CLIMATE SOLUTIONS HUB

Across the globe, communities are grappling with the need to prepare for and respond to climate change. With the support of the community and local sponsors, our Climate Solutions Hub addresses natural resource protection, waste prevention, and soil health. 

We seek to provide a green space for hands-on education and accessible climate-related tools for all ages and walks of life. Visitors are greeted by a passionate group of staff and volunteers who take action to serve the needs of the greater San Diego community.  Learn more about our on-site programs below!

Programs

Our goal is to empower individuals with the knowledge to lead low-waste lifestyles in the way that is most achievable and sustainable. At Solana Center's Climate Solutions Hub, visitors can experience hands-on education as well as no-cost and low-cost access to sustainable living tools for all ages. Our Climate Solutions Hub hosts programs that encourage zero-waste practices, including a Tool Lending Library, Green Convene (a program that offers a zero-waste alternative to traditional disposable tableware for social gatherings), in-person Green Living Tours of on-site demonstrations, and our Sustainability Shop stocked with supplies to support environmentally friendly practices.

Tool Lending Library

A well-organized shed wall with various gardening and yard tools, including shovels, rakes, hoes, pruners, and loppers, hung and stored on racks and shelves.

Gardens are an important part of healthy, sustainable communities. With more than 150 tools borrowed last year, this local lending program helps to encourage a circular, sharing economy by minimizing cost barriers for those interested in gardening or completing home projects. 

Solana Center's "library" of garden tools are available for community members to borrow for free and includes a variety of tools, from basic garden spades and pruning tools to a post-driver and a long-handled fruit picker.

Green Convene Dishware Loaner Program

Empty white plate with a glass of water, silverware wrapped in a checkered napkin, and scattered orange, yellow, and pink flowers on a burlap tablecloth.

Social gatherings are a central part of a thriving community, but these events tend to result in the unintentional creation of single-use waste. Waste created at these events often cannot be recycled because it is food-soiled or made of non-recyclable material. 

Green Convene is Solana Center’s solution to prevent disposable single-use waste created at gatherings, with 725 place settings rented last year!

Plastic Beach Collection Site

Fresh produce including garlic, cherry tomatoes on the vine, lime, orange, and asparagus wrapped in plastic bags on a white surface.

Thanks to our partner Plastic Beach for making recycling easier for plastic materials that can’t go in the standard blue bin. They work to ensure all of the plastic bags and film are staying in the U.S. and being recycled nearby, keeping the loop traceable and closed.

You must be a subscriber to use the plastic film drop-off. Donate or sign up for a $14 subscription service to drop off your soft plastics at our center in Encinitas (more information HERE) You will receive a reusable collection bag during your first visit, which you can then fill with plastics. Drop off the full bag and pick up an empty one for the next cycle!

Sustainability Shop

Soil temperature gauge with cartoon worm, showing a temperature of about 60°F or 15.5°C, inserted into composted soil.

Our Sustainability Shop offers affordable supplies for composting, cleaning, and diverting food scraps, as well as gift ideas. Check out our rain barrels for capturing water and preventing runoff pollution.

Induction Cooktops Rental

Empty black cast iron skillet on a stovetop surrounded by fresh tomatoes, garlic cloves, a lime, a green apple, a whisk, a pepper grinder, a garlic bulb, a small bowl of peppercorns, a bottle of oil, and a white cloth with black pepper scattered on it.

Induction cooking does not emit fumes, protecting you and your household from dangerous carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and more. It also uses less energy and heats & cools more quickly than either gas and standard electric stoves.

Coming soon, you can rent a cooktop and pick it up at Solana Center.

Residents can reserve to check out a Duxtop 9100mc induction cooktop and a compatible pan. Explore the benefits of reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions with home electrification.

Green Living Tours

People gathering outside the Solana Center building with a

Join us for our a Self-Guided or Docent-Guided Green Living Tour to learn about our programs and how to live more sustainably!  Every small action adds up and creates a big positive impact for tackling our current environmental challenges. This guided one-hour tour of our headquarters in Encinitas explores simple solutions you can implement in your life.

See sustainability in action as you learn how you can make a difference with our demonstrations in:

  • water conservation

  • waste reduction

  • soil health and composting with worms

  • eco demonstration garden

and other innovative, D.I.Y. solutions for achieving everyday sustainability!

Learn and enjoy our outdoor space. Staff and volunteers are available to answer questions. FREE with suggested donation.

Freecycle Shed

Open outdoor storage shed filled with various items including a laundry basket, boxes, and containers, with trees in the background.

All items free to a good home, no donations please.

Stop by for a visit!

Located in North County San Diego, we offer regular on-site events including workshops, bi-monthly Green Living Tours, and hands-on volunteer opportunities. These recurring educational events include opportunities to learn how to fix broken items, how to prevent wasted food, the importance of composting, tips for watershed protection, and more.
We look forward to taking climate action with you! 
137 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024

We're open to the public:

Thursday, Friday & Saturday 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Front view of Solana Center building with open doors, potted plants, and a sign above the entrance displaying the name and website.
A woman wearing a straw hat and an apron giving a lesson about recycling to four children at an outdoor environmental education event. There are recycling bins and informational signs present.

Waste Reduction