Last week Literacy for Environmental Justice hosted a small delegation from Germany. The visit was requested by Gerlinde Kretschmann, wife of the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg. Winfried Kretschmann. Mr. Kretschmann is the first Prime Minister from a Green Party ever elected.
Mrs. Kreschmann, an interpreter, and four other members of the delegation spent time touring LEJ’s nursery and workspace at Carroll Avenue. Anthony Khalil talked about the history of San Francisco (from the days of Yerba Buena to modern-day industrial blight) and how that shapes our stewardship. He also described the Bayview Hunters Point community, how LEJ grows plants, and what we grow. The delegation took a mini-tour of the seed lab, spoke with Ildiko Polony, LEJ’s Nursery Manager, and got to see how seeds are cleaned and preserved.
Mr. Kretschmann is a collaborator of California’s Governor Jerry Brown and was in San Francisco to participate in the Global Climate Action Summit. LEJ collaborated with the state ministry to organize the visit.