[Artisan Organic Cheese Tour of West Marin with MALT, April 9th](http://bit.ly/fDF74G) [Raw Marin - A Tour of Flavors and Services, April 11th](http://bit.ly/eeccyy)
1. BAGT News
- RichmondBUILDS Health Fair, March 4th
- Spotlight on our new intern Erica Woll
1. Event Recommendations
- Sustainable Business Alliance Networking Lunch, March 4th
- A Place for Sustainable Living - Introduction, March 5th
- Oxfam and Bay Area Green Tours present: "Ending Hunger Starts with Women", March 8th
*- URGENT!* Ecology Center Recycling Program in Extreme Danger, March 8th, Take action!
- Marin Agricultural Land Trust Film Preview: Saving the Soil, Saving Ourselves, March 13th 1. Tour Types 2. Mission Statement 3. Sponsors
Message From Marissa
Dear Friends of Bay Area Green Tours!
March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, and around the world women will be celebrated for their contributions. Bay Area Green Tours is also honoring women who have pioneered the sustainability movement and those who are helping it grow. From our fabulous female interns to inspiring community leaders and business owners, these women are making a positive and profound difference, both locally and around the world.
BAGT is celebrating this day in partnership with the San Francisco Bay Area Oxfam Action Corp and a number of other amazing local nonprofits. I will be moderating an event at the David Brower Center called “Ending Hunger Starts with Women.” This two hour free program is the beginning of a vital dialogue about food justice and its global dimensions. Featured speakers will include women truly at the forefront of sustainable farming practices, who are empowering others to take the lead, including:
▪ Prak Soeun - a Cambodian farmer and food justice pioneer ▪ Esperanza Spaulding - a local urban farmer and food educator ▪ Temra Costa - Author of Farmer Jane, a book that focuses on women who are creating sustainable food systems ▪ Rucha Chitnis - the India Director of the Women’s Earth Alliance, who is helping to shape sustainable farming practices in India by empowering women farmers ▪ Alethea Marie Harper - Coordinator of the Oakland Food Policy Council which promotes an equitable and sustainable Oakland food system
Remarkable women are also part of three exciting upcoming tours:
And: Save the date for an exciting Raw Foods Tour of Marin on April 11th where you can meet Joni Sare and Darcy Crosman, organizers of South Bay Raw and The East Bay Raw Food Meetup Group.
And if you are one of the many women (or men!) who just cannot do with out their favorite bag - Get your last minute tickets for our March 10thGreen San Francisco Tourand learn about the fabulous business of Rickshaw Bags.
We hope to see you soon at one or more of these informative and inspiring events, and don't forget to celebrate the women you know next Tuesday and every day!
Marissa LaMagna
Executive Director
Upcoming Tours
Green San Francisco Tour
Next Thursday, March 10th! 9:30 to 5:00
Departing from the Moscone Center, SF
Explore the Green San Francisco! Meet the people of Rickshaw Bags and learn how they produce stylish recycled bags right in the city! Enjoy Lunch at Mission Pie and learn about their sustainable business approach.
Highlights of this tour include:
~ Rickshaw Bags - meet & tour this local bags company
~ Ferry Building Market Place - peruse organic local food
~ Crissy Field & Golden Gate Bridge View - stroll along the coast line
~ Twin Peaks - enjoy a stunning 360 degrees view of San Francisco
~ Mission Pie - dine at a model sustainable restaurant in the Mission
~ San Francisco's famous sights - view & learn about many of them along the way
BAGT & MALT present: Artisan, Organic Cheese Tour of West Marin
Saturday, April 9TH 9:00-6:30
Pick up/drop off: Berkeley & Larkspur
$85.00 per person
~ Visit cow, goat, and sheep dairies surrounded by beautiful coastal agricultural countryside
~ Gain exciting insights into the craft of local organic cheese making
~ Engage in dialogue with cheese makers while touring the farm
~ Learn about the important work of The Marin Agricultural Land Trust
~ Take in stunning views of Point Reyes, Tomales Bay, and beautiful spring wildflowers
~ Taste and purchase cheese products directly from the producers
~ Explore barns and milking parlors, observe cheese making facilities and pet calves, kids and lambs.
We will visit the following farms, protected by the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT):
* Toluma Farms Goat Dairy
* Lafranchi Ranch and Nicasio Valley Cheese Company (Cow Diary)
* Barinaga Ranch (Sheep Dairy, Owner, Marcia Barinaga picture at top)
Raw Marin - A Tour of Flavors and Health Services
Monday, April 11th,
10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Meet top raw food chefs and learn why raw cooking and eating is popular and healthy.
Departing from the David Brower Center, Berkeley Tickets: $50
Visit:
- Cafe Gratitude, San Rafael - learn about the art of raw cooking
- TrueNorth, Santa Rosa - Dr. Goldhamer will give a lecture on the benefits of fasting
- Lydia's Kitchen, Of Lydia's Lovin Foods, Fairfax - listen to a presentation and chat with Lydia
This tour is brought to you by [Bay Area Green Tours](http://www.bayareagreentours.org), [South Bay Raw](http:///www.meetup.com/southbayraw) and [The East Bay Raw Food Meetup Group](http://www.meetup.com/The-East-Bay-Raw-Food-Meetup-Group).
