Congratulations to Greenbelt Alliance’s very own Board President John Chapman on receiving Sustainable Contra Costa‘s Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is a testament to John’s dedication to sustainability and his efforts toward making the Bay Area an even better place to live. Cheers to you, John!
From Sustainable Contra Costa’s profile on John:
For the past 25 years, John Chapman has played a key role in conserving our open space and the quality of life in Contra Costa. In the 1990’s, John led a coalition to oppose the sprawling Dougherty Valley development. He was instrumental in conserving Cowell Ranch, which will be enjoyed for generations as the new John Marsh State Park. John successfully fought a toll freeway around the eastern side of Mt. Diablo. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Greenbelt Alliance since 2010, leading that organization’s efforts to protect open spaces and create vibrant cities in Contra Costa.
Long before the local food movement was popular, John understood the importance of Contra Costa farms. In the 1990’s, he worked closely with the City of Brentwood and local farmers to raise over $12 million dollars that has been used to permanently protect family farms in East Contra Costa County. While serving on the boards of the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust and the Richmond Community Foundation, John created a collaboration of the two, the Richmond Farm 2 Table CSA, This group brings fresh fruits and vegetables directly from Contra Costa farmers to Richmond residents, with full-price paying members reduced-cost boxes for low-income families
John has worked passionately on Contra Costa smart growth and in-fill development projects, including the award-winning Contra Costa Centre Transit Village. During his 15 years on the East Bay Community Foundation’s board, the foundation made approximately half a billion dollars of grants, one-third of which went to Contra Costa groups. While Board Chairman, he founded the Livable Communities Initiative, which works to build environmentally, economically, and socially healthy urban communities through grant-making and consensus-building. John went on to co-found the Great Communities Collaborative, which is working closely with local communities to create smart growth development plans in Pittsburg, Antioch and at the Concord Naval Weapons Station.
