The story of Project Green begins several years ago when Gina Johnston, an Eldorado Hills native had the dream to bring sustainable gardens to all of the local district schools. She started slowly with one elementary school and a lunch time program and then when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she realized just how important the garden was to the mental health of the students she could no longer work with.

After applying for a grant from El Dorado Hills Endowment, an El Dorado Community Foundation fund, she found herself in the unique situation of being asked to turn this lunch time garden program into a much larger non-profit that would benefit the entire community.

With the help of the EDCF and their 501(c)3 umbrella, Project Green was formed.