Green SF Now Blog

San Francisco made a promise to correct historical inequities and close the "green gap" in our most vulnerable neighborhoods. But a pattern of flawed policies and funding decisions shows that promise is being broken. This systemic failure undermines the city's legal commitment to environmental justice, signed into law as part of the General Plan in May 2023.

The Broken Promise: Public Works Order 187246

Public Works Order 187246 bans new tree plantings on any sidewalk less than 7.5 feet wide—a restriction far exceeding federal and state ADA requirements. Enacted without public input, this policy guarantees a net loss of thousands of trees citywide. In SoMa West alone, it ensures elimination of 24% of the neighborhood's entire canopy, making it San Francisco's least green area.

This directly contradicts the city's Environmental Justice Framework, which legally mandates policies to correct structural inequities. Data proves that tree canopy drops steeply as environmental burdens increase. For communities within the state-defined Air Pollution Exposure Zone—almost everything east of Divisadero—trees are critical defense against harmful PM2.5 pollution. By removing them, the city fails to protect its most vulnerable residents.

Misallocated Federal Funds

The pattern continued with a $12 million federal grant from the Inflation Reduction Act, specifically intended for planting trees in low-canopy, vulnerable neighborhoods. Instead of using the legally-binding Environmental Justice Framework, Public Works created its own non-compliant framework using outdated tools.

The result? The "3,500 Trees Project" wrongfully excluded 15 designated Environmental Justice census tracts—primarily in SoMa, Tenderloin, Bayview, Lower Nob Hill, and the Mission—while channeling funds to 12 tracts that didn't qualify as high-need communities.

A Path Forward

Cities like Los Angeles and Seattle have successfully adopted data-driven equity frameworks to close their canopy gaps. By establishing clear, performance-driven goals, San Francisco can ensure fairness becomes a binding commitment, not just an aspiration. Together, we can build a city where environmental health is a right for all residents, not a privilege for few.

Take Action: Sign the Petition

This guest blog post was written by local environmental activist Shaun Aukland on behalf of the Save SF's Narrow Street Trees working group, and shortened for this website. Check out Shaun's full research "Concrete Over Canopy: How San Francisco is Failing Its Environmental Justice Communities"

Yesterday marked an exciting transformation at the Bernal Heights Recreation Center as community organizers unveiled a pop-up town square on the facility's underutilized blacktop. With the playground under construction and limited amenities for families with young children, Jorge Romero-Lozano from Greening Projects teamed up with Luke Spray and Savannah Schoelen from the Green Street Fund to create a much needed vibrant community space during the construction of the next-door playground, in partnership with San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. This celebration marked the first day launch of this temporary space, proving it doesn't take much to convert hardscape into valuable community assets.

The pop-up plaza features light green infrastructure elements including shade-providing plants arranged along banks of tables and chairs, creating an inviting gathering space where one didn't exist before. The centerpiece is an all-natural kids' play area constructed entirely from 100% reclaimed materials sourced from the Recreation and Parks Department yard. This nature playground was built in under a week and largely designed on site. This earth-friendly creation demonstrates that play structures can be low-cost, easy to construct, and durable while avoiding the environmental impact of plastic playground equipment.

The town square was packed! The Rec Center manager noted she'd never seen the space so busy in her four years there, and the seating was being used within 5 minutes of coming off the truck.

Importantly, the pop-up serves as a 3D prototype of ultimate design, which is in the works and planned to go into construction in 2027. With some strategic blacktop removal, these types of activations could become powerful tools for reclaiming underused hardscaped spaces throughout San Francisco's urban landscape. The project serves as a pilot for testing different layouts and amenities while the community finalizes the longer-term vision for the space.

This temporary activation, running daily through February (and potentially longer), joins successful precedents like Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley, the Noe Valley Town Square, and Lakeside Landing—each transforming underutilized spaces into magical community gathering places. The Bernal Heights location is particularly strategic, occupying one of the few flat spots in this hilly, dense neighborhood and enhancing the Cortland commercial corridor.

