groundwater Rise w/

We started off the day with a tour around Menlo Park’s O’Connor Tract Co-Operative Water Company, where they distribute clean water to 343 households and apartments 🏡💧. Students learned the basics of water quality and decontamination 🧪

Then, guided YCC through a lesson in groundwater rise and water quality issues in the Bay Area 🌊. To build on this new knowledge, students practiced advocacy by analyzing hypothetical policies 📢 and turned their advocacy into art 🖌️🎨.

Thank you to the O’Connor Tract Co-Op for teaching our students local water conservation efforts and to for guiding YCC in how to get involved in advocating for their community.

📸 Joss Broward

Creating a Climate Change Community Team in Alviso 🌱🤝

CRC is partnering with 🤝 to support the creation of a Climate Change Community Team (CCCT) 🌱 Last week, we took a tour of the community with Marco and Jose from Alviso In Action.

The neighborhood of Alviso in San Jose is underserved, disproportionately impacted by climate change 🌊, and lack access to services.

Alviso In Action will be leading the CCCT and we're thrilled to understand how we can support their mission.

We want to thank Marco and Jose from for their leadership and dedication to the community ♥️

📸 Mason Carter

YCC Workshop #13 Canoeing through the Sloughs with 🛶🐟

Students had the chance to work in teams and canoe on the calm waters of the Redwood Shores 🌲🌊. While on the water, they paddled to different points in the shore to learn about the ecology of the area 🌱. They did water quality testing💧, species identification 🐠 and discussed the potential impact of climate change on the sloughs.

After working collaboratively to bring the canoes back to shore, students had a chance to enter MSI’s Discovery Lab; They met leopard sharks 🦈, tortellini snails 🐌, and several California native crabs 🦀.

Thank you to for inspiring environmental stewardship and to Kalea and Erin for being such engaging facilitators 🩵

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CRC is proud to announce the implementation of our new Disaster Preparedness Program! Chase Donnell, who once served as our Resilient Adaptation Associate, now serves as this program’s manager. Congratulations Chase!

We want to thank our gracious funders for providing support to implement this needed program within our communities.

Scroll through to learn more about this program’s mission and the communities it will serve!

Mai Le Moana 🌊 Pasefika Curriculum with .unity Day 1!

With .unity, we spent the first day of the program understanding climate change and how it causes sea levels to rise 🌊, impacting our home island nations in the South Pacific. In groups, the youth brainstormed ideas for the islands they will build in part two of the program. Our youth thought about geological features 🌋, vegetation 🌱, and structures to include in their builds.

The Mai Le Moana 🌊 (which means “from the ocean”) pilot project aims to educate and amplify understanding of climate change within our local 🌺 Pasefika community. Through hands-on and educational workshops on climate change, we hope to build passion and advocacy to spread awareness on how climate change affects Pasefika people here 🌱

We want to thank .unity and for hosting CRC 💖

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YCC Workshop #6 🌲⛰️ Honoring Nature and Sam McDonald’s Legacy with

YCC took a guided hike through Sam McDonald Park with the courtesy of Katherine Wright and Adriana Fernandez Arriaga from 🌿🪲. Here, students learned about the impact Sam McDonald had on the community as Stanford's first Black administrator, a superintendent, an environmentalist, and much more ☀️.

To close off the workshop, Katherine and Adriana shared their career journeys 💼 in environmental justice and students reflected on their own experiences 🌱🌍

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Rain garden demo 🌦️ with 's Girls Going Tech 🧑‍🔬🧑‍💻 !

At the office in San Jose, brought 🌺Pasefika students from to learn about representation in STEM careers. Our staff, Kae Jensen and Kamille Lang lead a rain garden demo ⛈️, engaging students on the impact of sea level rise 🌊 on our local communities and installing rain gardens to mitigate the impacts. Afterwards, our students built their own rain gardens. We then tested the rain gardens’ resilience to various storms 🌦️

Our executive director and founder, Violet-Wulf Saena, gave an inspirational keynote on representing Samoa and her people in all spaces that she occupies.

