Where: 141 Bolinas Road, Fairfax, CA
Hours: Weds-Sat. 12-4pm
Phone: 415-455-9114

The Sustainability Center opened its' doors to the public on SaturdayOctober 6th, 2007. The center is staffed by our Sustainable FairfaxVolunteer Corps and board members.Check our Calendar or call to make sure someone is there before youcome. The center has a Sustainability Help Desk, Reference and ResourceLibrary, Local and Green goods and the Sustainable Backyard.

This is awork in progress. Your suggetions are gladly welcome. Stop by for avisit or join our Volunteer Corps team.

The Center houses a vital program for training volunteers  to staff the Center and lead community action projects that enhance local economies, diverse ecology and connect community.

The Center building was renovated by SFx volunteers in 2001 using green building materials.

The Center  includes:

Demonstration Facility – We use exhibits and visual learning aids to showcase sustainability practices at the Center. We currently have "Where does your water come from?"  and "Where does your Electricity come from?" displays. We also have a Disaster Preparedness disply provided by Fairfax Lumber.

Develop Educational Resources – We provide a reference library, educational materials and online resources, and trained volunteers to answer questions and support a call-in hotline.

Provide Ongoing Classes and Workshops – hold indoor and outdoor educational classes and talks that cover a range of sustainability topics.

Showcase a Retail Shop – sell SFx-logo apparel and green and sustainable products hard to find in the area.We also feature local artist goods. 

Here is a video of our backyard.  More to come!

Our Sustainable Backyard is open to the public. Geoff Hall and Kamala Bennett of Sentient Landscape led a workshop that began in late summer 2006, where we created the foundation for our Sustainable Backyard. Marin Community Foundation and Hal Brown of the Marin County Board of Supervisors provided funding for this project.

Self-guided walking tours will be available soon and we will host film nights in the backyard as well as other best backyard practices classes and workshops.

We are always looking for permaculture enthusiasts to help show off this garden and educate the public.

Join our Docent program.
Contact Pam Hartwell-Herrero.

More photos from the class taken by Michael Dunne at http://photo.archangeles.com/

In 2005, when we began designing our Sustainable Backyard, Fairfax and San Anselmo got hit with the second 100-year flood in 25 years. We believe that climate change is causing extreme weather and raising the sea level, which only means more flooding for us.

What can we do? That is what we asked Geoff Hall and Kamala Bennet of Sentient Design, who were working with us to design a backyard that represented best practices. The said "Water Reclamation" What's that? For us it meant re-guttering our small house with about 600 square foot roof. Then channeling that water into a 1000 gallon tank. And directing the overflow of the tank into our pond and then into two vernal ponds. Our pond is lined and permanent. Our vernal ponds or swales are unlined seasonal water features. Please check the read more section below to learn more about how you can plant a vernal pond.

Since we set up this system we have found that the first rain of the season fills our tank. We actually found that in an average rainfall year we will be routing 15,000 gallons of water. We have had visits from the Town Council, County Board of Supervisors, FEMA and the Dept. of Homeland Security, MMWD, MCSTOPPP, SPAWN, Regenerative Design Institute, and numerous citizens.

Our system not only demonstrates how to help prevent flooding, it also creates unique microclimates, cleans the water before returning it to our creek systems, it helps to recharge our local ground water system, and we have 1000 gallons of water to use during the summer for topping up our pond or emergencies. In permaculture the water mantra is Slow it, Spread it, and Sink it.

Vist our backyard to learn more.

Visit the SPAWN site for more info on rainwater harvesting. 

Early in Sustanable Fairfax's activity, the center was featured in a comic strip by Jeroen and Donna Lapre' of Fairfax...