The plants are great, but maintenance is everything — special recognition goes to Dheya Calahorrano from IntegrArte for leading the long-term care of the space. Dheya's work to bridge local communities through work with nature at this site (and many others in San Francisco) is a testament to the connecting value of the restoration of nature in our own neighborhoods.

Visit the pop-up page for more info about the temporary Bernal Heights Town Square. Check out the long-term renovation plans here.

What an awesome tour we had at Ocean Beach! Organized by the Sierra Club in partnership with Surfrider, our bike tour brought together an impressive group of experts and community members to explore the complex ecosystem that lies beneath and beyond the sand dunes of San Francisco's western edge.

Led by Greg Braswell with co-guides Chase Davenport and sand expert Bob Battalio, this wasn't just another infrastructure tour—it was a deep dive into how natural landscapes, restoration efforts, and urban systems intersect at one of our city's most treasured coastlines. Special guests from SFPUC and other guests' expertise on coastal dynamics helped illuminate the intricate relationships between built and natural environments.

Tour Highlights

While the tour's impetus started around sewer infrastructure, the diverse panel of experts expanded the tour to reveal Ocean Beach as a whole ecosystem. Despite our best attempts to craft the earth to human demands, natural forces push back and we need to learn to better integrate.

• Combined sewer infrastructure: We followed the path of the west side's combined sewer system from the northernmost tip of Ocean Beach south to Sloat, with multiple stops at transfer boxes and outflow stations for engaged discussions about how the system manages both sewage and stormwater.
• Dunes restoration and natural landscape: We explored how the dune system functions as critical habitat and natural infrastructure, protecting inland areas from coastal storms while supporting unique plant and animal communities. These efforts align with SF Recreation & Parks' ongoing Ocean Beach improvement projects.
• Native plants restoration: The group examined ongoing efforts to restore native vegetation that stabilizes dunes and provides essential ecosystem services.
• Surfrider partnership with Friends of Ocean Beach: Eric from Surfrider discussed their Climate Action Program and collaborative efforts to protect and enhance this coastal environment through community-driven initiatives.

This tour showed us that there's more to stormwater management than combined sewer outflows abatement or stormwater runoff — it's about understanding and protecting a complex, interconnected ecosystem that serves both our communities and the natural world. The enthusiasm and expertise of our participants made this an unforgettable exploration of San Francisco's coastal green infrastructure.

We were stoked to see our Green Density Walking Tour bring together 30 community members to explore how thoughtful housing policy advances environmental goals through compact, walkable neighborhoods this past Sunday, August 10th. Co-hosted with D9 Neighbors for Housing and the Sierra Club, the 1.5-mile tour from Precita Park to 16th & Harrison showcased the connections between density, green infrastructure, and climate resilience.

The tour featured stops at bioswales managing stormwater runoff, restored sections of the historic Mission Creek bed providing flood mitigation, and examples of housing development that integrates environmental considerations. The tour concluded with optional drinks and discussion at the Flying Pig on 15th & Van Ness.

Tour highlights included innovative AR experiences using historic imagery that allowed participants to toggle between past and present views of the same locations. Participants could scan QR codes to see how San Francisco's landscape transformed from marshlands and meandering creeks into today's urban environment, revealing both challenges and opportunities for green infrastructure in dense neighborhoods. Check out a longer writeup of the technology behind the AR historic watershed views here.

Special thanks to event organizer Diva Harsoor and our co-hosts D9 Neighbors for Housing and the Sierra Club for making this educational community experience possible.

Exciting new funding opportunities are available for community-led green infrastructure projects in San Francisco. If you have an idea for a project, now is the time to explore these grants to turn your vision into reality.

Community Challenge Grants (CCG)

The City Administrator's Office is offering grants from $50,000 to $150,000 for neighborhood beautification projects, including green infrastructure. The deadline to apply is October 9, 2025. This is a great opportunity for community groups to lead projects that improve their local public spaces.

Learn more and apply for a Community Challenge Grant.

Avenue Greenlight Grant

Avenue Greenlight offers grants from $2,500 to $20,000 for nonprofit organizations, community groups, and merchant associations to lead improvements in San Francisco's commercial corridors. Eligible projects include community events, murals, and beautification initiatives that benefit local small businesses and neighborhoods.

