Alameda Native History Project at the Laurel Court Community Garden and Nature Reserve

Solar Power for Food, Culture, and Community

At the Laurel Court Community Garden and Nature Reserve in Rodeo, California, neighbors, volunteers, and partner organizations have spent years turning a former abandoned swim club into a 5-acre community food hub, outdoor education space, and ecological restoration site. The property is owned by the Rodeo Citizens Association, which manages the garden. The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District (CCRCD) and California Climate Action Corps fellows have helped plan and build it. Together they have added organic fruits and vegetables, pollinator plants, a greenhouse, sheds, a stage, and a growing list of community programs.

The garden received an 8.3kW Tesla Mobile Powerwall Unit (MPU) solar system with 27kWh of battery storage. The system provides dependable, renewable energy and shows how clean energy can help local communities adapt to a changing climate. Thank you to Tesla for supporting this project. See more photos here.

This October, Asplund Earth Alliance worked in collaboration with Tesla and CCRCD to bring an off-grid solar system to the garden, giving the reserve a source of clean, reliable energy. The solar system will power the Acorn Hub of the Alameda Native History Project, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that documents local history, restores traditional foodways, and offers public education rooted in the original peoples of this region. At the hub, acorns are harvested and processed into acorn flour, which strengthens Indigenous foodways and builds regional capacity. That work supports the project’s broader mission of restoring Native representation through research, mapping, and hands-on education. Solar power can also power lights in the garden and run irrigation, so food can keep growing through dry seasons. Solar can be used to support the St. Vincent de Paul site for clothing and food distribution, and to run sound and movie projection for community events.