About Us

Contact us

Telephone: (925) 631-0597.

Email: info@cccclimateleaders.org.

The Foundation

Since 1990, Generation Green (a 501c3) has sought to inform and encourage environmental action in CCC. The mission of Generation Green is to educate and inspire local residents and stakeholders in Contra Costa County to Reduce Our Impact on the Earth, to Reuse Our Materials, to Respect Our Planet and to empower citizens to implement sustainable actions to reduce our carbon footprint.

In 2007, Generation Green launched the Contra Costa County Climate Leaders Program. 4CL’s first action was a collaboration with ICLEI, to get cities to sign the US Mayors Climate Protection agreement and take up the ICLEI five step process to reduce GHGs.

Acting as executive director, former Moraga Mayor Lynda Deschambault provides project oversight. Funding is provided from corporate donations and grants.

The Project

The mission of the Contra Costa County Climate Leaders Program (4CL) is to help cities take action and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in Contra Costa County (CCC). To facilitate regional action, we monitor activities, provide free resources and tools and a multimedia communications strategy that ensures best practices are shared and implemented. Joined by elected officials, paid staff, volunteer advocates and grassroots organizations, we are ALL climate leaders in CCC.

The Purpose

The 19 cities in CCC are some of the fastest growing areas in the Bay Area. It is critical that CCC utilize smart growth opportunities and cities share best practices for many reasons:

The County’s emission rate in tons/person is the highest of all the Bay Area counties.

  • The population is significant in size (1 million as compared to Alameda’s 1.4 million).
  • The growth rate of CCC (8%) is much higher than the other counties and higher than California as a whole (6%).

With the passage of AB32 and SB375 these numbers become significant, and our organization becomes even more important in achieving regional goals.

The Benefits

There are no dues or fees or to use the tools and resources provided. We are all volunteers working for the same cause: to reduce GHG emissions in our cities. We provide the following:

Collaboration opportunities to share best practices

To sign up, please email info@cccclimateleaders.org.

Board Members

Lynda Deschambault, President & Co-founder

(925) 631-0597

Co-Founder of Generation Green, Lynda holds a dual degree in Chemistry/Soil Science, and an M.B.A. in Management/Marketing. She has more than 17 years in the environmental laboratory business, and 4 years as a private business consultant. Lynda then went to work as an Environmental Scientist performing inspections for five years, and settled enforcement cases under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Programs. She also spent several years as a project manager for cleaning up contaminated sites in California. Lynda often focused her efforts on working with schools, tribes and environmental justice communities. Sje participated in two overseas activities in African third world countries with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). Lynda established EPA Region 9’s first Green Cities Program. Lynda Founded the Contra Costa County Climate Leaders (4CL) Program in 2007, providing outreach tools and assistance to local government decision makers to address climate change. During the past five years, Lynda served as an elected official to the Town of Moraga for four years, and held the position of Mayor in 2008. In her spare time, she likes to garden, study herbology, scuba dive and walk her Siberian huskies!

R.C. Ferris aka The Dumpster Diva, Vice President & Co-Founder

(925) 671-7508

Co-Founder of Generation Green, R.C. (also known as the Dumpster Diva) is a recycled artist and the materials coordinator for our Dumpster Diversion Project! She creates many new and unique craft items, and gathers the materials for educational workshops. RC also coordinates the exchange for reuse of materials with various artists, schools and other re-use organizations in the Bay area. The Dumpster Diva, won the 1999 Earth Day award from Region IX’s USEPA for her contributions as an environmental educator. The agency also featured her fabulous “trashy fashion show”: outfits, made from reused materials at a ReUse Extravaganza featuring more than 20 reuse artists with products made from found or discarded objects. RC worked for the Contra Costa Library for 25 years as a Library Assistant and has provided numerous reuse activities for all ages at various library events. R.C. served as the Recycling Assistant for the City of Antioch, responsible for implementing recycling programs in schools and at large public events. She has participated (and won awards) at East Bay’s annual “Trash to Treasures” contest, assisted in the design of an award winning population display for the lobby of Walnut Creek’s Center for the arts, co-organized an environmental leadership weekend retreat for teenagers, and worked on the Contra Costa Earth Day steering committee. R.C. currently works as a recycling coordinator for Allied Waste in Pacheco and also serves on the board of the Martinez Arts Association.

Sheila Hill, Director

(925) 890-1824

Is a Founding Member of Sustainable Contra Costa (SCOCO) and a true Bay Area native, having lived, worked and played here her whole life. She is a Contra Costa County Master Gardener and most recently served as the Development Manager at the Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek, where she enjoyed volunteering and then working for many years to cultivate environmental awareness with children as well as fundraising to support those important programs. Sheila works with students, parents, teachers and administrators countywide to support and promote sustainability on their campuses and in their communities through her Sustainable Schools program. Collaborating with other local nonprofit organizations has always been a priority and current projects include working with Wellness City Challenge to improve the food in schools – while incorporating other facets of sustainability such as waste reduction, green cleaning, and schools gardens.

Melissa Christie, Director

(925) 849-6431

Melissa Christie spent the majority of her youth in Carson City, Nevada running, mountain biking, horse riding and hiking in the vast open space surrounding her small town. Melissa graduated with a BS in Geography & GIS studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has worked for the National Park Service, US Geological Survey, Washoe County, NV and HJW Geospatial, Now Photo Science, as a Mapping Specialist. She is happy to be involved with all things outdoors and takes every opportunity to re-use & re-purpose items in her daily life. Owner and co-founder of Christies for Kids consignment store, she strongly believes we can keep most things out of landfills if we: share, think of creative ways to reuse/repurpose materials…and donate to facilities that distribute to people in need.

Anne Paula Baker, Director

(925) 487-4056

Anne Baker hails from Contra Costa County. After years of living in Washington state and partaking in various community and environmental endeavors, she is pleased return to her native homeland and to be a board member of Generation Green. Making a difference in the place she was raised is a top priority and she is grateful that such a powerful and inspiring organization exists that she can pour her passions into. Favorite projects she’s been involved in include creating and assisting in the operation of the Baker Bus, a community supported transportation system to Mt. Baker Ski Area, and dreaming of and developing Glacier Creations, an artist cooperative nearing its third year of existence. Currently she is sales manager and customer service coordinator for Living Tree Community Foods in Berkeley.