Organizations may propose up to five projects in a single application. All projects must be completed within 12 months and focus on San Francisco commercial corridors. The application window closes on September 4th, 2025 at 5 PM, with awards announced by September 26th.

Apply at AvenueGreenlightSF.org - Applications must be submitted electronically and include detailed project budgets, maintenance plans, and community engagement strategies.

SFPUC Green Infrastructure Grant Program

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) offers large-scale grants of up to $2.5 million for projects that manage stormwater runoff from at least half an acre of impervious surface. While the Spring 2025 cycle is closed, the Fall 2025 cycle is upcoming. You can contact them now to schedule a site visit and assess your property's potential.

Contact gigrants@sfwater.org to get started and visit the SFPUC Green Infrastructure Grant Program page for more details.

Nearly 40 community members joined our San Francisco Watersheds 101 webinar to explore the hidden water systems beneath our city. Water experts Karen Curtiss (Red Dot Studio) and Doug Jacuzzi (Westside Water Resources) revealed how San Francisco's aging infrastructure creates serious environmental and public health challenges.

Our Complex Water System

San Francisco's drinking water comes from multiple sources: Hetch Hetchy, the Westside Basin Aquifer, and East Bay surface flows. But our aging combined sewer system mixes stormwater and sewage in the same pipes. During heavy rains, raw sewage overflows directly into San Francisco Bay and Ocean Beach—with bacteria levels 100 times higher than EPA safety standards.

The Westside Basin: A Hidden Resource

The Westside Basin aquifer beneath western San Francisco is massive—nearly the length of Lake Tahoe and a third as wide. This underground water source could provide up to 60,000 acre-feet annually if properly recharged. Instead, our concrete-covered city prevents natural infiltration, leaving this resource severely underutilized.

From Wetlands to Floods on the Eastside

Historical images showed how the Mission District was once wetlands and meandering creeks. As Karen noted, "that waterway followed what is now the low-lying Folsom Street Area of the inner mission -- which explains what happens to the Folsom Area with intense rainfall events."

Thanks to Karen Curtiss and Doug Jacuzzi for sharing their expertise, and to all community members who joined this important conversation about San Francisco's water future.

Webinar Recording

Slides and Resources

Links to slides in PDF format. Link to PDF resources from CNPS on native plants for bioswales, aquifer recharge, rain gardens, & gray water systems.

This is a policy victory! Mayor Daniel Lurie's announcement of the Love Our Neighborhoods permit program is exactly what Green SF Now has been pushing for—streamlined permitting that makes community-led green infrastructure projects easier. We congratulate Mayor Lurie, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Myrna Melgar, and especially the hard working staff from Supervisor Melgar's office for supporting this breakthrough policy change supported by San Francisco Public Works.

The program's three-tier system tackles the bureaucratic barriers that have blocked neighborhood environmental improvements. With permits obtainable in under 45 minutes, community groups can finally move from vision to implementation on projects ranging from planters and little libraries to bioswales and community gardens.

While the program covers projects "in front of a single property" in the public right of way, questions remain about whether this extends to daylighting zones and other street safety improvements. The program appears limited to sidewalk-adjacent projects and may not include removing concrete or address ongoing SFMTA/DPW coordination challenges that have blocked community greening efforts.

Regardless of the imperfections, Green SF Now supporters should explore how this new system can accelerate your neighborhood projects. Whether you're planning a community garden, installing rain gardens, or adding planters in front of your property, the Love Our Neighborhoods program transforms environmental advocacy into concrete action.

We've been advocating for exactly these changes—and now we have the tools to build the sustainable, resilient San Francisco our communities deserve. There's still more work to do, but it's worth celebrating this milestone as we move SF to a greener future.

Read more: SF.gov: Mayor Lurie Kicks Off Love Our Neighborhoods Permit Program | Love Our Neighborhoods Program Page

We had an incredible hands-on community action event at Moscone Elementary School, transforming garden spaces into vibrant green infrastructure! This Saturday morning volunteer opportunity exemplified how grassroots environmental action can create meaningful change in our neighborhoods while building stronger community connections.