Thank you for inviting CRC to this empowering event 🩷❤️‍🔥

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SPREAD THE WORD, CRC IS HIRING 🌱 We're excited to announce that we are hiring for a full-time Adaptation Program Associate position.

This is an incredible opportunity for anyone who is interested in implementing effective approaches to a wide array of climate adaptation projects and efforts 🌱

To apply please visit our website at https://crcommunities.org/jobs. Applicants should submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume describing their interest in the position. Applications missing a cover letter or resume will not be considered.

🌺Pasifika education with ’s youth! CRC is piloting a new program dedicated to immersing and educating Pasifika youth 🌺in climate change impacts 🌊, connecting to our home islands in the South Pacific 🏝️🇼🇸🇹🇴and here in the Bay Area.

With , we spent the first day of the program understanding the effects of climate change 🌊 and how it causes sea levels to rise, impacting our island nations. On the second day, our youth built their own islands 🏝️, using them to mimic how sea level rise impacts low-lying altos, volcanic 🌋, and continental island landscapes. 

Thank you to youth and staff 🌺🌊🤎!

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On June 18th, the Menlo Park City Council passed the 2024-2025 budget and included one million dollars in an Environmental Justice Fund to advance community-led climate justice projects in the Belle Haven neighborhood.

The allocation of funding symbolizes a significant milestone in the City’s ongoing efforts to address its history and repair the harms of systemic racism to foster a more just city for everyone.

We want to recognize and thank our Belle Haven community, who have been organizing this fight for decades, including our partner CBOs , Belle Haven Empowered, and Belle Haven Community Development Fund. We are also thankful to Mayor , Vice Mayor Combs, and council members Maria Doerr, Betsy Nash, and Jen Wolosin for their endless support.

YCC Workshop #5 Hands-On Learning Sustainable Agriculture with 🌾🚜

At , Nicky Crummet, Nina Vuoso, and Lanette Anderson guided our students in harvesting summer crops and using them to cook a farm to table summer lunch. ☀️🥗 We learned that using ladybugs 🐞is the best method for keeping pests away 🌱. After learning about the history of conservation efforts by , YCC enjoyed visiting the farm animals such as Trouble the goat 🐐 and Tallulah the cow 🐄.

At the end of our visit, students got to enjoy the thrill of a ropes course and practice teamwork as they cheered each other on 🌲🔗.

Thank you again to Nicky Crummet, Nina Vuoso, and Lanette Anderson for teaching us the importance of preserving natural spaces and inspiring our students to revisit in the future. 🤎🌿

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Agriculture Farming

We are proud to announce that our Executive Director and Founder, Violet Wulf-Saena, has been announced as a 2024 Bay Adapt Awardee 🎉 🌊🫶We couldn’t be more proud of her work, passion, and dedication towards addressing sea level rise impacts on our local communities.

The Bay Adapt Awards 🌊 are awarded by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (), a Californian state commission dedicated to the protection, enhancement, and responsible use of the San Francisco Bay 🌉🌊. The awards honor climate change leaders who are making strides in addressing the critical challenges posed by rising sea levels.

This year, Violet will be honored at the Rising Together: Bay Adapt Summit on August 8th. Join Violet and the BCDC at the in celebration of sea level rise adaptation across the Bay Area.

Check out our bio for information on obtaining tickets to this spectacular event!

YCC Workshop #4 🌲☀️ Exploring San Vicente Redwoods with !

While walking through the San Vicente Redwoods, from Santa Cruz County Land Trust guided YCC through a lesson in Resistance vs Resilience 🌱. After seeing the impact of past wildfires, students learned about the traditional indigenous practice of prescribed burning as a form of forest management 🪵🌿

YCC youth then reflected on their connection to climate change and the natural world through a group storytelling activity ⛰️🦋

Special thank you to Evelyn Siguenza and for leading us through the hike and history of the San Vicente Redwoods 🌲💚 And, thank you to for keeping these spaces protected 🤎

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Meet our 2024 Summer Interns & Volunteers 🌤️😎!

