Reading. Writing. Arithmetic. Cauliflower.
Alongside the three Rs, growing minds are learning the ins and outs of growing food at local schools with gardening programs like Explore Ecology.
“I think one of my favorite things to grow with kids is cauliflower, which may sound like one of those vegetables that a lot of times they’ve only been exposed to as something that’s boiled and white and bland mush,” Explore Ecology Garden Program Director Genevieve Schwanbeck said with a laugh.
“But getting to grow it in the garden, it’s like this little baby that they get to check on every so often, because it has its leaves that curl up and cover it,” Schwanbeck told the Sun. “Then by the time it’s ready to cut this big, huge thing—because they have huge leaves—cut those all back and taste this sweet, crunchy cauliflower, they’re like, ‘Oh, … it’s a whole different vegetable.’”
Educators from Explore Ecology lead outdoor gardening sessions at more than 30 elementary and middle schools in Santa Barbara County, including campuses with their own garden spaces in Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and Buellton. While treating each garden as an “outdoor classroom,” Explore Ecology aims to teach children about topics related to planting, cultivating, harvesting, composting, and nutrition.
Schwanbeck originally joined the nonprofit as a garden educator, a role she held for six years. At one point she worked with hundreds of kids a week, she said.
“We are spread over a fair distance,” the Carpinteria resident said, “and we work across several different school districts.”
On average, Explore Ecology serves more than 14,000 students per year through the schools it contracts with. One-year contracts are the most common, Schwanbeck said. When funding gets tight for schools that become unable to renew each year, Explore Ecology doesn’t rule out the possibility of picking things back up in the future.
“Some might have to cut how many hours they have us coming or drop off for a few years altogether,” said Schwanbeck, who named Santa Ynez Valley Charter School as a recent example.
“They had dropped off, I want to say before COVID hit, but they’re wanting us to come back this year,” she said. “Funding things, … in the nonprofit world, we live with uncertainty. But I think as a whole, our program is a bit more stable than perhaps some programs that are built more on grant funding, state or federal, because we have contracts with school districts or individual schools.”
Based in San Luis Obispo County, One Cool Earth also facilitates gardening programs at schools similar to Explore Ecology’s and serves nearly the same number of campuses: 32.
While most of those schools are elementary, One Cool Earth also hosts programs at a handful of middle and high schools as well, with an overall presence at “more than half of all schools in San Luis Obispo County,” One Cool Earth Grant Manager Greg Ellis told the Sun.
“Our goal is to make school gardens as common as computer labs, libraries, and sports fields,” Ellis said. “Our gardens also make healthy eating fun and engaging as students grow, harvest, and taste their own food.”
The southern end of One Cool Earth’s coverage area includes Oceano Elementary School, Nipomo Elementary School, and Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe. The latter is One Cool Earth’s sole site in Santa Barbara County, but its organizers “would eventually like to expand to Santa Maria,” Ellis said.
Ellis has worked with One Cool Earth in various capacities—including program manager and executive director—since 2008. While overseeing One Cool Earth’s grant funding initiatives, Ellis said the nonprofit has seen “a lot of funding come through federal, state, and county sources to support education,” over the past five years.
“However, most of this funding [has] expired or will by the end of next year, specifically an American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 grant,” Ellis explained. “We will have to make up an additional $80,000 in funding per year when this grant expires, and we’re not sure where that funding will come from.”
While One Cool Earth charges about 40 percent of its programming costs directly to the schools it works with, “we have to fundraise the remaining 60 percent from grants and donations,” Ellis said.
“As a small organization, it takes a lot of staff time to run donation campaigns. We’ve focused on grants because they take relatively little time and return a lot of funding, allowing us to focus our resources in the gardens,” Ellis said. “Because grants are becoming more scarce and competitive, we’re refocusing on our community and asking for support.
“We believe there are many people locally willing to give to support childhood health and learning.”
The monetary donation route isn’t the only way community residents can lend One Cool Earth a helping hand, he added.
“We do need garden materials and supplies, especially tools in good working order, plants, seeds, etc.,” Ellis said.
Gift cards to local hardware stores like Miner’s Ace and Farm Supply, where One Cool Earth organizers shop for most of the nonprofit’s essential program supplies, are also welcome donations.
“We have many volunteer opportunities as well,” Ellis continued, “and are especially looking for consistent volunteers who can assist with maintaining and teaching in school gardens.”
Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 7-17, 2025.