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Seasons Greetings! This holiday season Bay Area Green Tours wants to thank all our supporters, including you! We are grateful for your efforts, passi
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 Students from SF Art Institute at Sunol Ag Park |
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 Skyline High School |
This holiday season Bay Area Green Tours wants to thank all our supporters, including you! We are grateful for your efforts, passion and contributions towards building a more sustainable future. As the new year approaches, we want to share with you some of the successes you’ve made possible in 2015. |
 Culinary Program at Laney College |
We led youth from around the Bay Area on experiential field trips, partnering with organizations such as Y-Plan and A/C Transit to co-create activities to complement the classroom curriculum. Students learned about green jobs, urban planning, educational paths, and sustainable careers to which they can aspire. The youth of today are the key to a sustainable tomorrow – and we show them the future! |
 Check out information on the Watersong Summit below! |
We've spread the word about sustainability as a representative or speaker at events such as: Farm to Fork SF, Green Festival, National Heirloom Exposition, Blue Sky Festival and Building Resilient Communities Convergence. We are currently partnering to produce the Watersong Summit (info. below). These outreach efforts are vital in building key community relationships and raising awareness.
Participation in these events comes at a cost. In order for us to continue to actively and effectively participate, we need additional support. Are you able to sponsor or contribute towards our participation in the upcoming Eco Farm Conference? The cost is $740, but our representation as a leader in sustainable agri-tourism, priceless! |
We partnered with Youth Impact Hub Oakland to fund a series of social entrepreneurship tours for underrepresented youth. Our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign raised $6,600 to support these future community leaders, enabling them to visit local models of social entrepreneurship and learn from the experts. |
 Colonel Armstrong Home next to Armstrong Redwood Natural Reserve, Sonoma County |
We've hosted urban and rural farm tours exposing participants of all ages to sustainable agriculture, and began renting out Sabor Mexicano Retreat, Event Center and Organic Farm where a portion of the rental proceeds support our work! Sabor has hosted writing, corporate and non-profit retreats, a family Thanksgiving reunion, private getaways and special celebrations. We've also stared working with Forest View Apple Ranch to support our mission and connect people to the land. |
 The Living Wall San Francisco |
We've spent countless hours researching to keep up to date on all topics related to sustainability and have created a huge database of resources and contacts, mostly with the aid of our fabulous volunteers and interns! BAGT continues to develop our relationships with a variety of farms in Brentwood, the San Mateo Coast, Sonoma and Marin Counties. We've also cultivated a crop of knowledgeable local guides who are experts in their geographic and interest areas. |
 Some of the BAGT Team, a family of interns and volunteers |
We’ve hosted dedicated interns from Germany, Thailand, Argentina, Congo and France, as well as local volunteers of all ages, creating a truly diverse network of loyal supporters that has spread around the world. Their hands on experience with innovative change makers fosters newfound inspiration and knowledge they bring back to their home base. This furthers our mission to be a conduit to sustainable solutions for the future, not only in the Bay Area, but around the world |
 Green Academy Students |
2015 was a great year, and you can help us make 2016 even better! Will you show your commitment to Bay Area Green Tours’ work by making a donation today? Any dollar amount will help! Donations are easy to make, tax-deductible, and can be given one-time or monthly. Recurring donations at any price are a wonderful way to bolster our programs in a meaningful way!
We appreciate all your support over the past seven years, and hope that you’ll consider making a gift now. Bay Area Green Tours has always been about inspiring and empowering our community. Thank you for being a part of that movement!
With gratitude,
Marissa LaMagna |
▪ Donate online to Keep Field Trips Alive!
▪ Send a check to: BAGT, 221 29th Street, Oakland, CA 94611
▪ Become a sponsor: contact info@bayareagreentours.org
▪ Refer us to teachers preparing their students for a sustainable future
▪ Book Sabor Mexicano Farm or Forest View Apple Ranch
▪ Install solar through Sungevity - $1,000 credit for you; $1,000 donation to BAGT
▪ Organize a tour with your friends, family or colleagues
▪ Do you work for a company that donates to 1% for the Planet? Let us know!
