One Cool Earth
One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers NGSS-aligned garden-based environmental education to 50+ public schools across San Luis Obispo County, with tiered school programs plus early childhood (Play Grove), perinatal (Under the Trees), and college mentorship extensions serving children from birth through young adulthood.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What One Cool Earth does
One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California, founded in 2016 and serving San Luis Obispo County. The organization's core function is delivering NGSS-aligned, garden-based environmental education to public schools through trained Garden Educators who teach on-site 1-2 days per week. Its curriculum platform, branded Earth Genius Curriculum, comprises 24 lesson plans across 8 thematic series organized around three pillars (Zero Waste, Water Wise, Food Forest), with Spanish translations, Garden Journals, and video lessons for K-6 classrooms, plus a middle school Sustainability Leadership Course.
The portfolio extends across a full life-cycle: School Garden Programming (Premium at $24,000/year and Standard at $14,200/year tiers), Play Grove (early childhood enrichment for ages 3-5 at $488-$1,090 per month), Under the Trees (a 10-week perinatal series for families with children 0-3), and College Mentorship with Cal Poly and Cuesta College. Add-on modules — Weekly Garden Lunch Club, Virtual Family Cooking Night, Seasonal Farm Stand, School-Wide Waste Audit, and Summer Garden Care — provide a la carte monetization on top of base programs. The organization currently serves 50+ partner schools across 6 school districts with a leadership team of approximately 6 directors and 12+ Garden Educators.
Revenue is diversified across four streams: school program fees (~50% of funding), grants and sponsorships from 20+ named partners including NOAA BWET, Whole Kids Foundation, City of San Luis Obispo, and SLO County, individual donations (monthly and one-time), and tuition from Play Grove and Under the Trees. OCE subsidizes more than 50% of program fees via grants and community partnerships. Distribution is direct-to-school through Regional Managers covering northern and southern SLO County, supplemented by an online curriculum portal that publishes lesson plans and videos globally as a free resource.
One Cool Earth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- One Cool Earth
- Legal name
- One Cool Earth
- Website
- https://onecoolearth.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers NGSS-aligned garden-based environmental education to 50+ public schools across San Luis Obispo County, with tiered school programs plus early childhood (Play Grove), perinatal (Under the Trees), and college mentorship extensions serving children from birth through young adulthood.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
One Cool Earth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ), Nature-Based / Forest School Early Learning Programs (EDACADAD)
Keywords
Where One Cool Earth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Luis Obispo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
One Cool Earth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- School Program Fees: Schools pay annual fees for garden education programs. Premium Program costs $24,000/yr (or $23,600 early bird), Standard Program costs $14,200/yr (or $13,900 early bird). Additional fees for add-on services like Garden Lunch Club, Family Cooking Nights, and Field Trips.
- Individual Donations: One-time or recurring donations from individuals supporting school garden programs. Monthly donor program available.
- Business and Foundation Sponsorships: Sponsorship contributions from businesses and foundations at various levels to support school garden programming.
- Grants: Grant funding from government agencies (SLO County, state grants), foundations (Whole Kids Foundation, Central Coast Funds For Children), and organizations (NOAA BWET, Justin Vineyards). Organization subsidizes over 50% of program fees with grants and community partnerships.
- Play Grove Tuition: Early childhood enrichment program for ages 3-5. Tuition varies by frequency: $1,090.32/month for 5 days/week, $657.14/month for 3 days/week, $488.40/month for 2 days/week. Includes scholarship program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Premium Program - 2 days/week with Garden Educator |
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Program - 1 day/week with Garden Educator |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Weekly Garden Lunch Club Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Virtual Family Cooking Night Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Additional Garden Workdays Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Seasonal Farm Stand Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | School-Wide Waste Audit Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Garden Gathering Add-On |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Summer Garden Care Add-On |
| Subscription | Monthly | Play Grove 5 Days/Week |
| Subscription | Monthly | Play Grove 3 Days/Week |
| Subscription | Monthly | Play Grove 2 Days/Week |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Play Grove Registration Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Play Grove Scholarship |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Under the Trees Maternal Series |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
One Cool Earth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on, NGSS-aligned garden-based environmental education to K-12 schools across San Luis Obispo County through two paid on-site Garden Educator tiers (Premium and Standard), supplemented by add-on services such as waste audits, lunch clubs, and family cooking nights. The organization also operates the Play Grove early childhood enrichment program (ages 3-5), the Under the Trees perinatal family series, and a college mentorship program with Cal Poly and Cuesta College, all anchored by the proprietary Earth Genius Curriculum.