Located at 2576 Harrison Street in the Mission District, Moscone Elementary's garden spaces represented an ideal opportunity to implement "light green infrastructure" solutions that benefit both the school community and the broader urban ecosystem. Our volunteer tasks included planting in pots and garden beds, clearing space for a new garden shed, and weeding and light landscaping—all activities that directly support the kind of nature-based solutions we champion at Green SF Now.

School gardens like these serve multiple functions in urban green infrastructure systems. They capture and filter stormwater runoff, provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, improve air quality, and create cooling microclimates that help combat urban heat islands. Beyond their environmental benefits, these spaces offer invaluable outdoor learning opportunities for students while strengthening community bonds through collaborative stewardship.

Volunteers of all skill levels participated, and we provided tools and guidance throughout the morning. The enthusiasm for creating positive environmental change in our city was infectious! Thank you to everyone who participated and to Dheyanira for organizing this successful community action.

A shocking Supreme Court decision in March 2025 has significantly weakened federal water quality protections nationwide—and it started right here in San Francisco. In a controversial 5-4 ruling, the Court sided with the City in San Francisco v. EPA, limiting the federal government's ability to enforce clean water standards and potentially subjecting communities across America to unsafe water quality. While this represents a major setback for environmental protection, it also highlights why local green infrastructure solutions are more critical than ever. Cities can no longer rely on federal mandates to protect our waterways—we must take action at the grassroots level to implement nature-based solutions that reduce pollution, manage stormwater, and restore natural processes that keep our Bay clean.

Read the full story: When Courts Fail the Bay: The Supreme Court Ruling and San Francisco's Water System - Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter

Green SF Now and the Sierra Club SF Group Leaders met with key state legislators in San Francisco this week to advance our 30x30 initiative and discuss expanding green infrastructure opportunities on Caltrans-owned properties throughout the city.

Our productive meeting with Senator Wiener's office focused on legislative pathways to unlock underutilized Caltrans parcels for green infrastructure projects. We presented our case for converting 60 acres of asphalt and concrete into permeable surfaces like parks and rewilding areas as part of our "Green SF Now" campaign.

The timing is particularly relevant as Caltrans has recently decided to end most of its leases for parking and industrial use underneath highway structures due to safety concerns around fires and encampments. This creates an opportunity to repurpose over 40 acres of San Francisco land currently located beneath highways into productive green space.

While existing legislation like SB 211 authorizes Caltrans to lease property for emergency shelters and food distribution, green infrastructure use isn't explicitly permitted. We also discussed connecting our local Green SF Now initiative with the state's broader 30x30 conservation program, which aims to conserve 30% of California's lands and waters by 2030.

Our earlier meeting on May 16th with Assemblymember Haney's staff provided valuable insights into the legislative landscape and addressed compliance issues with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission regarding "complete streets" requirements during excavation activities.

Our advocacy team will continue working with allied organizations already engaging Caltrans staff on leasing programs, while exploring legal pathways to approve green infrastructure uses.

After over a dozen activations over the past 2 years, we've retired our display boards exhibit of Treat PAST PRESENT FUTURE after our May 17 event.

These interpretive panels engaged thousands of community members in conversations about the history of the land underneath our feet and the actions of generations of people who have disrupted the natural flow of the earth and water in the historic Mission Creek watershed.

Special thanks to Sam Conkling and Into the Streets who provided the manpower and funding to create and maintain these displays for the community.

These boards live at Sam Conkling's wood shop and we're open to finding a new home for them by August, otherwise we'll deconstruct them and use the wood for future Sam creations. Contact kieran.farr(at)gmail.com if you're interested.

What a perfect way to cap off our series of events with our partners Evolved SF and Into the Streets at Treat Plaza! Our final Saturday activation brought together an amazing crowd of community members, environmental advocates, and curious neighbors for one last celebration of green infrastructure possibilities in the Northeast Mission. This continues outreach work that we started in 2024 supported by Into the Streets and Sierra Club.

