I make a practice of taking a hike with my partner nearly every Sunday in the surrounding 110,000 acres of East Bay open space - as a way to find sanctuary from a hectic schedule and long days of responsibilities.
Once we find the perfect spot I like to nestle for a couple of hours to read, rest and ground myself for the next week while he goes off to explore. This last time it was so gratifying to find a spot that was overgrown with lush green grass after months of parched conditions! The welcome rains replenish our spirits and the thirsty earth, and this refreshing sabbath ritual allows me to connect with the earth and feel the rhythm of the seasons as they slowly unfold.
With the rains come the shortest days of the year until the winter solstice: a time of hibernation for so many species but ironically one of the busiest times of the year for us humans. Now the daylight slowly returns welcoming the sparks of new light and life. BAGT’s rebirth includes a newly formed relationship with the Green Academy at Skyline High School in Oakland. This month our initial tour for Skyline students was our first to focus on Water Sustainability! The tour outlined Bay Area and California water issues from “source-to-pipe-to-tap” and stresses the importance of watersheds, clean water and the conservation of our most important natural and finite resource.
As a former teacher it has been my life’s work to nurture the flame of passion in our youth. Our tours are the vehicles of opportunity for students to envision the possibilities for the future, connect to mentors and “solutionaries”, and learn about employment in the new economy face to face. These students are our future; we welcome the opportunity to help them to realize and maximize their potential.
BAGT, 501(c)3 is at a critical juncture and we need your help to sustain our mission to “provide educational tours and events 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.”
Please consider making a tax deductible gift to our non-profit on our website to help sustain our research, operations and staffing so that we may continue to offer our life-changing experiences to students of all ages.
Marissa LaMagna
2150 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
BAGT NEWS
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Skyline High School's Green Academy
Bay Area Green Tours Unveils Its First Water Sustainability Tour with Skyline High School
Sophia and Leja of Skyline High School's Green Academy
Rachel and Kharima of Skyline High School's Green Academy
Water will soon surpass oil in public importance and value. It’s hard to imagine anything similar - we need it absolutely, yet constantly take it for granted. It is strikingly local, but we must broaden our perspective to effect any systemic changes. What would happen if we ran out of fresh water? Economics is not synonymous with life, and unfortunately, we may be witnessing the evidence of a world water crisis that will only become more acute. From pollution of the oceans to contamination of precious drinking sources, we are all affected. BAGT has teamed up withElizabeth Dougherty, Phd, Executive Director of the nonprofit Wholly H2O, and has developed its Water Sustainability tour to help educate people on how to better manage and conserve water, from both a personal and a global sustainability perspective.
Our first Water Sustainability Tour was led by Elizabeth Dougherty who shared her extensive knowledge of water issues and passionate dedication to conserving it with the Skyline High School’s Green Academy led by Tracey Ostrom. The day began with a walk along UC Berkeley’s Strawberry Creek, where environmental scientist Tim Pine, [Supervisor for the Restoration Program / Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Cal], and his assistant Nathan Bickart, [Student Restoration Coordinator], detailed their work on creek and natural habitat restoration. Actually being at a riparian setting to learn about our small streams and just experiencing the beautiful setting was an ideal start. To add authenticity - we had it rain! Although at times we had to contend with wet weather over the course of the day, it served to reinforce water as the theme of the tour.
Tim Pine, Supervisor for the Restoration Program
Strawberry Creek
Exploring Strawberry Creek
The students learned quick, simple changes they could make at home to help curb water and energy usage from the Rising Sun Energy Center staff and found out about their summer job program. Rising Sun Energy Center leads a unique youth empowerment and conservation program throughout over 10 cities in the Bay Area. Students also explored alternative landscaping methods through rainwater harvesting at the Urban Farmer Store in Richmond. The final stop provided a look at a water reuse demonstration project - a tour led by Beck Cowles (Ecology Center, Berkeley) of the Berkeley EcoHouse, which boasts the first city-approved greywater installation. BAGT’s goal is to expand upon this first tour so that high school students (and other groups) from the bay area can experience the vital education presented through a factual and fun-filled Water Sustainability Tour.
