At the Nevin Community Center in Richmond’s Iron Triangle, the Achieve After School Program buzzed with the kind of excitement only curious kids can bring. This year marked the VeggieRx Team’s second Climate Friendly Diet workshop with the group, and they came ready to guide students through big ideas such as sustainable vs. conventional agriculture, pollution, nutrition, and how food choices shape our health, communities, and the planet.
“We wanted to get these ideas ingrained early,” Bailey, VeggieRx Project Manager, explained. “We covered some pretty big topics, but planting that seed now means these concepts will feel familiar as they get older. And we hope it gets them excited about making healthier choices at home too.”
With support from LifeLong resident doctor Dr. Mohammed Rasoully, DO, the workshop turned complex concepts into a youth-friendly, hands-on experience. Definitions were broken down clearly. Visual slides replaced text-heavy lectures. The session was driven by conversation, giving kids the space to ask questions, share ideas, and connect the lessons to their lives.
The workshop explored how communities that source foods locally often have stronger economies and healthier environments because they create jobs, support farmers, and give residents access to more nutritious foods.. Students learned about the environment in Richmond, their own health, and the ways their lives are shaped by local conditions. Richmond faces pollution from factories, cars, and trucks, as well as a lack of trees and gardens. Residents experience higher rates of illness than in other cities, including food-related conditions like diabetes and environment-related conditions like asthma.
The facilitators defined a climate-friendly diet as eating foods that are good for the planet, such as locally grown fruits and vegetables, while consuming less of the things that harm the Earth, like excessive meat or foods that travel long distances. This type of diet supports the physical, economic, and social health of communities, causes less harm to the environment, and focuses on low to zero-waste eating.
One of the most engaging moments came during a demonstration comparing two pumpkins, one grown organically and one conventionally. Using photos and discussion, the team explored pesticides, fertilizers, and water runoff in ways the kids could visualize and understand.
By the time the workshop reached its grand finale, a custom Climate Friendly Diet Jeopardy game, the room was buzzing. Many students remembered lessons from last year, surprising Bailey with how much they had retained. When a 500-point question asked them to name an edible tree in Richmond, one student immediately recalled the purple tree collard, a standout moment that left Bailey grinning.
There were personal moments too: a young girl who proudly answered questions throughout the session, crediting what she had learned from helping in her grandfather’s garden. “She knew all the basics: soil, water, sunlight, fertilizer,” Bailey said. “It was really sweet.”
Holding the workshop at Nevin Community Center is intentional. The Iron Triangle, along with the Santa Fe and Coronado neighborhoods, is part of VeggieRx’s project area, regions identified by the California Strategic Growth Council as some of Richmond’s most pollution-burdened. Bringing climate-conscious nutrition education directly to youth in these neighborhoods supports Urban Tilth’s broader vision.
“A lot of times we do not feel like we have choices based on what is available, money, grocery stores, and environmental conditions,” Bailey shared. “Our hope is to help people, starting with kids, gain more awareness and more autonomy to make healthy decisions.”
As the session wrapped up, with three teams battling for a pumpkin prize and kids excitedly sharing what they learned, the impact was clear. The workshop planted curiosity, confidence, and a deeper sense of connection to their environment.
Urban Tilth’s HEAL Team hopes to bring this workshop to more youth groups and community centers. To invite the team to speak with your students or community group, reach out at veggierx@urbantilth.org.