What does it take to build a sustainable community, ask the experts
When: Jan 28th, 2025
Location: Morgan Hill Library
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Fellow Panelist: City of Morgan Hill Environmental Services, Representative from Silicon Valley Clean Energy, Community Garden Specialist, and a high student involved with the Youth Climate Action Program.
Format: Each panelist will have 5-8 mins to present and then they will open it up to a panel discussion.
See speaker photos and biographies below.
Alrie Middlebrook, California Native Garden Foundation
Alrie Middlebrook cofounded the California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF), and recently retired as Executive Director. She is a committed advocate and practitioner of an eco-literate lifestyle, landscape designer, and a native plant specialist. Under her leadership at CNGF and previously Middlebrook Gardens, Alrie and her team designed over 1,000 native, sustainable gardens in the Bay Area. They provided design grants to almost 100 schools to implement native and edible teaching gardens. She is a spokesperson for the nature-based urban land use movement in San Jose.
She founded the Garden for Ghana Project and traveled nine times to work with schools and the local community to build teaching gardens in Yamoransa, Ghana. She recently helped fund an underserved school’s teaching garden filled with native plants in Delhi, India.
She is interested in the intersection of art, science, agriculture, and eco-literacy as we collectively plan future land use in Santa Clara County. As the Executive Director of CNGF, she started this conversation as the Build 25 initiative in 2017.
Alrie, along with her partner of 33 years, Dr. Barry Slater, are proud of their wonderful blended California family of 7 children and 15 grandchildren.
Juliette Pascual, Community Outreach Specialist, Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Juliette Pascual is the Community Outreach Specialist at Silicon Valley Clean Energy. In her role, she focuses on raising awareness of Silicon Valley Clean Energy’s role as the local community clean energy provider and connecting residents with SVCE resources. She does this by building community relationships, promoting the agency through local community events and sponsorships, and supporting youth engagement initiatives. Juliette initially joined SVCE as a Climate Corps Fellow. Prior to her fellowship, Juliette worked in community engagement at an urban forestry nonprofit. She also was a Peace Corps Education Volunteer in the Philippines from 2019-2020. Juliette graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Conservation & Resource Studies and a minor in Creative Writing.
Here is the link to the SVCE website.
Kirsten Struve, Assistant Officer, Water Supply Division, Valley Water
Kirsten Struve has over 30 years of experience leading water resource management programs. She is currently the Assistant Officer for the Water Supply Division at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, leading water conservation, the purified and recycled water program, drought response, and water supply planning. Previously, Kirsten worked on stormwater management and climate change action planning for Valley Water. Prior to joining Valley Water, Kirsten worked for the Cities of Palo Alto and San Jose on wastewater, stormwater, climate change, wetland restoration, and watershed management programs. Kirsten has a BA in Biology from Knox College and a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale University.
Information on various programs can be found at www.valleywater.org
The Learning Center tab contains information on tours, trainings and youth commission as well as our grants and partnership program.
Go to https://www.valleywater.org/your-water/where-your-water-comes for information on where our water comes from.
Go to https://www.valleywater.org/safe-clean-water-and-natural-flood-protection-program/priority-B for information on our stormwater program and creek clean ups.
Go to www.watersavings.org for all our water conservation programs.
Go to www.cleanacreek.org for information on creek clean up volunteer efforts.
Sofia Ruiz-McGinty
Sofia Ruiz-McGinty is passionate about generating positive change in the world around her through social and environmental justice advocacy. Sofia came into her own as a community organizer starting her freshman year through a local youth-led non-profit, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action Team, for which she is the city of Morgan Hill’s lead. During this time, Sofia has explored her interests in public policy while fighting for the health and the future of her community. She hopes to pursue a career in law or government and be a voice for hope.
For more information about Sofia, go to https://www.svyouthclimateaction.org/
Tanya Carothers, Environmental Services Division (ESD) for the City of Morgan Hill
Tanya Carothers leads the Environmental Services Division (ESD) for the City of Morgan Hill which encompasses programs such as Stormwater (clean local creeks, rivers, and oceans), Water Conservation, Recycling and Composting, Urban Forestry, and Clean Energy. Tanya is the Chair for the Technical Advisory Committee of the Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission (RWRC) of Santa Clara County, is a certified professional in Zero Waste Principles and Practices through the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and is an Alternate on the Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Board of Directors.
For more information about Tanya, go to https://www.morganhill.ca.gov/2204/Climate-Action