The Urban Corps of San Diego County is a certified local conservation corps and charter school whose mission is to provide young adults with a high school education combined with job training and community service in the fields of conservation and recycling, which will assist youth in becoming more employable while protecting San Diego’s natural resources and instilling the importance of community service.
Urban Corps’ latest pledge to fulfilling San Diego’s youth, green job training and educational needs is the new Recycling Education & Community Outreach (ECO) Center - the first of its kind in California. The ECO Center serves as a sustainability hub and training ground for corpsmembers and the citizens of San Diego County. Housed in a green, LEED certified building, the center focuses on educating and demonstrating sustainable technologies including: how recycling and conservation preserves resources, reduces pollution, prevents waste from entering landfills, and employs youth. The center includes a variety of sustainable features. Solar tubes to capture natural light from the rooftop & channel it to the offices so lights are rarely needed. When lights are on, motion sensors detect inactivity & turn off. Windows open providing fresh air to minimize the use of AC. A tankless water heater saves energy by heating water on-demand. Finally, recycling sorting conveyor belt is in place to train Corpsmembers in conducting recycling audits.
Take a Tour
The Recycling ECO Center supports the overall Urban Corps Recycling Program, which is the second largest amongst local conservation corps in the state. Urban Corps provides vast collections and stadium services as well as operates a Buyback Center at Qualcomm Stadium in addition to the on-campus ECO Center, where youth corpsmembers work hands-on in recycling. Tours of the ECO Center are available to the public and groups are invited to learn about the recycling process, participate in a trash audits and take a tour of the rooftop garden and other green building features on campus including the car wash featuring water reclamation technology. Scouts, community members, and local students tour the ECO Center regularly to learn how to create their own recycling programs and discover other sustainable living practices.
Thank you for taking our Brownie Troop on a tour of Urban Corps. The girls especially enjoyed the rooftop garden and making the bottle gardens. Both the girls and the parents learned a lot about what can and cannot be recycled. I especially enjoyed having the students as our guides. Thank you very much!
Ellen Pratt, Brownie Troop 8205
Rooftop Garden
A key feature of the Recycling ECO Center is the Rooftop Garden. The garden features an “edible wall” grown by Corpsmembers, as well as drought-tolerant xeriscaping, native plants, and living walls created through Woolley Pocket planters made from recycled plastic. The Rooftop Garden is a hands-on learning space for urban gardening and water-efficient landscaping where corpsmembers, students, and community members have the opportunity to learn about water conservation, healthy eating, and growing their own food in an urban environment. A rainwater capture system, composting & vermiposting support the garden.
The Recycling ECO Center was funded by California State Assembly Bill 3056, the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego, The City of San Diego Community Development Block Grants Program, Prop 84, and Bank of America. The Rooftop Garden was made possible by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Diego, Bank of America, The Sempra Energy Foundation, CalFire, GreenScaped Buildings and the Woolley Pocket Garden Co. School Garden Program.