BAGT News
RichmondBUILD Launches New Health Fair
BAGT is proud to announce it's affiliation with The City of Richmond's nationally recognized RichmondBUILD Academy as it launches its first new "Healthy RichmondBUILD Initiative" this Friday. The RichmondBUILD Academy is expanding it successful program model beyond training and employing graduates to include a healthy component that educates and empowers students to make healthier choices about their health, nutrition and life styles. A healthy community begins with healthy residents and the lack of resources, education and opportunities are at the core of health disparities in many communities. The health fair will feature medical screening for all 80-100 students, nutrition classes, exercise and healthy cooking demonstrations by Executive Chef, Robert Dorsey of the Oakland Museum and Farahnaz Toloui RN from Kaiser Permanente. BAGT played an important role in gathering resources for this first of three yearly health fairs and hopes to add tours to expand this program to include tours of:
- Brentwood Farms that supply CSA boxes to low income families in Richmond (distributed though Eco Village)
- Farmer's markets, food coops, People's Grocery Store
- Urban Gardens, with the ultimate goal of including gardening and growing food into the RichmondBUILD program!
Friday, March 4th, 8:00- 12:00 noon
RichmondBUILDS Facility I
360 South 27th Street @ Virginia Avenue, Richmond
Intern Spotlight
We are delighted to welcome a new member to our fabulous team: Meet Erica Woll!
Erica is a recent graduate from UC Davis where she studied Environmental and Resource Science - Land and Water Management. She was most intrigued by her soil science classes and the abundance of life in soil, which is the basis for sustainable agriculture. She loves farmer's markets and meeting new people which is why spreading the word with Bay Area Green Tours is such a pleasure. She enjoys alternative rock concerts and spending quality time with her cat.
BAGT Event Recommendations
Sustainable Business Alliance this Friday!
Networking Lunch at Saturn Cafe in downtown Berkeley
TOMORROW, Friday, March 4th 12-1:30
2175 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Mention "Bay Area Green Tours" and you will receive the pre-registration rate at the door!
Saturn Cafe offers traditional American diner comfort food with a healthy twist, with all the salty, sweet yumminess people love, but prepared in a health-conscious manner.
SPEAKER: Rebecca A. Bailin (highintegritytax.wordpress.com) is a tax professional specializing in serving the socially responsible, LGBT, self-employed/small business and spiritual communities. She has served clients as a socially responsible investment adviser who prides herself on cutting through the hype and mystery of personal finance. Rebecca is also an entrepreneur and ran her own small business (a consulting practice) for over 15 years. She will address: What should be foremost in your mind regarding taxes and what are the most frequent mistakes that are made by the self-employed? This brief presentation will provide you with a few key take-aways
A Place For Sustainable Living
SATURDAY, March 5th from 3-6pm
A Place for Sustainable Living with 10,000 sq. ft. of land, is forming in North Oakland’s Golden Gate District.
After touring the country promoting sustainability since 2005, Sustainable Living Roadshow has decided to create a PLACE for sustainable living strategies. They are collaborating with other local organizations and individuals in permaculture, urban gardening, homesteading, community resiliency, renewable energy, artists, and more to create a hub for teaching and showcasing these skills and technologies.
• Take a tour of this place in progress
• Meet the people collaborating to help manifest it.
• Learn how you can plug in and help expand the vision
1121 64th Street, Oakland, CA 94608
URGENT: Ecology Center Recycling Program in Extreme Danger !
As some of you might know BAGT has been a huge supporter of the Berkeley Ecology Center since we delivered people to their doorstep on our first tours in 2008. This very valuable local resource for our entire East Bay community is in jeopardy and they desperately need your support!
The City of Berkeley is considering terminating thier curbside recycling program based on an incomplete and inaccurate consultant report. They urgently need your help to save this community-based program. The future of their organization is at stake.
What can you do?
If you live in Berkeley please call or email your City Council representative. Get more information
here!
Attend the City Council Meeting: Tuesday March 8th
5:30pm in the City Council Chambers
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.
Please help spread the word!
Oxfam: Ending Hunger Starts with Women
Next Tuesday marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day and we hope you will join us at a very special event called "Ending Hunger Starts with Women."
Tuesday, March 8th, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Reception, Presentation and Panel Discussion... and it's FREE!
The David Brower Center, Goldman Theater and Gallery
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA
RSVP: oxfam.sf@gmail.com
6:30 to 7:10 pm: Informational networking reception in the gallery where guests can enjoy sustainable appetizers, organic wine and fair trade tea and coffee, while mingling with local luminaries and browsing informational tables featuring local non-profits.
7:10 to 8:30 pm: The evening will continue in the Goldman Theater with short films and a presentation from special guest Ms. Prak Souern, a rice farmer and community leader from Cambodia, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with some of the Bay Area's pioneers for ethical change, food experts, and leaders in business and government.
MALT is a non-profit that works to help preserve the 150 year old tradition of small family farms and natural resource treasures in West Marin. For more information on the work that MALT has done to help preserve this beautiful resource in our backyard and upcoming events (including a cooking class at Nicks Cove on Saturday, March 19) : Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT).
More info on Bay Area Green Tours
Farm to Fork & Sustainable Wineries and Breweries
Bay Area Green Tours offers open-to-the public Farm to Fork tours from April through October in collaboration with award-winning restaurants who source local organic foods.
And we also offer tours on these subjects:
Urban Agriculture
Water Sustainability
Green Collar Jobs
Green Building
Renewable Energy
Re-thinking Waste
Mission Statement
To provide educational tours that demonstrate the sustainable economy in action, inspire support of local green businesses, and empower people to incorporate environmental responsibility and social justice into their personal and professional lives.
