Planting Justice staff with The People in Blue at the San Quentin Restorative Justice Reentry Resource Fair.

Every April 22nd, more than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day to raise awareness for environmental issues and protect our planet. First established in 1970, Earth Day sparked the modern environmental movement. It led to important changes like the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of landmark environmental laws. Today, Earth Day reminds us of our shared responsibility to safeguard natural resources, fight climate change, and promote sustainability. While we do this work year round, we appreciate the chance to highlight our youth spending time in the garden, getting their hands in the soil, and learning how growing food connects to justice movements, community, and care. 

At our East Oakland Nursery, our youth work group completed building a hugelkultur bed, creating a rich, self-sustaining garden space that will nourish plants while teaching sustainable farming practices.

While at Dewey Academy, our student interns spent some time in the garden building slug traps to help protect the newly planted summer crops.

👉 Important: A completed liability waiver is required for acceptance. After you apply, you’ll receive an email with further instructions.

Deadline to Apply: May 23

For questions, please email: Education@plantingjustice.org 👍

We can’t wait to grow, learn, and build community together this summer!

Members of the California Black Legislative Caucus (CLBC) joined Assemblymember Susan Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) and the Women’s Legislative Caucus at a press conference on April 3 to demand justice and fairness for incarcerated woman in California. PJ's Reentry Coordinator, Sol Mercado, was there to speak. Read more here.

However, these new positions would still only allow for monitoring of 350 of the estimated 2,400 complaints that are filed each year. And there are also significant barriers to women filing complaints while incarcerated, especially a very real fear of retaliation. There is so much more work to be done to have actual justice in these systems, and we are so inspired by Sol, and organizations like Sister Warriors and California Coalition for Women’s Prisoner’s, for continuing to lead the way!

PJ is back at San Quentin

We are honored and humbled to be back working with our brothers inside San Quentin Prison. Sol and other Planting Justice staff have been working with The People in Blue and other allies to build and maintain a garden at the prison that serves as a healing space in honor of victims and survivors, similar to the garden at CCWF. Keep an eye out for more updates on this project.

May Community Workshops (FREE!):

We have been having quite the success with free educational workshops and community events at the Mother Farm. If you haven't visited, we have some exciting opportunities coming up in in May.

Intro to Irrigation for Orchards and Gardens

12:30pm - 2pm, Thursday, May 15

Community members are invited to the farm for a workshop on effective irrigation in the orchard and/or garden.

Don't Waste! Compost In Place!

11:30 noon - 1 PM, Friday, May 16

Community members are invited to the farm for a workshop on composting in place in the orchard and/or garden.

This will be a demonstration of Brent's ongoing role as compost wizard–showcasing the regenerative technique of cycling nutrients from the bodies of weeds on the land back into the soil. Participants will learn about the sources and balance of key nutrients for compost, and the technique for building and turning a pile. 

Flower Growing and Bouquet Making Skillshare

1 PM - 3 PM, Saturday, May 17

Join us on the land this Spring to gather for light refreshments and conversation centered on growing cut flowers for beautiful bouquets. All experience levels from blooming beginners to flower fanatics are welcome!

And as always...Volunteers Welcome!

Volunteers are welcome to join us on the land for rewarding work weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or on Second Saturday of each month

Big news! The City of Oakland approved all of the permits for our greenhouses! It took a lot of work, but this transformative project can now progress, and we could not have done it without you. 

On that note: We have raised a little over $1M for this project through our 2025 Capital Campaign, and are hoping to raise $2M by the end of May. Help us spread the word, and contribute if you can! 

Spring is a fantastic time to transform your outdoor space with the wide variety of annuals and perennials in our plant collection. For a limited time, enjoy 15% off your entire purchase using the code SPRING2025 at checkout.

Hurry—this offer ends on June 20!

Explore our shop today and share this offer with friends and family. Let’s grow bountiful community green spaces in 2025!