At a ceremony last month, public agency StopWaste [1] announced the winners of the 2025 Environmental Leadership Awards, including three organizations leading sustainability efforts in the City of Alameda—Alameda Backyard Growers [2], Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) [3], and OKAPI Reusables [4].
[5]“I am so pleased that these organizations are getting the recognition they deserve,” said City Councilmember Tracy Jensen, who also serves as StopWaste Board president. Jensen presented the Alameda awards. “Our city is a better place to live because of their good work.”
The annual awards program recognizes Alameda County entities for their leadership and innovations in advancing environmental sustainability, waste prevention, and contributions to building healthy, climate-resilient communities in Alameda County.
Alameda Backyard Growers: Excellence in Community Engagement
Alameda Backyard Growers [6] (ABG) is a network of volunteers in the City of Alameda, dedicated to fighting food insecurity by rescuing and redistributing surplus backyard fruit and building community through sharing skills and knowledge about growing food. Started in 2011, ABG’s signature initiative, “Project Pick,” recruits and trains volunteers to glean fruit trees whose owners can’t harvest the excess fruit themselves. The fruit is then donated to the Alameda Food Bank. To date, the project has donated over 79,000 pounds of fresh fruit.
Further strengthening the local food system, ABG donates seeds to the community through six free seed libraries. ABG also offers a wide range of classes, workshops, and events to empower and connect Alameda residents through their shared passion for growing food. Frequent collaborations with partner organizations have resulted in a gleaning guide, food waste prevention campaigns, and other projects.
Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) & OKAPI Reusables: Excellence in Reusable Foodware Partnership
CASA [7](Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda), a grassroots nonprofit in the City of Alameda, and OKAPI Reusables [8], a purpose-driven company offering a reusable take-out cup system, have formed an innovative partnership to reduce single-use cup waste. With deeply rooted connections and trust in the community, CASA is collaborating with OKAPI Reusables to bring visibility to the harm caused by single-use cups and promote reusable cup systems as part of the solution.
Together, they mentored high school students in producing “The Story of the Cup [9],” a short documentary film and call to action, and setting up public screening events. They also started a successful youth-led petition to café owners, with signers pledging to patronize businesses that join the Okapi reusable cup program. To date, CASA and Okapi have onboarded 12 Alameda businesses and gained over 500 new members, preventing an estimated 5,500 single-use cups per year.
Learn more about the awards online [10].