Greenbelt Alliance

08/21/2026

“Many of the folks living in the Bay Area wouldn't know that they're at risk of flooding. They wouldn't know that the bay is so close; they are living with a risk that they really can't see.”

Meet Kate Hagemann, our 2026 Hidden Hero of the Greenbelt, in her own words! Kate is being recognized for her contributions in planning for resilience in San Rafael.

As the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Planner for the City of San Rafael, Kate is ensuring the Marin coastal town is prepared for more frequent flooding. Impacted by hurricanes growing up, Kate wanted to be part of the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Sandy.

From Massachusetts to Miami, and now the Bay Area, Kate combines her comprehensive knowledge with a great sense of care, empathy, and commitment to equity. She is leading San Rafael’s climate adaptation and vulnerability assessment, helping prepare a city particularly prone to flooding because of its low-lying, bowl-shaped geography.

Through this work, Kate is making sure no one is left behind. Come celebrate Kate’s inspiring trajectory at our end-of-summer bash at West Oakland’s Prescott Market on September 23! Get tickets today: https://give.greenbelt.org/event/hidden-heroes-of-the-greenbelt-2026/e818857?c_src=fy26hh&c_src2=pagebutton

Watch Kate's full video here: https://youtu.be/giE27TryRkM

Meet Kate Hagemann, recognized for planning for resilience.As the...

08/20/2026

Be a part of the sea level rise planning process in Oakland–you could win a $100 gift card! 💰

Engagement for Sea Level Rise in Oakland is just kicking off, and if you’re an Oakland resident, you can help shape the waterfront’s future! The Port of Oakland, in partnership with the City of Oakland and community partners, are gathering community input on flooding impacts, values, and priorities for a sustainable, resilient future.

Fill out the short survey–it takes less than 5 minutes:
bit.ly/oaklandsurvey

08/15/2026

Happy work anniversary to our Resilience Manager, Nate Huntington! 🌠

If you’ve spent any time around Nate these past four years, you know him as the person who’s always building new connections–whether it’s over the phone, tabling at an event, or collaborating on a climate adaptation project–Nate has a knack for relationship-building. His skill allows the team to deepen our outreach in Solano County, and as a result, we can continue to effectively prepare shoreline communities for sea level rise and champion smart growth solutions.

Nate, you inspire the Greenbelt team every day with your expertise, drive, and care for the work. We can’t wait to see how you continue to grow in this role–here’s to Nate and more years of making our communities more resilient together! 🍻

08/13/2026

Attention, Sonoma residents: Join us on Tuesday, August 18, for an informal happy hour at the Shady Oak Bar in Santa Rosa to connect and discuss what's ahead in the General Plan Update process and our shared advocacy goals.

Open to residents, advocates, and anyone curious about the process. All ages welcome.

Greenbelt Alliance will cover the first round of drinks for the first 25 attendees, so make sure to arrive on time! RSVP here:

Connect with fellow advocates and community members working to shape a climate-resilient General Plan in Sonoma County.

08/13/2026

Over 30 people showed up last Saturday to get trained as “Heat Heroes” and share their vision for a cooler Southwest Santa Rosa!

At this citizen-science workshop, community members used heat guns to measure the surface temperatures of different materials and to make hypotheses about what makes an area cooler or hotter. Everyone went home with air-monitoring devices that will collect data across the city for the next month, resulting in fine-scale temperature data that does not currently exist!

At a time when communities in Southwest Santa Rosa are feeling the toll of extreme heat for longer periods of time, initiatives like this empower people to seek answers and implement solutions!

“Overwhelmingly, Santa Rosa residents already know that extreme heat is a problem—one of the deadliest climate hazards in Sonoma—and are experiencing the impacts right now. Over the last 8 months, the Southwest Santa Rosa HEAT Action Plan has engaged over 1,000 residents through surveys, focus groups, tabling, presentations, and events. This effort is bringing residents to the table to shape how they want to see their community adapt and collect local data that will make the case for change,” said Greenbelt Alliance’s Director of Planning and Research and project lead Sadie Wilson.