Compost bins at Berkeley Ecohouse
Travers and Adrian from Rising Sun Energy Center
Presenter Beck Cowles at Ecohouse
USGBC
On November 17th, BAGT took a group from the United States Green Business Council’s Greenbuild 2012 Conference attendees away from the traditional conference program for an off-site excursion. As the greening of our buildings becomes a more mainstream practice, Bay Area Green Tours is excited to be at the forefront of the action. We are proud to partner with high-profile solutionaries to help transform paradigms of design.
During a tour segment that featured Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and architect Marcy Wong, Bay Area Green Tours presented the revitalization and urban renewal being initiated in the city of Richmond. This unique program brought attendees behind the scenes to meet with the movers and shakers that helped restore the Richmond Ford Assembly Building and create the Rosie the Riveter Museum. Thank you to Mark Perrilliat from Mountain Hardwear and Michelle Heredia from Orton Development for hosting our tour segment.
Ford Assembly Building in Richmond
Richmond's Mayor McLaughlin
Craneway Pavillion
Mountain Hardware
Rosie the Riveter Museum
Berkeley High School's Green Academy
Green Building
We extended our focus on water to green building with Berkeley High School’s Green Academy on December 13th. The United Nations Environmental Program suggests that buildings consume one-fifth of the world's available water! Hence, the importance of connecting resource management to building design. Our Green Building tour with Berkeley High School was led by our resident expert in Architecture, Dorrice Pyne. The agenda featured Urban Ore, Kruse Plumbing, Metro Lighting, the McGee House designed by Karl Wanaselja and Cate Leger (Boat House),David Brower Center and Gather Restaurant. Through this jam-packed schedule, students gained insight into material reuse, water and energy management, and creative design.
Renewable Energy
The United States currently uses about a quarter of the energy produced globally. On December 13th and 14th, Bay Area Green Tours led two Renewable Energy Tours for Berkeley High School to examine current trends in energy production and consumption. At the West County Waste Water Treatment Plant, we again examined the impressive Solar Power Partners Array that provides energy for between 500 and 700 homes in the surrounding Richmond area. Students examined both the technical processes of the modules and discussed market trends for solar energy. Next, we visited the wind turbine and strawbale house at Shorebird Nature Center to look at other applications of alternative energy systems. Since questions about career paths and employment resonate strongly with young adults, we then went on an exciting tour of the Cypress Mandela Training Center. There, the students had the chance to ask about the rise of vocational training programs and green collar jobs. Lastly, we toured the sticky and intriguing labs of Sirona Biofuels, which serve as a great example of local alternative energy generation.
McGee House
BAGT STAFF AND INTERN SPOTLIGHT
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Bay Area Green Tours has been fortunate to have Linnéa Hulten with us for the last three months and we are grateful for her valuable assistance. Linnéa graduated in 2012 from Lund University, Sweden, with a Bachelor of Science in Service Management / Tourism Management. With a strong love for both nature and urban exploration, she has journeyed to the Bay Area to enjoy experiencing both. Linnéa loves to learn about new cultures and languages, about how urban spaces develop over time and how humans interact with them. As a scuba diver, she feels a special affection for ocean creatures and the sea itself. At BAGT, Linnéa’s goals have been to develop herself professionally, to be inspired by the American community spirit, and to learn more about local models of sustainability. As BAGTeers say thank you and farewell to this dedicated intern we wish her great success and a joyous holiday!
BAGT RECOMMENDATIONS & COMMUNITY NEWS
Community News
Holiday Shopping
When buying gifts this holiday season please invest locally in your neighborhood stores or even get into the spirit with homemade and repurposed items.
Shopping locally facts from SFloma:
* For purchases where quality goods or knowledgeable service are especially important, shopping with a locally owned merchant can reward consumers with a more satisfying experience and enhance the value they receive.
* Municipal policies tend to favor large chains and developers.
*The City of San Francisco and the various public institutions, which account for large volume purchases, can actively seek local bidders and provide assistance with procurement processes.
