Who We Are

OneCoolEarth is a registered nonprofit devoted to planting as a means of creating a sustainable planet. Over the years we’ve found that we’re not alone in our devotion–many people are eager to plant but don’t always know how, where or what to plant. Our cities, nations, and planet–now more than ever–need flora to sustain our health, livelihoods and spirit. Locating places in need of trees and gardens, growing our own trees, and activating people to plant them, we’ve discovered our organization’s calling. We now maximize the benefits of tree planting by growing our trees with local students through an interactive educational program. Community members then plant the trees where they best serve the locals–human, animal, insect and plant. Approaching tree planting holistically, we attempt to realized five goals in every one of our projects: Education, Restoration, Beautification, Human Utility, and Economy. . . Find Out More –>

Started as one man’s vision of planting a few oaks, the nonprofit itself has done a lot of growing. We currently help plant over 1000 trees each year with the help of hundreds of volunteers, and both numbers continue to grow. We’re also taking on larger projects and find ourselves in need of financial support. Please contact us if you are interested becoming a co-sponsor.

Check out our Project Archive to read more about our past work in the area, or read on for more on our current projects.

If you’re interested with us volunteering with us or know of a good place to plant, check out our Calendar for weekly meetings and events.

Garden Matchmaking

Last month One Cool Earth launced a local garden networking effort known as Garden Matchmaking.  Garden Matchmaking, in a word, connects people who have and need land and gardening resources.  Garden Matchmaking benefits people who need land, labor, plants, seeds, or tools; and people who have under-utilized land and are unable, for lack of time, know-how,  resources, or physical constraints, to personally begin a garden.  So how can you get involved?  Check out our calendar for upcoming garden installations and matchmaking potlucks.  Also, if you have or need land or gardening resources, read more about the program and fill out our questionnaire to be added to our matchmaking database.

Find Out More –>

Pennington Creek Restoration and Nature Path

Bordering Cuesta Community College on its western edge lies a little-known gem of the campus: Pennington Creek, a live steelhead trout stream. OneCoolEarth is partnering with the college, student organizations, and local environmental and green job groups to restore a portion of the creek bank, creating a nature path including benches and interpretive signs. Once completed, the project will connect the college to a valuable educational resource, as well as provide a living example of sustainable landscaping practices. The project is currently in the planning stages. Please contact us if you are interested becoming a co-sponsor.

Find Out More –>

Whale Rock Reservoir

Lionel and Helper

When you ask a Cal Poly student where his or her tap water comes from, most don’t have a clue. OneCoolEarth has worked for the past several years to connect San Luis with its resources, organizing tree planting and direct seeding of at Whale Rock Reservoir, a water supply for Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and its environs. Acorns and other native seeds are collected from nearby land and raised in our nurseries or planted directly during the rainy season. Over the years, hundreds of people have helped plant hundreds of seeds in the first steps to stabilize erosion and silting of the reservoir. However, many acres remain to be planted, some of which require summer irrigation to get the trees started. Contact us if you are interested in co-sponsoring this project.

** January 2010 Update: PG&E has generously contributed funding towards a goal of planting 500 trees at the reservoir during the next five months and tending them until they become established. Check out our calender for future work dates!

Find Out More –>

Repotting Island Oaks

Tree-Based Learning

Local elementary, high school and university students are taking their future into their own hands–growing trees themselves that will be planted on school grounds or around their community. OneCoolEarth donates materials for small native plant nurseries at local schools, facilitating local seed collection, growing and planting. Alongside running nurseries, schools participate in grade-specific tree presentations and activities that range in topic from ancient and modern uses of native trees and vegetation, to global and local tree issues, to professional plant propagation. Our program culminates with an on-campus planting to improve campus landscapes, shade sports fields, replant dying non-native trees, and buffer noise and pollution of bordering highways from school grounds. Donations go to support and expand our current programs at nearly one dozen San Luis Obispo area schools. Contact us if you are interested in becoming a co-sponsor.

Find Out More –>

One Cool Earth in the News

Feb. 25, 2010 SLO City News. “New Gardens Sprouting Countywide.”

