The Role of the EcoCenter
As a division of bay.org, the EcoCenter’s mission is to protect, restore and inspire conservation of San Francisco Bay and its watershed, from the Sierra to the sea. An essential niche for the communities of southeast San Francisco within the environmental education field, the EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park fulfills this mission by serving as a model for green building, sustainable resource use, environmental justice, and experiential learning in one of the least-expected places in the City. As such, it is an inspiration for communities that face similar social and environmental challenges as those found in our neighborhood.
Community Engagement
Though the EcoCenter belongs to all members of our community, youth is its core constituency. In particular, we serve the students and teachers of the San Francisco Unified School District, radiating outward from our home in Bayview Hunter’s Point. Every student of every age can have an opportunity to learn at the EcoCenter and engage in the creation of an eco-literate citizenry and green economy.
The EcoCenter is resident-friendly, driving home the message that this is a space created with the central purpose of building community. The facility is open as a visitor center with free tours available to anyone that walks through its doors. It is used for community meetings and events, public programs, seminars, and workshops that serve longtime residents as well as newcomers and visitors to the area. The EcoCenter is a public space and everyone is made to feel at home here.
The EcoCenter serves a greater purpose than simply restoring the health of a local community. For the past decade, Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ) and now the San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Youth Stewardship Program together with TBIAF and CCSF have the responsibility of the education and stewardship of Heron’s Head Park. Through design features that mimic natural processes and that demonstrate sustainable resource use, the EcoCenter informs us of the integral connections between healthy ecosystems and healthy urban life.
The EcoCenter is a destination for leaders involved in the greening of the economy, particularly those representing disenfranchised communities. As a landmark in sustainable development and a model environmental education facility located “in a place where no one would have imagined,” the EcoCenter will find natural constituencies among sustainability advocates, regulatory agencies and policymakers who will have an opportunity to learn from and showcase the Heron’s Head Park site at the local, regional, national and international level.
References:
Calvert, P. (2010). EcoCenter Strategic Plan. Literacy for Environmental Justice.