ABOUT
The Alta Vista Community Sustainability Group (AVCSG) was formed on April 26, 2025, with a Community Pop-Up celebrating Texas Native Wildflower Day. That first event set the tone for our work, featuring a teaching garden tour, native plant resources, children’s activities, a seed giveaway, and a tree giveaway in partnership with San Antonio Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry. Since then, AVCSG has grown into a neighborhood-based organization focused on strengthening community resilience through sustainability. In June 2025, AVCSG formally became a Climate Ready Neighborhood “POD” with the City of San Antonio’s Office of Sustainability and was awarded a Climate Ready Neighborhood POD grant in August 2025.
Climate Ready Neighborhoods is a collaborative initiative of the City of San Antonio’s Office of Sustainability and the Impact Guild. The program connects trusted community groups, called Neighborhood PODs, with climate-resilience information, training, resources, and funding. AVCSG participates in this network as a Communications POD, which means our role is to share information, connect neighbors, and create accessible pathways to climate-related education and resources.
As a Communications POD, AVCSG focuses on community- and equity-based programming, including workshops on climate sustainability practices, urban homesteading, and city services. We create and distribute a neighborhood newsletter that shares events, opportunities, and resources, and we are building a Community Connector network so neighbors can connect with one another through direct, person-to-person outreach. These efforts prioritize communication that is local, inclusive, and grounded in trust.
While AVCSG operates within the Climate Ready Neighborhood framework, we identify ourselves as a community sustainability group because our work extends beyond a single program structure. AVCSG existed before becoming a POD, and the POD framework provides tools, guidance, and support without limiting our growth. Community sustainability reflects the foundation of our identity: climate readiness paired with community resilience, developed through local action and long-term relationships.
Our work is rooted in Alta Vista, the neighborhood where AVCSG formed and where our efforts are most focused. At the same time, we recognize that communities are interconnected. We actively collaborate with neighboring areas, especially Beacon Hill, where partnerships and shared resources already exist. Our approach is hyper-local, grounded in place, and responsive to the needs of the people who live here.
Community sustainability means building a strong, connected neighborhood that can thrive within the resources available to it. By reinforcing relationships, sharing knowledge, and supporting local initiatives, communities are better prepared to respond to climate impacts and broader social or economic challenges. Sustainability, for us, is not a single outcome but an ongoing process of caring for people, place, and shared resources.
AVCSG’s work includes community engagement and outreach through newsletters, social media, and our website; in-person meetings, gatherings, workshops, and events such as potlucks and swaps; and a neighborhood Food Sharing Network where food, plants, compost, and gardening supplies can be shared or traded. Our projects include micro-gardens with native and edible plants, pollinator support, green space use, and future community garden development.
We are currently in an early implementation phase and operate through project-based efforts. Sustainability is a long-term goal achieved by completing many small, practical projects that address environmental, social, and economic needs in our neighborhood. Like many grassroots organizations, we face challenges, including limited funding, slow membership growth, and the ongoing work of building strong partnerships. Even so, AVCSG continues to grow through collaboration, experimentation, and community participation.
AVCSG is managed through a horizontal, project-based structure led by a volunteer Planning Team. The Planning Team oversees operations, communications, and project management, with designated lead moderators supporting coordination and conflict resolution as needed. Membership is open to the wider Alta Vista community, including Beacon Hill, and neighbors can engage through meetings, the newsletter, Community Connector roles, and hands-on projects.
At its core, the Alta Vista Community Sustainability Group exists to bring neighbors together, share resources, and build a resilient, connected community through sustainable practices.
