Nothing goes to waste
PCJ in the Bay Fellow Stories: Ashley Wong
Everything can be used for a greater purpose. I didn’t realize how deeply that phrase would come to define my internship experience at Valley Verde until the day my mentor, Erik, brought in a bag of lemons from his home garden. At first, it seemed like a simple gesture of sharing fruit with the team, which is a normal occurrence at Valley Verde. Soon, we were removing seeds from the lemons, drying the cores for tea and decorations, and using leftover scraps for compost. Erik even made a delicious marmalade from the rinds. Nothing went to waste. That moment and many others like it throughout this summer have taught me to look for value in unexpected places in the communities we are a part of.
During this fellowship, I learned so much about the field of environmental and food justice, and how to engage with communities in meaningful, respectful ways. Erik introduced me to the composting side of Valley Verde, where participants can drop off their food scraps at the Compost HUB and receive fresh compost in return. The composting program also offers workshops that teach participants how to compost at home either with a traditional bin or a worm compost bin. I also helped organize the distribution of air purifiers, provided in partnership with the Bay Area Quality Management District, to participants living in specific San Jose zip codes.
One of the most surprising lessons was how hands-on, community-driven work can feel deeply personal while still contributing to a larger system. Whether I was feeding and watering the vermicompost bins or handing out air purifiers, every task served a broader purpose. I became more aware of the invisible challenges that people face in their daily lives.
One woman who picked up two air purifiers shared that she had nine cats and children with asthma. Clean air was a necessity. She also expressed interest in growing herbs since Valley Verde provides garden plots of various sizes based on household needs. That interaction stuck with me because it was a clear reminder that access to healthier food and cleaner air shouldn’t be a luxury. Grants that fund free resources like air purifiers and garden spaces help make that access more equitable.
On a volunteer day, about 50 ninth graders came to Valley Verde. We split them into rotations that included compost sifting and turning, mulching, weeding, washing seed trays, transplanting seedlings, and sanding tables. At first, some of the students were put off by the heat, the sweat, and especially the smell of the compost. However, we took the time to explain why composting matters for reducing food waste and enriching the garden soil.
One student, after discovering a cluster of beetles in the compost pile, recoiled in surprise, but then smiled and said, “I have definitely been pushed out of my comfort zone today!” It was a small but meaningful moment. Seeing young students go from hesitant to engaged reminded me of my own journey. Before this summer, I knew very little about composting or environmental equity, but through experience and education, my interest has grown deeper and more personal.
Valley Verde also shifted my perspective on what food insecurity and environmental sustainability really mean. Food justice is more than just providing food. It is about providing culturally relevant food and recognizing the diverse backgrounds and needs of the families being served. Engaging directly with community members also helped me understand that environmental initiatives are not just about policy or science. They’re about relationships.
If you had asked me before this internship what environmental sustainability looked like, I probably would have talked about recycling, climate policy, or electric vehicles. Now, I see it in a bucket of compost, in a garden bed full of home-grown tomatoes, in a bowl of dried lemon cores. Sustainability is about resourcefulness, creativity, and care.
Most importantly, I learned that meaningful change starts with small, intentional actions. Whether it’s distributing air purifiers, creating infographics on food preservation, or teaching students to sift compost, everything has value, and everyone has a role to play.
This summer, I have been challenged to rethink what climate justice looks like, and I have come away with a deeper understanding of how environmental and social issues are interconnected. Just like Erik’s lemons, which I might once have overlooked as just a simple piece of fruit, I now see every experience, person, and task as holding the potential to serve a greater purpose.
Ashley Wong is a second-year student studying science, technology, and society with a concentration in life sciences and health. She was a 2025 Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay) Fellow with Valley Verde, a non-profit organization in San Jose that provides health resilience resources and addresses food insecurity among families who need it the most.