This summer, we have five interns 🤘 and one volunteer 🙌 to support CRC’s mission in empowering our local communities 🌱. From design to civil engineering, our summer team offers unique perspectives and skill sets to enhance our work 💪

Stay tuned to the inspiring work our team will do this summer 💖🌤️🌊😎!

YCC Workshop #3 ♻️🌎 Learning about the Path to Zero Waste with at !

founder Marria Evbuoma taught students about zero waste as an inherently inclusive practice that builds on ancestral knowledge 🚯🌳. To put their new learning into practice, YCC engaged in a waste characterization activity 🚮

Students practiced collective visioning by working together to create posters where they visualized zero waste through various lenses: As an entrepreneur, an artist, and as an advocate.

Thank you to Marria for leading our youth through ’s “A Path to Zero Waste: Understanding Reflecting (Re)Creating” workshop and for hosting us 🌲🤎

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CRC is beyond grateful and proud to announce the purchase of our new van 🚐 💗 We plan to use this van to transport the participants of our Youth Climate Collective program 🌱, community members, and more.

Thank you to Avani Patel and the board of directors of Bothin Foundation for granting us this gift to the community, CRC is immensely grateful for your love and support. We could not have done this without your generosity 💖💗💓

In partnership with , our Resilient Homes Program team is furnishing three resident homes in East Palo Alto. Here’s an update on our progress as we close up our second wave of the project.

With donating furniture to furnish these homes, we have worked alongside our contractor, Joaquin Narvaez of West Coast Green Builders, LLC, to build cabinets, install wood floorings, and assemble decorative items.

We are immensely grateful to Joaquin and his team for making this process quick and efficient for our residents. Keep up and stay tuned to hear from our East Palo Alto residents!

YCC Workshop #2 🌱🌊 Cooley Landing with !

Led by , YCC engaged in a timeline activity, exploring Cooley Landing’s past as a toxic dump site ☢️ and the Muwekma Ohlone who are stewards of the land 🌿. Paola Bueno, ’s project lead, then toured our youth around the park 🌊🌳🌱

Afterwards, our students used the app to identify native species near the trail, finding a western fence lizard, who is iconic for its blue belly 🦎🌵

Thank you to Paola Bueno and Interns for immersing our youth in the beauty of Cooley Landing 🤎

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A day to remember, reflect, and rejoice.

Kicking off our 2024 YCC program, our new cohort spent the day learning and hiking Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Professors Rodolfo Dirzo and Jenny Suckale, from , engaged our youth in the risks of flooding and the history of people on the land through activities and lectures.

Afterward, Dirzo, CRC board member Jerry Hearn, and Stanford student Aiyana Washington let our youth on a hike to tour the preserve.

What an incredible start to our 2024 YCC program. Stay tuned for more!

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ridge

Congratulations to our Spring Cohort of YCC Interns 🌱 On Tuesday, our youth reflected upon their internships, sharing their findings and accomplishments. We are extremely proud of our youth for taking this step towards enhancing their knowledge and experiences with the environment!

This spring, our cohort consisted of five YCC alumni:
🌱 Rene O. with
🌱 Vassidy A. with
🌱 Aldo C. with
🌱 Ishana W. with CRC
🌱 Luis C. with

Thank you to for working with CRC to offer a 10-week internship to our youth based on their organizational needs and interests.

Introducing our 🌱Spring Cohort of YCC Interns 🌱

Graduates of our 2023 Youth Climate Collective program have started their internships with nearby environmental education and climate action organizations 🌏.

Thank you to for working with CRC to offer a 10-week internship to our youth based on their organizational needs and interests.

Stay tuned to see the amazing work our YCC produces this Spring !!