Product overview
One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering garden-based educational programs across San Luis Obispo County. The core offering consists of School Garden Programming with two tiers: Premium Program (2 days/week, $24,000/year) and Standard Program (1 day/week, $14,200/year), both featuring NGSS-aligned Earth Genius Curriculum centered on Zero Waste, Water Wise, and Food Forest pillars. The portfolio includes Play Grove (ages 3-5 enrichment, $488-$1,090/month), Under the Trees (perinatal family gatherings, $150/10-week series), and College Mentorship (Cal Poly/Cuesta College partnerships). Add-on services include Weekly Garden Lunch Club, Virtual Family Cooking Night, Seasonal Farm Stand, School-Wide Waste Audit, and specialized programs for Zero Waste, Food Forests, and Water Wise education. All programs are supported by a comprehensive curriculum available in English and Spanish, with virtual video lessons.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Play Grove: A garden-based enrichment program for ages 3-5 years old located in San Luis Obispo at One Cool Earth's central garden on Laureate Lane.
- Under the Trees
- Earth Genius Curriculum
Products and services
- School Garden Programming (Premium Program) Annual subscription providing a Garden Educator on-site 2 days per week at a partner school, delivering a minimum of 6 classes weekly, garden maintenance, monthly newsletters, PTA/PTO partnership, lesson extensions, two community Garden Workdays per year, plus included add-ons (Virtual Family Cooking Night, Green Team Coordination, School-Wide Waste Audit, Field Trip to Partner Organizations). Available to public elementary, middle, and select high schools in San Luis Obispo County.
- School Garden Programming (Standard Program) Annual subscription providing a Garden Educator on-site 1 day per week at a partner school, delivering a minimum of 3 classes weekly, along with garden maintenance, monthly newsletters, PTA/PTO partnership, lesson extensions, and included add-ons like Virtual Family Cooking Night, Student Green Team Coordination, and a Field Trip to a Partner Organization. Designed for public schools in SLO County seeking a lower-cost entry point.
- Earth Genius Curriculum NGSS-aligned curriculum organized into 8 thematic series covering topics from soil science to watersheds, with 24 lesson plans across K-2 and 3-6 grade bands, Garden Journals, Spanish translations, and video lessons. Centered on three pillars: Zero Waste, Water Wise, and Food Forest. Available to schools and educators as a free online resource.
- Play Grove Early Childhood Enrichment Nature- and play-based enrichment program for children ages 3-5 in San Luis Obispo, offered 2, 3, or 5 days per week (8:30am-1pm) with a 1:5 playguide-to-child ratio. Features emergent curriculum, garden activities, and outdoor play. Available to local families; scholarship program covers 25-50% of tuition for qualifying families.
- Under the Trees Perinatal Program 10-week perinatal and family gathering program for pregnant and postpartum families with children from birth to age 3, held at One Cool Earth's Play Grove headquarters. Combines ecological connections, perinatal support conversations, and OCE curriculum extensions. Available to local families at $150 per 10-week series.
- College Mentorship Program Internship, volunteer, and mentorship program partnering with Cal Poly and Cuesta College, engaging students in environmental science, agriculture, child psychology, and education programs. Includes support for the Cal Poly Food Pantry Garden. Available to current college students.
Quantifiable outcome
- Triples students' willingness to try new produce through garden education
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use One Cool Earth
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
One Cool Earth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
One Cool Earth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Morro Bay National Estuary ProgramminorEnvironmental organization partnering on watershed education content and field trip opportunities.
- Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University)coreUniversity partnership for college mentorship program, internships, and Cal Poly Food Pantry Garden. Students from environmental science, agriculture, child psychology, and education programs participate.
- Cuesta CollegeminorCommunity college partnership for student internships and volunteer opportunities.
- SLO County Environmental Education CoalitioncoreCoalition of environmental education organizations in San Luis Obispo County. OCE participates as member organization.