Sierra Club volunteers Sam Conkling, Dheyanira Calahorrano, Irene Ferrera, Vicky Hoover, and Parker Kjellin-Elder were joined by new faces and returning community members who have become regular supporters of our work. The blend of familiar faces and new participants showed how our presence at Treat Plaza has become part of the neighborhood fabric over these past months.

While our regular presence at Treat Plaza is ending, the momentum we've built here will carry forward into exciting new phases of our campaign. Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming events and opportunities to get involved with Green SF Now!

Green SF Now was honored to participate in Marshall Elementary School's Native American Heritage & Earth Day Celebration in San Francisco's Mission District. This vibrant cultural event brought together students and families for an afternoon of learning, art, food, and performances.

Our team provided interactive art activities for students from kindergarten through 5th grade. We brought maps showing the existing city layout and historical waterways of San Francisco, inviting young artists to add their own creative interpretations directly on top. Many students chose to highlight the prehistoric waterways and green spaces that once characterized the area, while others envisioned new possibilities for their neighborhood. The youngest participants enjoyed using markers and crayons with Sierra Club "wildlife" coloring books.

This hands-on approach proved to be an engaging way to help students connect with the natural history beneath San Francisco's built environment. By visualizing the historical waterways that once flowed freely through what is now an urban landscape, students gained a deeper understanding of how our city has evolved and how we might restore some of these natural elements in the future.

One of the primary benefits of green infrastructure is providing safe, green spaces for people—enhancing street safety by using natural elements and removing non-permeable hardscape. So it's no surprise that a group of safe street advocates had plenty of ideas on how and, more importantly, where to put green infrastructure throughout San Francisco.

At a recent visioning session hosted by Matt Biggar of Connected to Place at the SPUR offices, our team prepared a map of San Francisco showing all 11 supervisorial districts and invited participants to mark potential sites for green infrastructure projects. From bioswale-protected slow streets to converting streets to parks, the ideas kept flowing well past our scheduled session time.

These community-generated insights will help inform our advocacy work as we continue pushing for a greener, safer San Francisco. Special thanks to Matt Biggar for organizing this productive session and to SF New Deal for hosting at the SPUR office.

A long-neglected underpass in Potrero Hill has blossomed into a vibrant green gateway, showcasing the power of neighborhood advocacy and sustainable urban design. Mayor Daniel Lurie joined Supervisor Shamann Walton, Donovan Lacy, Carla Short, Tilly Chang, and community leaders to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the Potrero Gateway project — a transformation that turned a challenging stretch of urban infrastructure into a safe, green passageway. The project revitalized the Highway 101 underpass on 17th Street and the adjacent block of Vermont Street with widened sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and concrete dividers that create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists alike. As Supervisor Walton noted at the event, "This area was neglected—unsafe, uninviting, and overlooked. Today, we're celebrating a transformation that didn't start at City Hall but with neighbors who demanded better." What makes this project particularly exciting from a green infrastructure perspective is the thoughtful integration of ecology and art. Native plantings now soften the urban edges, while four striking public art sculptures titled "Metamorphosis" rise from terraced gardens. This project represents exactly the kind of transformation we champion at Green SF Now — community-led initiatives that replace hardscaped urban environments with green spaces that improve safety, build community, and reconnect us to the natural history beneath our city's concrete.

Read more from SF.Gov News: Mayor Lurie, Community Leaders Cut Ribbon, Celebrate Completion of Potrero Gateway Project

Peter Belden and Kieran Farr represented Green SF Now at University of San Francisco's Earth Day celebration on Tuesday. Our table at Gleeson Plaza attracted students interested in local environmental initiatives, and our informative signage about Green Infrastructure sparked new conversations. We collected nearly 50 sign-ups and discovered many students hadn't yet encountered the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club Wildlife-themed coloring books were particularly popular among visitors. True to our green values, all materials were transported to campus by bicycle! Special thanks to USF's Office of Sustainability for organizing this celebration and providing the table and chairs, those are hard to bring on the bike.

