La Tercera
In 2024, OAEC partnered with Daily Acts, a Sonoma County-based nonprofit, to create water conservation designs at La Tercera Elementary School.
Daily Acts connects people and builds community through education, action, and policy change that addresses the climate crisis. Daily Acts is working with Watershed Progressive through their Land Resilience Partnership model, which is funded by the CA Department of Water Resources. Together, they are working to design and install water conservation techniques at the school, such as rain gardens, sheet mulching, roof water catchment systems, and planting habitat and shade trees.
The design process was a collaborative endeavor, bringing together students from OAEC’s permaculture design course, staff from Daily Acts, and staff from La Tercera school. OAEC’s student designs integrated water conservation and educational opportunities into the school’s environment. The PDC students used their new skills at the school site as a practical learning experience to create designs that integrate the permaculture process with La Tercera’s vision.
La Plaza
In 2022, OAEC created a regenerative ecological design at Lincoln Elementary in Santa Rosa, CA, in collaboration with La Plaza, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of the Latine community.
La Plaza works to improve mental health outcomes in the Latine community by leveraging cultural strengths and fostering community healing. They facilitate access to mental health services and work with local agencies to provide culturally relevant systems of support.
OAEC student designs aimed to create a garden space at the Lincoln Elementary School in Santa Rosa that not only served the educational needs of the students but also supported La Plaza’s desire to make a safe space for their community.