- The Gardening DoulaminorVictoria Carranza's business providing perinatal support services for Under the Trees program.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
One Cool Earth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KidsGardening: National nonprofit that provides grants, curriculum, and educator resources for youth garden programs. Closely aligned with One Cool Earth's Earth Genius curriculum approach (free downloadable lesson plans, educator support) and serves as a comparable curriculum-and-resource hub.
- Captain Planet Foundation: Environmental education funder and program operator that funds and supports hands-on, project-based learning in K-12 schools. Overlapping mission around environmental literacy and garden/STEAM projects, with comparable funding-partner model serving schools.
- Green Education Foundation: National environmental education nonprofit that builds green-school networks and distributes sustainability curriculum to K-12 classrooms. Comparable as a curriculum-and-network operator in the K-12 environmental education space.
- Big Green: National nonprofit that builds Learning Gardens in under-resourced schools and trains educators to use them as outdoor classrooms. Comparable in school-garden construction, educator training, and curriculum delivery, but with broader geographic footprint and larger funder network.
- Life Lab: California-based nonprofit that designs and delivers school garden programs and curriculum for K-12 students. Closest comparable peer: shares the Garden Educator model, NGSS-aligned curriculum approach, and direct-to-school delivery that defines One Cool Earth's core service.
- Edible Schoolyard Project: Founded by Alice Waters, the Edible Schoolyard Project runs garden and kitchen classrooms that integrate nutrition, science, and hands-on learning in K-12 schools. Highly comparable in mission (garden-based education, food literacy), though it operates at greater scale and national brand recognition.
- Sprout Up: Student-led environmental education nonprofit that brings sustainability programming to elementary schools, with a strong Cal Poly / Central Coast presence. Directly comparable in audience (elementary students), pedagogy (hands-on environmental lessons), and geographic roots in OCE's backyard.
Regional players
- Common Ground Garden: Garden-based education nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area offering school programs, summer camps, and teacher training. Highly comparable mission and pedagogy but serves a different California region, providing useful benchmarking for OCE's potential expansion beyond SLO County.
Broad incumbents
- National Wildlife Federation - Eco-Schools USA: Large established national environmental organization running a school certification framework (Eco-Schools) that integrates outdoor learning, waste reduction, and sustainability. Overlaps with OCE's Zero Waste and Water Wise pillars but operates at much greater scale as part of a broader conservation portfolio.
Others
- Whole Kids Foundation: National foundation that funds school gardens, salad bars, and bee gardens. Functions as a current One Cool Earth grant funder and comparable ecosystem player that channels philanthropic dollars into the same school-garden beneficiary base, making it both a partner and an adjacent peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
One Cool Earth social profiles
Digital presenceOne Cool Earth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
One Cool Earth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
One Cool Earth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
One Cool Earth M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about One Cool Earth
What does One Cool Earth do?
One Cool Earth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on, NGSS-aligned garden-based environmental education to K-12 schools across San Luis Obispo County through two paid on-site Garden Educator tiers (Premium and Standard), supplemented by add-on services such as waste audits, lunch clubs, and family cooking nights. The organization also operates the Play Grove early childhood enrichment program (ages 3-5), the Under the Trees perinatal family series, and a college mentorship program with Cal Poly and Cuesta College, all anchored by the proprietary Earth Genius Curriculum.
Is One Cool Earth a public or private company?
One Cool Earth is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was One Cool Earth founded?
One Cool Earth was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is One Cool Earth based?
One Cool Earth is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, United States, in the North America region.
How does One Cool Earth make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. School Program Fees are the primary driver. The others are individual Donations, business and Foundation Sponsorships, grants and play Grove Tuition.
Who are One Cool Earth's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KidsGardening, Captain Planet Foundation, Green Education Foundation, Big Green, Life Lab, Edible Schoolyard Project and Sprout Up. Common Ground Garden is listed as a regional player. National Wildlife Federation - Eco-Schools USA is listed as a broad incumbent. Whole Kids Foundation is listed as an others.
Does One Cool Earth have an API?
No public API is recorded for One Cool Earth.
What industry is One Cool Earth in?
One Cool Earth's product category is Environmental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAD, Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation), with a secondary code of EDAJAJAJ, Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.