▪ Contact us to discuss bequests, gifts of stock, and other methods of financial support
▪ No money? No problem. Spread the word. Follow and Like us simply by clicking on the below icons
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Make a COMPANY DONATION through BENEVITY
Workplace Giving: As part of the growing movement in conscious capitalism and corporate social responsibility initiatives, more and more companies are donating to local non-profits or offering to match employee donations. We’ve partnered with Benevity to make this process even easier. Check with your company’s HR department to see if they participate in a giving program through Benevity or another platform.This new year, make BAGT the chosen cause for your workplace giving program, and your gift could easily be doubled! All donations are tax deductible. |
Save the Date! Sunday, January 17th
Impact Hub Oakland
2323 Broadway, Oakland
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
FREE Tour: West Oakland Musical Water Wander
6:30 am - 9:00 pm
Watersong Summit: Impact Hub Oakland
$20.00 |
Winter is definitely here and it’s easy to be excited about the predicted amount of rain coming our way (knock on wood!). We’ve been doing what we can to conserve this precious element, including facilitating discussions about water issues in our community. The upcoming Watersong Summit is part of that effort. On January 17th, we’ll join together for an inspiring day of music, food, tours, and discussions about water use and new ways of managing our water in the 21st century. |
Tour Schedule (Check for updates)
11:00 am The day begins with a free walking tour leaving from Soundwave Music Studio. Led by a New Orleans style second line-band, Global Street Dance Masquerade, our tour will be a festive march incorporating diverse and informative stops.
11:30 am-1:00 pm American Steel Studios for a demo of their rainwater catchment system by Groundation Station (also home to Burning Man artists)
1:30-3:30 pm O2AA Artisan Aggregate for a delicious lunch of chili, cornbread and salad, followed by a tour of Oakland's largest aquaponics system
4:00-4:30 pm Afrika Town Community Garden for a hands-on workshop on drip irrigation and other creative water systems, hosted by former inmate-turned-entrepreneur Anthony Forrest who currently works to secure donations for Planting Justice, an Oakland-based organization that gave him a job when he got out of prison.
5:00-6:30 pm The tour will end at Two Mile Wines where we’ll learn about the fermentation and distillation of hyper-local products. There will be wine, cider and cocktails for purchase from several local and sustainable beverage producers (provided by Tin Roof Drink Community). |
The day extends to The Watersong Summit at Oakland Impact Hub, featuring an evening of music, exhibits and demonstrations including an interactive and educational art exhibit by UC Davis students.
Engaging panels will explore pertinent issues such as: water's relationship to climate change in California, the intimate link between water and food production, and comparing and contrasting current water conservation and solar energy policies and practices. |
Watersong is a part of the Sustainability Element Series and is co-produced by Bay Area Green Tours, Songline and DIG Cooperative. Its mission is to connect community members, local businesses, social impact organizations, artists, policy makers, scientists and YOU around our relationship with the water cycle. Watersong is a collaboratively designed experience to foster awareness, build connections and motivate water-conscious consumption. We hope that you’ll attend this special and inspiring day, joining with leaders in the fields of sustainable water management and infrastructure to start building a more water resilient future!
Information and Tickets
Exhibitor Info and Sponsorship Opportunities
Volunteering |
 Tour Guide Marley Benshalom sharing info. about an urban farm | |  Skyline Green Academy students viewing pools of carp | |  Largest aguaponics facility in Oakland, at 02AA |
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Food for Thought Tour for Oakland's Skyline High School
We were pleased to escort the Green Academy from Skyline High School to Laney College for a hands-on experience at the student-run Mindful Garden Collective, where students learned how these resources contribute to a more vibrant and healthy community, and how our food travels from seed to package. Our fabulous new tour guide Marley Benshalom was one of the co-creators of this beautiful and productive garden, located on the Lake Merritt canal. The space is used for producing affordable organic food, school projects, and an outdoor classroom hosting experiential lectures. Laney students are currently building bee boxes and a chicken coop, as well as hosting weekly workshops focusing on soil health, meditation, yoga and nutrition.
Green Academy students next met with the chefs at Laney’s Baking and Culinary Kitchen. Our last stop was Acta Non Verba in East Oakland where young people from the neighborhood run a small farm and are empowered through this program to excel at future endeavors, academically and otherwise.