* The independent merchants of the city provide the community with a tremendous injection of economic activity.
Events
Berkeley Farmers' Market Holiday Crafts Fair
Saturday, December 22, 10am - 4pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, Center St. @ MLK, Jr. Way, Berkeley.; cost: free, more infos here
Holiday Week Open House at Crab Cove
Wednesday, December 24 - Friday, December 26, 10am - 3:30pm, Crab Cove Visitor Center, 1252 McKay Avenue, Alameda; cost: free, more infos here
Class: Fabulous Fungus
Sunday, December 30, 2pm - 3:30pm , Tilden Regional Park, Berkeley; cost: free, more infos here
Workshop: The Basics of Backyard Beekeeping
Saturday, January 5, 2013, 11am, Whole Foods -- Novato, 790 De Long Ave., Novato; cost: free, more infos here
Books
Book 1: Cadillac Desert
Author: Marc Reisner
Price: around $18
Order: support your local bookstore!
Cadillac Desert, by Marc Reisner, is a 1986 book published by Viking (ISBN 0-14-017824-4) about land development and water policy in the western United States. Subtitled The American West and its Disappearing Water, it gives the history of the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and their struggle to remake the American West. The book's main conclusion is that development-driven policies, formed when settling the West was the country's main concern, are having serious long-term negative effects on the environment and water quantity. The book was revised and updated in 1993.
A four-part television documentary based on the revised book was produced by KTEH-TV, the PBS affiliate in San Jose, California, in 1996. The parts are entitled Mulholland’s Dream, An American Nile, The Mercy of Nature, and The Last Oasis.
Book 2: Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle
Author: Susan Wasinger
Cost: around $20.00
Order: support your local bookstore!
These days we're all seeking creative ways to protect our planet. "Eco Craft" delivers the goods in style with 30 truly beautiful home decor projects that elevate environmental consciousness to inspiring new heights. Every idea is amazingly clever: who would ever have imagined that plastic six-pack can holders could become a chic Moorish-inspired filigree tri-fold screen? Or that glass baby-food jars would make a charming candle chandelier? Every project features at least one beauty shot in a modern home setting and handy icons spotlight key techniques, materials and the estimated time to complete each one. Who knew taking care of the planet could look so good?
Films
Video 1: Blue Gold
Starring Bill Logan, Paul Stamets, Gary Vaynerchuk and Vandana Shiva
Price: $19.95
Film website: http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/
Order here
Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Can the human race survive?
Blue Gold
Other Recommended Water Films:
Tapped
Flow
Watershed the new movie by Robert Redford
SUSTAINABLE SPOTLIGHT
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Hydraulic Fracking
From Kathy Tuan, BAGT Intern and Chris Nelson, BAGT Writer and Researcher
What is Hydraulic Fracking?
Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking,” is a relatively new drilling technology that has been used for natural gas and oil development over the last decade. Unlike conventional vertical hydraulic fracturing, the injection of highly pressurized, chemically treated fluid (mixed with sand) into subterranean shale rock formations creates new channels in the rock, thereby enabling the extraction of previously inaccessible shale gas. There are fracking wells in thirty-one states at present time with most of these located in suburban areas of the Northeast where one of the largest U.S. gas fields, the Marcellus Shale, is located.
Shale gas empowers the US
The natural gas industry has undergone a technological revolution over the recent decade. In 2000, shale gas accounted for about one percent of the total natural gas supply in the U.S. However, with advancements in drilling technology and the advent of horizontal hydrofracturing, shale gas comprised twenty-five percent by 2011, and is projected to reach fifty percent by 2030. Hydraulic fracking for shale gas has been a boon to the country’s domestic energy supply. “We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly a hundred years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy,” stated President Obama in his January 2012 State of the Union address. He further mentioned that hydraulic fracking could create more than six hundred thousand jobs by the end of the decade. With domestic American oil production currently at its highest level in eight years, supporters of hydraulic fracking tout natural gas as a cleaner, cheaper source of power compared with oil.