CRC Op-Ed In The Mercury News 🗞️(link in bio):

In an op-ed published this Sunday, CRC alongside 7 CBOs have called for Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability School to stop its acceptance of fossil fuel funds for its research.

The coalition of 8 BIPOC-led and serving community-based organizations who are signatories to this opinion have developed strong working relationships with have are calling on the university to protect the trust it has built in communities affected by environmental injustices, with its Undermines Partnerships with Communities University

Read more in our bio on the data collected by the Coalition for a True School of Sustainability showing Stanford research money from ConocoPhillips, Exxon, Shell, and Chevron with our call for community accountability for stricter policies on its research funding & disclosures.

Community Signatories:
• Climate Resilient Communities,
• Belle Haven Action,
• Belle Haven Empowered
• North Fair Oaks Community Alliance
• Youth United for Community Action,
• ‘Anamatangi Polynesian Voices
• Rise South City,
• El Concilio of San Mateo County,

- A special thanks to our Program Director, Cade Cannedy for authoring the Opinion and Community Letter, as well as to the Mercury News .

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doerr

Register and join our executive director, Violet, for the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Environmental Literacy Summit!

Following our Air Quality Workshop at , 🌱CRC brought two environmental classes 🌱 to San Vicente Redwoods 🌲to observe the secondary growth of the forest.

Our students and staff were led on a hike by 🌊, who further educated our groups on the impact of the 2020 California wildfires and the forest’s role as a carbon sink.

As part of our Measure AA Marshland Restoration project 🌱, CRC and gathered with community-based organizations, , El Comité De Vecinos Del Lado Oeste, and Saint Mark AME Zion church of East Palo Alto, to host the “Sounds of the Shoreline.”

We started off the morning with a musical performance 🎶, joining hands and voices to celebrate our unity in Cooley Landing. Afterwards, 🌱 led a restoration activity with community members 🧑‍🌾 removing wild mustard from the area. Other participants created paper envelopes and filled them with Common Yarrow, a native medicinal plant 🌱.

In collaboration with , the Measure AA Marshland Restoration project 🌱 aims to restore marshland along the Bay Trail of Ravenswood Preserve with the help of our local community. Learn more about the project in our bio.

Thank you to for having CRC at the annual P.I.E F.E.S.T. Pasifika STEM fair 🌺🧑‍🔬

Our team organized an activity to simulate our rain garden project 🌧️🌱, engaging students in learning about its functions and benefits for mitigating flooding impacts 🌊. We are honored to have participated in such an empowering event for the Pasifika community! 🌺🧑‍🔬

CRC is thrilled to share news of our Winter Cohort of graduate Youth Climate Collective students 🌱 who have started their internships with nearby environmental education and climate action organizations. Thank you to , , and for working with CRC to offer a 10-week internship to these students based on their organizational needs and the interests of the student interns 🌱

From installing rain gardens with Fresh Approach, preparing for Hidden Villa’s annual shearing day, restoring Cooley Landing back to its native plan biodiversity, to helping design the next iteration of the Youth Climate Collective for CRC, students are doing tremendous work that taps into their knowledge gained through YCC, their lived experience as a resident of the area, and the curiosity of pursuing a career in climate action.

Stay tuned for more updates of how their internships are doing as students get their hands dirty and their hearts ignited for taking action locally.

Thank you to Climate Resilient Communities for inviting us to teach our Red Cross Ready class in Spanish with the North Fair Oaks community. We were happy to share tips on home and family emergency preparedness with such an engaged group, thank you to all who participated!

With support from our gracious donor, CRC had the privilege of visiting the Legacy Museum and National Memorial of Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. In addition to exploring these monuments, our team reflected on the topics covered, including enslavement and mass incarceration in the United States.

As this month is Black History Month, our team found it essential to visit, research, and reflect upon these historical monuments. This trip was an enlightening experience for our team, and we are beyond grateful for the opportunity to further educate ourselves on the systems of oppression that continue to impact our local communities today.