Join Us in Greening Our Neighborhoods

Where Community Grows Through Gardens

Nestled among San Francisco’s rolling hills, Greening Projects is transforming empty lots and forgotten corners into vibrant community gardens and green spaces—and we need your unique talents to help them flourish.

Greening Projects brings neighbors together to create sustainable green spaces that nourish our environment and community connections. Whether you have years of gardening wisdom or have never planted a seed, there’s a meaningful way for you to contribute that fits your schedule, interests, and skills.

Where Community Grows Through Gardens

Calling All Nature Lovers: Transform Green Spaces with Us!

Turn your passion for the outdoors into positive community action! Join our dedicated team of volunteers making San Francisco more beautiful and sustainable through exciting projects like these:

Bernal Wild—Join the transformation as we restore our beloved Bernal Hill to its natural glory! Help us nurture native plants, support local wildlife, and remove invasive species threatening our ecosystem’s health. Your hands in the soil today mean flourishing hillsides tomorrow!
Tompkins Stairs Garden – This hidden gem needs your creative touch! Join our revitalization efforts to transform this unique stairway garden into a stunning vertical oasis that delights neighbors and visitors alike.
Good Prospect Community Garden Expansion – Help us double the growing space at this vital community resource! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, your contribution will directly increase food access and create more green spaces for our neighbors to enjoy.

Our volunteer community is as diverse as the gardens we tend. Tech professionals balance screen time with soil time. Families plant roots both literally and figuratively. Retirees share their lifetime knowledge with eager learners. Cultural traditions are often expressed through heritage plants. Weekend warriors transform spaces into satisfying bursts of activity.

We’ve crafted specific roles that match different lifestyles and motivations, ensuring your volunteer experience is both rewarding and impactful, tailored to what matters most to you.

Browse our opportunities below to find where you’ll thrive in our gardening community:

Family Garden Ambassador

Role Description: Lead family-friendly planting sessions and coordinate neighborhood beautification efforts. As a Family Garden Ambassador, you’ll help create garden spaces that unite neighbors while teaching children about environmental stewardship.

Responsibilities:

- Host monthly family planting days where parents and children work together
- Coordinate with local schools for educational garden visits
- Help design child-friendly garden areas with educational elements
- Document garden transformations through before/after photography

Benefits:

- Flexible weekend morning schedule to accommodate family commitments
- Opportunity to involve your children in meaningful environmental activities
- Connect with other neighborhood families and strengthen community bonds
- Create beautiful green spaces that enhance your neighborhood’s appeal

Time Commitment: 2-3 hours on Saturday mornings, twice monthly

Garden Innovation Specialist

Role Description: Apply your technical expertise to develop and implement sustainable garden infrastructure. This project-based role focuses on solving specific challenges through innovative approaches.

Responsibilities:

- Design and install water-efficient irrigation systems
- Create digital tools to track garden progress and volunteer impact
- Photograph and document garden development for social media
- Lead occasional workshops on tech-related garden innovations

Benefits:

- Discrete, high-impact projects with clear outcomes
- Opportunities to apply technical skills in a completely different context
- Connect with diverse community members outside the tech bubble
- Develop tangible, physical results that balance your digital work life

Time Commitment: One Saturday per month (4 hours) plus occasional remote support

Garden Wisdom Mentor

Role Description: Share your gardening expertise while mentoring new volunteers. This leadership role values your knowledge and experience while creating meaningful connections across generations.

Responsibilities:

- Lead weekly garden maintenance sessions during weekday mornings
- Establish and maintain a seedling nursery for the community gardens
- Conduct monthly skill-sharing workshops on gardening techniques
- Document and preserve historical gardening practices specific to Bernal Heights

Benefits:

- Regular, predictable schedule that builds community relationships
- Recognition as a valued knowledge keeper for the community
- Opportunity to pass down gardening traditions to younger generations
- Active role in preserving the unique character of Bernal Heights

Time Commitment: 2-3 hours, two weekday mornings per week

Sustainability Coordinator

Role Description: Lead ecological initiatives that enhance the environmental impact of our community gardens. This role combines hands-on garden work with strategic planning and community education.

Responsibilities:

- Develop and implement native plant restoration areas within gardens
- Lead grant writing teams for ecological project funding
- Coordinate community education events on sustainability topics
- Create impact measurements for the environmental benefits of garden projects

Benefits:

- Apply professional environmental knowledge in a community context
- Network with like-minded sustainability professionals
- Build your professional portfolio with tangible project outcomes
- Create meaningful ecological change in your neighborhood

Time Commitment: Flexible 8-10 hours monthly, combination of weekends and evenings

Transformation Team Captain

Role Description: Lead intensive, time-limited garden transformation projects that create dramatic before-and-after results. This high-energy role maximizes the efficient use of volunteer time with a significant visual impact.

Responsibilities:

- Coordinate monthly “Garden Blitz” events with clear start/end times
- Organize teams for focused tasks like mulching, clearing, or heavy installation work
- Ensure all tools and materials are prepared for efficient workflow
- Document transformation results for community celebration

Benefits:

- Scheduled, time-bounded commitments that respect your busy life
- Physical activity that provides stress relief and visible accomplishment
- Opportunity to model community service alongside your teenager
- Leadership role that utilizes your organizational strengths

Time Commitment: 4 hours on one weekend day per month, with minimal preparation

Cultural Garden Liaison

Role Description: This role bridges cultural communities through food and gardening traditions. It helps create inclusive garden spaces celebrating diverse cultural heritage through plants, education, and community events.

Responsibilities:

- Develop heritage garden sections featuring culturally significant plants
- Coordinate quarterly harvest celebrations highlighting different cultures
- Facilitate bilingual garden workshops that welcome Spanish speakers
- Connect local food businesses with garden initiatives for mutual benefit

Benefits:

- Opportunity to preserve and share cultural food traditions
- Create connections between diverse neighborhood communities
- Potential source of specialty ingredients for culinary interests
- Family-friendly activities that pass traditions to the next generation

Time Commitment: Sunday afternoons twice monthly, occasional weekday evenings

Take Root with Us Today

The seeds of community change are waiting for your hands to plant them. Whether you can give a few hours each week or just one morning a month, your contribution will grow into something beautiful for our neighborhood to share.

Take the first step today: Sign up for an orientation session, drop by our Saturday morning welcome hour at Cortland Garden, or complete our volunteer interest form. Within a week, we’ll connect you with the role and garden location that best matches your interests and availability.

Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start—gardens teach us that today’s small actions yield tomorrow’s abundant harvests. Join us in creating green spaces where community, sustainability, and joy flourish together.

Ready to dig in? Contact us at info@greeningprojects.org or call 415-218-5352.

Join Us in Greening Our Neighborhoods