The data collected here will show where existing heat pockets aren’t reflected in existing data and will be used in the Southwest Santa Rosa HEAT Action Plan to identify on-the-ground projects, programs, and policies to prepare residents for extreme heat.

Watch the great event recap from ABC7 News and follow along with the progress of the Santa Rosa HEAT Action Plan on santarosaheat.org 🌤️

08/12/2026

The next generation of challenges requires the next generation of leaders who are equipped to tackle the overlapping crises of our century!

From engaging in capacity-building training to doing incredible community outreach, we witness every day the young advocates, workers, students, and changemakers who are making a difference.

From collecting heat data in their own communities, like the Climate Impact Innovators, to learning new skills to implement solutions through the Resilient Roots: Climate Leaders Network, to being out and about at tabling events getting feedback from residents, like our Summer Fellows. There is so much happening on the ground that keeps us hopeful for a change for the better.

On , we celebrate the new wave of changemakers that want to leave their positive mark on the world for now and generations to come!

08/10/2026

The Resilient Roots program–Oakland Shoreline Leadership Training–has officially begun, so it’s time to introduce you to the 22 participants who will be driving change in Oakland! ✨

Over the course of the next 8 months, these community members will be engaging with coastal flooding, nature-based solutions, and shoreline ecology–all key aspects of the Port of Oakland’s Waterfront Resilience Plan. They’ll go on shoreline field trips to get the hands-on experience needed to expand their learning.

By the end of their training, they’ll create capstone projects exploring shoreline adaptation and share their findings with the Port and its partners at the Shoreline Summit in March 2027.

We can’t wait to see how these community members grow and flourish over the course of this program and we hope you’ll follow along to hear about their findings!

08/07/2026

We’re counting down the days till our Hidden Heroes of the Greenbelt end-of-summer bash at Prescott Market!

On September 23, join us to celebrate the incredible achievements of climate champions across the Bay Area with groovy live music from San Francisco-based quartet Radio Veloso, local bites and drinks from Prescott Market’s wide array of vendors, and limited edition merch!

Make sure you sn**ch your early bird tickets and help us raise funds to advance climate resilience in our region: https://bit.ly/hidden-heroes-2026 🐦🎟️

Last days for cheaper tix. Tag a friend who needs to know in the comments!

Plus: special edition rates for youth and seniors!

08/05/2026

Happy work anniversary to our Senior Finance and Grants Manager, Angie Nguyen-Chau! 💞

Over the past two years, Angie has been instrumental in ensuring Greenbelt’s day to day operations run smoothly–from helping staff learn a new payroll system to navigating the intricate details of budgets across multiple projects. She normally works remotely from her home in Virginia, but she recently visited the Bay Area for our annual staff retreat and we felt so lucky to get some quality bonding time!

Angie, every day we’re impressed by your thoughtfulness, problem-solving skills, and eagerness to assist others. Thank you for being such a hardworking member of our team!

07/31/2026

Almost 180 individuals applied to join the Regenerative Jobs Training Program for a cohort of 40, proving that this training addresses a distinct need among community members.

The composting and biochar industries need a skilled and ready workforce, but there are few opportunities for entry-level workers interested in these regenerative fields to get the coaching and guidance they need to pursue careers. Especially for communities that have historically been locked out of environmental and economic opportunities, including low-income, Black, Indigenous, People of Color populations, veterans, and those re-entering the workforce.

The Regenerative Jobs Training Program bridges these gaps through a curriculum drawing on the expertise of workforce development professionals who bring decades of experience and prioritize equity at every stage of the process.

We hope that this will be the first iteration of the program among many and we can continue to show that there are well-paying jobs out there that can also make a positive impact on the world. 🌿🌍

To learn more about the program, head to our website: https://www.greenbelt.org/regenerative-jobs-training-program/

We're proud to work with REAP Climate Center on this project that was funded by All Home through the Bay Area Jobs First Catalyst Program!