Feb. 10, 2010 Tribune. “Ironworker’s love of trees restores county.”

Jan. 10, 2010 Mustang Daily. ” Students to plant 500 trees.

Garden matchmaking is not a dating service for people. Garden matchmaking is a dating service for gardens.

Weedy backyard, lawn that’s draining you with water bills, the few acres out back that you don’t know what to do with– I’d like to introduce you to my friend–apartment windowsill herb garden, patio overcrowded with container plants threatening to jump out of their pots if you don’t plant them. It’s weed-patch meet pumpkin-patch, its grass meet chard.

Garden matchmaking is not a grassroots movement. Garden matchmaking is a mycelium, roots, tuber and shoots movement for lonely lawns to meet just the right garden.

How garden matchmaking works:

If you a.) have underutilized land in San Luis Obispo or surrounding cities, or b.) are a gardener in need of extra growing space–fill out our questionnaire.  Update: please fill out our questionnaire if you need or can help install gardens in San Luis Obispo County.  OneCoolEarth will compile a database of all interested parties and hand select matches, exchanging information between gardeners and landowners.  The rest–planting, weeding, growing, eating–is no longer up to you–Garden Matchmaking can help bring together people and resources to help out with the difficult parts of gardening.

In addition to tending a database, OneCoolEarth will hold focus potlucks in neighborhoods around San Luis Obispo to bring the local-est of the local in on the movement, advertising the event door to door before hand. If you would like to volunteer to help, conact us.

Garden matchmaking has been tried before here, here, and here. It works!

Scheduled Matchmaking Events (click event for details)

2/20/10 – Garden Matchmaking Potluck

3/7/2010 - Garden Installation/Matchmaking Potluck

3/13/2010 – Garden Matchmaking Potluck

The goals of garden matchmaking are:

To create a sustainable, community based food system

To alleviate the shortage of community garden spaces

To fully enjoy San Luis Obispo’s blessed growing climate

To unite communities

While there are many commendable and soon to be realized efforts to meet the demand for community garden spaces in San Luis Obispo and neighboring cities, including the Meadow Park Community Gardens, the Calle Joaquin City Farm, and the Paso Robles demonstration garden, garden matchmaking offers an immediate solution to the shortage. It does not attempt to undercut or bypass these efforts, but to complement them, working towards their selfsame goals.

Economic instability, climate change, and peak oil are major challenges that we have to face simultaneously and holistically. Victory gardens helped the US meet similar challenges during WWII, and they can help today, too, cutting food miles, reducing carbon emissions, lowering food costs, and liberating our daily needs from the vagaries of an overly complicated, transportation and processing-dependent, just-in-time food system.

We can eat fresh year round! And growing food grows self grows community.

For more information about garden matchmaking or to get involved in the program, contact us.

– Greg

Title: Tree Planting
Location: Whale Rock Reservoir
Link out: Click here
Description: We are continuing our efforts to restore the slopes of Whale Rock Reservoir, which supplies a portion of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly’s water by planting native trees. We will meet at the Cal Poly Admin Parking Lot and carpool to the site. Bring a lunch, personal water bottles, closed toe shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty, and appropriate clothing.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-03-06
End Time: 14:00

Title: Garden Party/Garden Matchmaking
Location: 1560 Hillcrest and Grove
Link out: Click here
Description: We will help Rita install a garden at her new home and enjoy a potluck together. If you are in need of gardening space, or have extra space you are willing to share, come and meet your match! Please bring a dish, eating utensils, gardening utensils and appropriate clothes. If you can contribute any plants, seeds, compost or other materials, please call Greg at 760-382-5164 to coordinate.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-03-07
End Time: 14:00

Title: Tree Planting
Location: Whale Rock Reservoir
Link out: Click here
Description: We are continuing our efforts to restore the slopes of Whale Rock Reservoir, which supplies a portion of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly’s water by planting native trees. We will meet at the Cal Poly Admin Parking Lot and carpool to the site. Bring a lunch, personal water bottles, closed toe shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty, and appropriate clothing.
Start Time: 9:00
Date: 2010-02-28
End Time: 13:00