On November 8, we had the privilege of gathering many of our South Bay supporters for an intimate evening to discuss Greenbelt Alliance efforts to fight sprawl development in Solano County.
Our host, Owen Byrd, generously opened his home and treated us to delicious hors d’oeuvres from the incredible Chef Julien of Palo Alto. Owen is a former Greenbelt Alliance Policy Director, and we are incredibly grateful for his continued support. Our guests had a great time mingling in his beautiful home and learning more about our work. Check out the photos of the gathering below:
We feel energized by our conversations and appreciate the chance to connect with our South Bay supporters in person. Our Executive Director, Amanda Brown-Stevens, spoke about Greenbelt Alliance’s long history of fighting to protect the Bay Area from hazardous and unsustainable sprawl development. She emphasized the importance of infill housing and prioritizing development within our existing cities and towns and avoiding paving over the endless environmental benefits of our open spaces.
In an informal Q&A session, Amanda explained the top three ways that all Bay Area residents can get involved to fight this development in Solano County:
- Join our growing community of folks following Greenbelt Alliance for critical updates on the project. You can also take our survey to let us know your top concerns and priorities.
- Spread the word to your friends, family, and neighbors. This proposal will likely hit the ballot in 2024, and we need an educated body of voters to help protect our natural lands.
- Donate! Our supporters’ generosity is crucial for our continued ability to fight against the powerful players leading this project
We are so grateful to have had such an engaged and thoughtful audience, and thanks to their enthusiasm, we are incredibly optimistic about the future of Solano County. We extend our sincerest gratitude to our Board members, Laurel Prevetti and Laney Thornton for making it to the event and working with us to ensure its success. We’re also incredibly thankful for the support of Board members Anu Natarajan, Dee Swanhuyser, and Rosanne Foust.
Looking Forward
We are actively working to build a South Bay Leadership Council full of passionate supporters who are dedicated to the mission of Greenbelt Alliance. Gathering our supporters at the regional level is an excellent opportunity to connect like-minded individuals while advancing our mission of building a climate-resilient Bay Area for all. Establishing new regional leadership councils will help us to hone in on the specific needs and concerns of our unique Bay Area communities. We plan to host this event again next year, so if you are interested in being a champion for the South Bay on climate resilience, please reach out to Deja Perry (dperry@greenbelt.org) to be added to our invitation list.
