Greening Bernal One Project at a Time

I moved to Bernal Heights in January 2000, but then moved away from 2012 to 2022. My family and I lived in Berlin for six years, followed by four years in Barcelona.

I initiated my community greening project on Ogden Avenue, between Folsom and Gates Streets, in 2021. Then, there was so much interest that people started contacting me from all over the City to see if I could help with their projects. I believe they valued my background as a civil engineer, which enabled me to assist them in evaluating the feasibility and constructability of their projects. I visited various sites and determined whether their green ideas could be realized. At that point, it just made sense to start my organization, which I did in November of 2022.

• We are shutting down the 400 block of Ogden Avenue, between Folsom and Gates Streets, to through traffic and turning the area into a park.
• We are expanding the Good Prospect Community Garden, located on Prospect Street between Cortland and Santa Marina, by adding more garden plots and improving the site with additional landscaping and a gathering area.
• The vacant lot on César Chávez Street, next to the 101 southbound ramps, will be transformed into a bicycle way station and a site to honor the memory and legacy of César Chávez.
• We are collaborating with the Carolina Street Median project to enhance landscaping and create a vista point at the median’s south end.

How do you measure the success of a green project beyond the completion of the physical space?

That it stays active means people gather there, children play and explore, and the community works together to take care of the site. So often, the biggest challenge in any greening project is not securing funding or even building the green space, but rather maintaining it afterward.

• It starts with design, for example:
  • Minimizing grading to the extent possible, without disrupting the existing topography.
  • Designing bio swales, which collect runoff and return it to the groundwater supply
  • Specifying sustainable materials such as porous cement, which allows water to seep back into the ground; recyclable and/or repurposed materials, such as fallen tree trunks to make benches; and repurposing demolished materials, such as concrete, which can be used as base material or to line swales.
  • Rainwater harvesting involves capturing rainwater for irrigation.
• During construction, we ensure:
  • Dust control and pollution are minimized.
  • Controlling waste management and recycling
  • Limiting materials used to reduce waste

• Stormwater runoff is used for irrigation through rainwater harvesting
• Stormwater runoff is captured in bioswales, reducing the amount that flows into the combined sewer system.
• More trees and plants increase the tree canopy, improving health and serving as a screen.
• They reduce the heat island effect caused by hardscape materials, such as concrete and asphalt pavement.

• By volunteering to help in the design and/or maintenance of the new green spaces
• By donating to their favorite green project to buy plants, playground equipment, benches, etc.

At our website: www.greeningprojects.org