Our second activation at Treat Plaza transformed the space into a collaborative urban planning workshop. Karen Curtiss from Red Dot Studio Architecture and Design led a visioning exercise that engaged community members in reimagining green spaces throughout the Northeast Mission. Participants gathered around a detailed map of the neighborhood, adding their ideas via colorful post-it notes and markers while enjoying live mixed music from The DJ Project and art from Evolved SF and partners. The atmosphere was both productive and festive, with the historical exhibit "Treat: Past, Present, Future" providing context for the area's evolution and Sierra Club volunteers Elizabeth Creely, Parker Kjellin-Elder, and Vicky Hoover on hand to provide guidance and discussion. This participatory mapping approach allowed community members to identify potential sites for green infrastructure while considering the neighborhood's history and cultural heritage. Take a look at some of the feedback from this picture of the feedback here:

Don't miss your last chance to see Green SF Now at Treat Plaza! We're hosting a final Treat event on Saturday, May 17: Green SF Now Interactive Exhibit with Evolved SF.

Cole Valley's innovative pop-up town square experiment transformed an awkward wedge of road into a lush urban garden. As the N Judah emerged from the tunnel, riders found over 500 plants creating an unexpected pocket of urban tranquility. I came early with my son and dad to to snap a few photos with organizer Luke Spray from the Green Street Fund and Robin Pam from KidSafeSF. The arrangement of tall plantings and other diverse greenery from Flora Grubb created natural safety barriers that allowed my kid to play comfortably without normal roadway hazards. This pop-up model presents an exciting new concept for quick, effective green activations across San Francisco!

Read more from SFGate: Tiny San Francisco neighborhood embraces huge idea for safer street

The official kickoff of San Francisco's 2025 Climate Action Plan Update brought together leaders across sectors at SF's War Memorial across from City Hall. Sierra Club members Kieran Farr, Vicky Hoover, Elizabeth Creely, Maya Chaffee, and Tom Radulovich from Livable City joined diverse stakeholders from community organizations, businesses, and government agencies to help shape our city's climate future. Our table focused on clean water systems and nature-based solutions. We explored how freshwater, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure face increasing climate challenges, emphasizing the importance of working with nature rather than against it. Restoring wetlands and implementing natural solutions emerged as key strategies for climate adaptation. SF Environment Director Tyrone Jue set the tone by highlighting alarming trends: 2024 marked the hottest year on record, following record-breaking temperatures in 2023 and 2022. Mayor Daniel Lurie reaffirmed the city's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040, spotlighting transportation and building operations as priority sectors comprising 89% of city emissions. Youth Commissioner Gabby Lester-Coll delivered a powerful speech on climate justice and youth involvement, reminding attendees that climate action isn't just about technology but about centering vulnerable communities in our solutions.

A full transcript of the keynote speeches is available here: City and County of San Francisco, GovTV Transcript, Wednesday, April 16, 2025

What a thrill to see SF New Deal's Building Blocks parklet program launch at Excelsior Coffee on a foggy Tuesday morning! The energy was electric as Lea Sabado and her son cut the ribbon on their bright yellow modular parklet, bringing "light green" infrastructure to life in the Excelsior District. As I chatted with Hoh Chen from SF New Deal, I was struck by how this Lego-inspired approach tackles both environmental and economic challenges. At just $400 monthly instead of the $60,000 upfront cost, these parklets are accessible to small businesses and community groups alike. The beauty of this system is how perfectly it aligns with our Green SF Now mission. These parklets are quintessential "light green" infrastructure, creating planted spaces that absorb rainwater, create community spaces, add biodiversity, and naturally calm traffic. The yellow sides of Excelsior Coffee's installation aren't just eye-catching; they're functional planters bringing nature back to our concrete corridors.

Read more from SF Standard: Parklets peaked, then died off. A new model inspired by Lego aims for a revival

The Sunset Dunes Park opening celebration was a remarkable success for the Green SF Now initiative! Sierra Club volunteers Terry, Vicky, Elizabeth, Brian, Kieran, and others helped create an incredible presence at this community event. The turnout exceeded our expectations with nearly 100 on-site registrations at our table and Green SF Now displays. Dozens more signed up for our guided nature walk, thanks Brian for organizing these!

We're excited to continue our momentum with upcoming events. Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who make these community activations possible.