Here’s Who Is Pushing to Ban New Gas Stations in Napa County
Plus: A Teen Group Helps a Local Musical Production Go Zero-Waste
The kids aren’t just alright. They’re leading the way toward a more sustainable, just future.
⛽ No New Gas Stations in Napa County?
The students running Napa Schools for Climate Action (Napa S4CA) mean business — and they’re not taking no for an answer.
Their current target: new gas stations. The student-led group, established in 2018 as a local chapter of Schools for Climate Action, has been working for the past four years to get every city in Napa County to ban new and expanding gas stations — with resounding success. So far, all the municipalities in the county have implemented bans or moratoriums. Now, they’re pushing the county to do the same.
“As a state, we’ve pledged to stop the sale of gas vehicles by 2050, so building this infrastructure that lasts over 50 years is not moving forward,” said Sophie Wassef, a senior at Justin Sienna High School and co-president of Napa S4CA. “It’s symbolic, but it also has a real impact in our community.”
The gas station ban initiative is really just the tip of the iceberg. Napa S4CA has established itself as a consistent presence in local climate policy work. The students speak at city council meetings, write letters to their representatives, rally support and push local politicians to act. “They’re daring, they’re diplomatic and they’re disciplined,” said Jim Wilson, a local environmental activist who has worked with Napa S4CA since the start. “They’re coming to understand their power, and they tell the truth because they have a clear eye.”
That combination of discipline and candor has paid off. Early on, the group drafted a resolution declaring a climate emergency and pledging action, including a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2030. With persistence, they got the county, every municipality within the county and the school board to pass it. More recently, the students put together a Climate Restoration Resolution to address legacy pollutants by mimicking natural processes, which was adopted by the school board and has since been introduced at the congressional level.
NS4CA team meeting with Napa County Legislative and Policy Analyst Andrew Mize to work on a county endorsement. [Pictured left to right: Gemma Roberts, Sophie Wassef, Saiyra Siddiqui, Andrew Mize, CJ Mintalar] (Source: Napa S4CA)
Sophie said it’s the community she’s found through Napa S4CA that gives her a sense of purpose. “When I was saying my public comment, I felt like I found belonging,” Sophie said, regarding her experience speaking to the school board, urging them to pass the resolution. “It was the moment I knew I wanted to keep working on this regardless of how many setbacks we had.”
That community and its impact aren’t limited to Napa County. The students are conducting outreach to inspire and empower their peers in other school districts by providing a framework for passing climate resolutions in their own communities. To learn more or get connected, visit the Napa S4CA.
🎭 Zero-Waste. Center Stage.
When the teens in the Young People’s Teen Musical Theater Company’s production of She Loves Me took the stage last weekend, the stage design had a story of its own. A group of students from across the city had carefully selected and designed the set pieces, props and costumes to be zero-waste, including sourcing materials for creative reuse and establishing an “end of play plan” for all of the items.
The Young People’s Teen Musical Theater Company’s production of She Loves Me, featuring a Zero-Waste set designed by Waste Warriors. (Source: Shannon Cairns)
The students were part of the second cohort of Waste Warriors, a program developed by local city planner and parent Shannon Cairns to empower local teens to learn about waste and take action in their communities. Waste Warriors participants showcased their work at the Climate Action Youth Summit during SF Climate Week.
Cairns hopes the students who participate in the program will feel inspired to question and be curious. “I want them to see that anything you are interested in or end up doing could be done in a way that’s thoughtful and not wasteful and that makes a real difference, in terms of climate and also how you feel,” Cairns said.
In the group’s collaboration with the Young People’s Teen Musical Theater Company to be the stage crew for the latest production and build a zero waste set, the students toured the SF Playhouse to learn about how they work to minimize waste in their productions, rode Muni to SCRAP (the iconic SF creative reuse store) and learned how to make boxes out of scrap paper in a paper-folding workshop with Megumi Lorna Inouye, author of The Soul of Gift Wrapping. They sourced used perfume bottles and aprons to repurpose them for the perfume shop set, and made gift boxes to display using the paper-folding technique they learned in the workshop.
To stay updated on the program or donate, visit the Waste Warriors website.
Teens participating in the Waste Warriors program learn paper folding in a workshop by Megumi Lorna Inouye. (Source: Shannon Cairns)
This Week in Local News
🚆BARTy is Back. BART is trialing wrapped train cars, starting with the iconic BART mascot, to determine whether its new cars could feature ad placements as an additional revenue source.
🍎Bi-Rite To Open Nonprofit Grocer in Food-Insecure Neighborhood. The grocery store will open in the Sunnydale neighborhood of Visitacion Valley by late 2027. (SF Standard)
🧾Nonprofit Picks Up Grocery Bill. The Noticing Folk Foundation is starting its next iteration of its “Blessing Program” – covering patrons’ grocery bills at independent stores across the city. (Mission Local).
🌳More Green Spaces Coming to Embarcadero Plaza. SF Rec & Parks officials revealed plans for a grand lawn at the foot of Market street as they began disassembling the Vaillancourt Fountain. (SFist)
Upcoming Events Around the Bay
AAPI month at San Leandro Second Fridays - San Leandro Library, Downtown San Leandro, and West Coast Makers
Food, drinks, vendors, music performances and more at Butterfly Plaza.
📅Friday, May 8, 2026, 4pm to 9pm
📍Butterfly Plaza - 1446 Washington Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577, USA
4th Bay Delta Bioregional Regeneration Unconference - east bay & SF Permaculture Guilds
Gathering to spark new collaborations across the region and map visions for the future of the bioregion.
📅Saturday, May 9, 2026, 9am to 5pm
📍Oakstop - 2323 Broadway, Oakland, CA
Fibershed’s Spring Market 2026 - Fibershed
A free outdoor market by local producers, featuring dye plants, seeds, dyeable fiber, yarn and more.
📅Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10am to 3pm
📍Learning Center in Point Reyes Station
KQED Fest - KQED
KQED’s annual free, festive block party and open house.
📅Saturday, May 9, 2026, 11am
📍KQED Headquarters 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
tiat salon #17 - tiat (the intersection of art and technology)
A showcase of short 5-minute presentations on personal projects at the intersection of art and technology
📅Sunday, May 10, 2026, 7pm to 8pm
📍Internet Archive - 300 Funston Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
An annual, grassroots community celebration of Oakland’s Black, Brown, and Indigenous flatland communities and their resistance against gentrification, displacement and erasure.
📅Sunday, May 10, 2026
📍Lake Merritt
Fermentation Workshop with Turnip That Beet - Oakland Bloom
A live fermentation workshop with Chef Alia of Turnip That Beet.
📅Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 5pm to 7pm
📍Oakland Library Diamond Branch - 3565 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, California, 94602, US
45th Annual Good Government Awards - SPUR
An annual celebration of the outstanding performance by managers working for the City and County of San Francisco.
📅Wednesday, May 13, 2026
📍North Light Court at San Francisco City Hall
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Until next week,
Other Future