Category Archives: East Bay Chapter

Take the Resilience Challenge!

Away we goThis is the season for planting and growing.  What seeds will you plant in your community for sustainability, connectedness, resiliency?  This May, join Transition US in actions to:

 

  1. Save Water
  2. Grow Food
  3. Conserve Energy
  4. Build Community

It’s the Community Resilience Challenge (CRC), in which individuals invite their friends and neighbors in actions, large or small, to accomplish one or more of the objectives above.

During the Community Resilience Challenge, participants commit to specific actions under one or more of these 4 themes (e.g., installing a graywater system, planting a garden, weatherizing the home, or coordinating a community project).  Digging out favas

The CRC is a great spur to take care of those home and garden improvements you’ve been thinking about, to organize a neighborhood work party, or to plan a community visioning event.

JOINING THE CHALLENGE IS EASY: 

1. Plan your action for the month of May. 

2. Register your action to be counted.

3. Send your stories & photos to marissa@transitionus.org so we can share them and inspire others!

If you live in the East Bay: contact lcurriedesign@aol.com.  We have special discounts, offers, and prizes from businesses to help you with your actions. 

For more information from Transition US, go to:  Community Resilience Challenge.

Buffelgrass day - digging, gathering

Strawberry Creek Update

Saturday, July 18 was our monthly work party at Strawberry Creek.

Once again, Nature caught us by surprise. We had planned to continue weeding an area planted in an earlier year, rescuing the native plants from being smothered by encroaching weeds.

But we found that a huge limb had fallen from one of the pre-existing native willow trees. So Tom and Jane and I spent our morning clearing the path and rescuing smaller native plants which the limb was threatening to crush. I put on waders and went into the creek, where I removed enough of the limb to permit free water flow and passage of any fish that might come through.

Since much of the limb was still green with the sapwood still moist, we were able to save dozens of cuttings. Smaller cuttings will be rooted first, then planted. Larger pieces can be jammed into the mud near the water’s edge; they will send down new roots and create new branches, eventually growing into whole new willow trees. Since we already have enough willows at this site, these will be planted at other restoration sites around the bay.

As usual, animals played a part in our morning’s adventures. Jane found that minnows, which had disappeared from the creek for at least a year, had returned in one of the pools. I discovered a towhee nest with several downy babies being fed by the parents.

The next work party is Saturday, August 15, 9-noon. I really hope that a few more of you will be able to make it!

Jim Schnitzen
East Bay Chapter

Volunteering at Whole Foods


Green Sangha was honored to be the recipient of Oakland Whole Foods Market’s 5% Community Giving Day on Thursday, June 25. Our volunteers had a great time staffing our table, educating the public and ourselves about plastics in the environment, and encouraging shoppers to bring their own containers and fill up from the store’s many bulk bins for a truly Zero-Waste shopping experience. We distributed information, including our flyer Tips For Waste-Free Shopping (PDF) and gave out free rolls of recycled toilet paper and CFL light bulbs.

Strawberry Creek Restoration in Berkeley

A small group of East Bay Chapter members met up to enjoy the sun and bubbling water of Strawberry Creek in Berkeley yesterday morning. We pulled weeds to give space for the native plants to grow and enjoyed each other’s company. Here are a few photos of the day. (Click images to see larger versions.)

If you’re interested in joining the next Strawberry Creek work party, please contact Jim Schnitzen at jimschnitzen@earthlink.net for schedule and details.