Throughout the day participating Skyline students learned about how to get involved in the local urban garden and farming scene in their neighborhoods, while engaging in thought-provoking discussions about cultivating a diet that makes sense for both their bodies and their lifestyles. |
 Laney College Culinary Program | |  Students at O2AA Garden | |  Learning how soil is created |
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 View from Sabor Mexicano Farm House | | | |  Sabor Mexicano in the Winter is Quite Beautiful |
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Off-season Rates through March!
Looking for a location for your next retreat or getaway? Sabor Mexicano Retreat, Event Center and Organic Farm in beautiful Guerneville (Sonoma County) offers a unique farm stay opportunity for weekends, reunions, weddings, birthday celebrations, retreats and more. Located only 1.5 hours from San Francisco, it has plenty of space (sleeps up to 18!) and modern amenities in an idyllic and historic setting. A bonus of renting the farm is that you get to feel good about supporting Bay Area Green Tours since our nonprofit receives a portion of each rental fee!
January- March Discounted Rates
Monday-Thursday $840/night (30% off)
Friday-Sunday $975/night (25% off)
For more info. please check out our VRBO page!
During the winter months, Sabor Mexicano is the perfect location for company retreats where your group can come together for fun and team building in an inspiring and peaceful place. We have received rave reviews from a variety of wonderful organizations who have loved their time at Sabor Mexicano. They include: The Sustainable Economies Law Center, Oakland Impact HUB, CoFED, Whole Foods Leadership Teams, Alt School, Darby Smart, Argonaut Cycles, and UC Davis' Chicano/Chicana Studies Department which booked the property for a writing retreat. Your organization or workplace could be next! |
 The Great Room at Sabor Mexicano Farm | |  The Great Room | |  Living Room- Sleeps 4-5 |
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BAGT can also arrange for tours of the area and there’s a variety of fun activities available on and off the farm in this vacation wonderland!
Also check out our Field to Forest Page to learn more about Forest View Apple Ranch for apple pressing opportunities and outdoor celebrations! |
 Forest View Apple Ranch's unique Stump House on top of a redwood stump! | |  Check out our Field to Forest collaboration with Armstrong Redwoods | |  Owner Fred apple pressing at Forest View Apple Ranch |
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 Fearless Fred |
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank one of our star volunteers, Fred Lee, who just celebrated his one year anniversary with our organization. Fred is our I.T. consultant, providing support and training in website maintenance, Excel and Salesforce. He has over 15 years of experience in IT support and enterprise-wide systems programming with companies like GE and IBM. His primary position is at U.C. Berkeley as the Faculty Tech Support Analyst in the College of Environmental Design. Fred wanted to better utilize his down-time so decided to lend his skills to help a non-profit organization whose mission he supports. He found BAGT on Volunteermatch.com and has been with us ever since. A million thanks for all your hard work and dedication, Fred!
Consider Interning or Volunteering for BAGT
If you’re looking for a way to get more involved with our efforts, volunteers and interns are always treasured and supported at BAGT. We especially need people with fundraising experience, as well as administrative volunteers who can help us with filing and data entry of tour stops. Our volunteers and interns are able to build their resumes, improve their research and communication skills, make valuable contacts at innovative and pioneering green businesses, and get hands on experience furthering our mission of educating people about sustainability. Hours and location are flexible, and we are happy to write a letter of professional reference, based on performance, and also to enable students to receive credit for their work.If you would like to learn more about these opportunities, please get in touch by emailing -- we’ll find the right role for you and warmly welcome you to our stellar team! |
Wishing You All the Joy of the Season! |
BAGT is a labor or love that runs on curiosity and the generosity of our amazing team of interns and volunteers. There are so many ways for you to show your support for us -- we hope you’ll consider renewing your contribution for the new year, whether by volunteering, spreading the word about our offerings, or giving in any way you can.
With deepest gratitude,
Marissa LaMagna |
Bay Area Green Tours Mission
Bay Area Green Tours 501(c)3 provides educational tours and events that demonstrate the sustainable economy in action, inspire support of local green businesses, and empower people to incorporate environmental responsibility and social justice into their personal and professional lives. |
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