Blueprint for the Future

BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTURE GALA

Thursday, September 26, 2024, 6 p.m.

The Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco

Greenbelt Alliance is Celebrating People and Nature!

This year is shaping up to be an incredibly opportune moment for conservation, climate adaptation, and housing initiatives across the Bay Area. We have a bold 5-year vision for bringing people together to build a future where communities and nature don’t merely survive but thrive. This event is a great way to ignite our network’s passion for environmental protection and equity, while celebrating our love for the Bay Area that we all cherish and proudly call home.

We are counting on our supporters to help us raise $325,000 to educate, advocate, and collaborate to ensure the Bay Area’s lands and communities are resilient to a changing climate.

We hope you will consider supporting this special event and invite your friends and family to join you for our celebration. Thank you for helping create a more climate-resilient Bay Area.

The event includes a reception in the greenhouse and conservatory gardens, lively entertainment, an elegant dinner catered by 49 Square in the Orchid Pavilion, and an opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind live auction experiences around the region.

The funds that we raise this year will go towards increasing our scope and capacity to tackle head-on some of the region’s most crucial challenges, including local solutions for sea-level rise, wildfire, drought, and flood protection, as well as how the Bay Area can embrace climate-smart growth.

Our Resilience Rockstar: Thriving Communities Award Honoree

We are thrilled to honor Craig Hartman, FAIA as this year’s Resilience Rockstar! A passionate advocate for a sustainable Bay Area, Craig’s contributions to our local built environment are both visionary and impactful. As an architect and, for 30 years, Design Partner for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s West Coast practice, his work stands out for its environmentally sustainable designs. His innovative work has earned him two U.S. patents for sustainable systems, over 250 awards for design and innovation, and eleven National AIA Honor Awards.

At Greenbelt Alliance, we strive to activate environmentalists as advocates for housing as a climate solution while mobilizing housing actors to support new homes in the right places. Craig’s innovative work across the region exemplifies how built environments can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks, and environmental impacts

blueprint for the future EVENT hIGHLIGHTS

About the Caterer

49 Square Catering

As a female-led catering company, 49 Square is proud to serve the entire Bay Area. With their talented team of dedicated event staff, chefs & planners, they provide memorable catering experiences using local, sustainable ingredients. Each menu is customized, and seasonally sourced, helping to support local farmers and giving back to our communities.

About the Auctioneer

Ellen Toscano

After graduating with a BFA in drama and music from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Ellen Toscano performed for 10 years in the world’s longest running musical review, San Francisco’s “Beach Blanket Babylon.” Upon leaving “Beach Blanket Babylon,” Ellen began her work as a fundraising consultant, charity auctioneer and emcee in 2016 combining her two greatest passions: performing and helping others. Known as “The Singing Auctioneer,” she’s been known to bust out a song or two during an event. Follow Ellen on Facebook or Instagram @thesingingauctioneer.

About the Band

Bay Area Jazz & Soul

With over 15 years of experience, Bay Area Jazz & Soul has established themselves as one of the top-rated jazz bands in the Bay Area. They have performed at prestigious venues such as Rockefeller Center in NYC and NPR Tiny Desk Concert in DC. From smooth jazz melodies to energetic dance tunes, their talented musicians know how to get the crowd moving and grooving.

FUND-A-FUTURE & LIVE AUCTION

We are thrilled to announce that we have four exciting prizes available at the live auction this year! Raise your bid card to benefit Greenbelt Alliance’s work to educate, advocate, and collaborate to ensure the Bay Area’s lands and communities are resilient to a changing climate.

Frog Hollow Farm Private Orchard Tour and Dinner

Frog Hollow Farm is a thriving 242-acre organic farm located in Brentwood. Farmer Al Courchesne will lead you and 9 of your friends on a private tour of the orchard, followed by a dinner prepared with ingredients from the farm by his wife, Chef Becky Courchesne.

Oliver Ranch Tour

Located in the heart of Sonoma County, the Oliver Ranch is home to 18 remarkable site-specific art installations. This one-of-a-kind tour is only available through nonprofit organizations, such as Greenbelt Alliance. Includes up to 10 guests.

Sailboat Excursion on the Bay

Enjoy a gourmet lunch and drinks while you and 9 of your friends sail on the San Francisco Bay and take in the magnificence of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, Angel Island, and Tiburon on a classic 60 foot, 1964 wood racing boat.

Hog Island Oyster Tour & Lunch

Learn all about oysters, how Hog Island farms them, the marine environment in which they grow, and how to shuck and taste an oyster. After the tour, enjoy lunch at the Boat Oyster Bar. Includes up to 4 guests.

Thank You to Our Host Commitee

Lead Sponsor

Anonymous

Climate Advocate Sponsors

Elliot Evers

Community Collaboration Sponsors

Linda Jo Fitz
Kat Taylor
Laney & Pasha Thornton

Natural Lands Sponsors

John and Jean Brennan
Marcia Jensen and Leo Cunningham
Patricia Dinner
David and Ginny Freeman

To thank you for your sponsorship, we’ve teamed up with Bay Area wineries and farms to bring you a special monthly gift from the greenbelt, and to help support local agriculture. We want to ensure the region’s farms, ranches, and small family businesses continue to thrive.