Environmental Controversy
Unsurprisingly, the rapid advancements in drilling technology have outpaced state and federal policy makers, and regulations specifically addressing the potential hazards of fracking are either non-existent, or inadequate. Environmental and health groups claim that hydraulic fracking can affect water safety and bring undetermined risks to human health. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) linked fracking to groundwater for the first time in 2011. In order to release the gas and oil, huge amounts of water (several million gallons per horizontal well, and thousands for a vertical well), sand and a small percentage of chemicals (less than 2 percent of the total mixture) are injected under high pressure. This fluid has become a serious concern for nearby residents, especially in the Northeastern states. Unlike the Barnett Shale in Texas where the fracking sewage can be injected deep underground, the underlying rocks of the Marcellus Shale are not porous enough, therefore, groundwater contamination has been suspected in nearby areas, including New York and Pennsylvania. Beyond the potential for groundwater contamination, hazardous air emissions in the form of greenhouse gases, namely, methane, and the unknown long-term effects of localized “micro-earthquakes” are all valid environmental concerns that need be addressed.
Fracking in California
Vertical hydraulic fracking has been used in California for over fifty years. According to the West States Petroleum Association, more than six hundred wells were fracked in California last year. The Inglewood oil field in Los Angeles County, which covers a thousand acres, is the largest urban oilfield in the nation so far. It was reported as being fracked again by the oil and gas company, Plains Exploration & Production Co. (PXP) in 2012. According to The Environmental Working Group (EWG), fracking operations are currently underway in at least six California counties: Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Yet, the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) currently lacks a statewide fracking standard. Unless residents actually make an official evaluation request, they won’t know when and where fracking wells are being drilled, or what kinds of chemicals and potential pollutants are being injected into the earth. Unlike regulations in the Northeastern states, the DOGGR does not currently require oil companies to disclose any fracking-related information. This unregulated fracking in California has motivated environmental groups to take a more aggressive stance. In October, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), charging the DOGGR with failing in its duty to regulate oil and gas well activities while taking fracking into consideration.
Future Development
Public concern about the chemical content of fracking fluid has grown. The gas industry maintains that fracking is safe, so long as it’s managed properly. Regardless, many environmentalists and public health advocates are demanding more transparency and regulation. To date, detailed information about the chemical content of the fracking fluid remains publicly undisclosed. Fracking has yet to be federally regulated, although pressure from state lawmakers and environmentalists in California has forced draft proposals of regulation to be drawn in recent days. On the Federal front, the EPA did finally issue a set of regulations with regards to the fracking process in early 2012, however, these measures won’t even go into effect until 2015. Still, some states have taken the initiative and already enacted rules or legislation on fracking disclosure, including Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming.
ECO FUN!
Have a Green Holiday Season
Have you ever thought about the impact the holidays have on the environment?
Increased energy consumption, the purchase of Christmas trees, holiday travel, and the frenzy of buying gifts and wrapping paper can all put a strain on our planet this holiday season. However, there is much that each of us can do to lessen this impact. Empower yourself to make eco-friendly decisions with this quiz, and enjoy the spirit of the season with a clear conscience.
1. How much less energy do LED holiday lights use than larger, traditional bulbs?
a. 10%
b. 30%
c. 60%
d. 90% 2. How many kilograms of greenhouse gas does a natural Christmas tree generate every
year?
a. 3.1 kg
b. 4.5 kg
c. 6.2 kg
d. 8.1 kg 3. How many kilograms of greenhouse gas does an artificial Christmas tree generate
every year?
a. 3.1 kg
b. 4.5 kg
c. 6.2 kg
d. 8.1 kg 4. What percentage of all battery sales occur over the holiday season?
a. 20%
b. 40%
c. 60%
d. 80% 5. Of the 50 million Christmas trees purchased in the United States every year, about how
many go to the landfill?
a. 10 million
b. 20 million
c. 30 million
d. 40 million 6. How many trees need to be harvested to satisfy demand for holiday cards over the
season?
a. 80,000
b. 300,000
c. 700,000
d. 1 million 7. If everyone in the U.S. wrapped just three gifts in recycled paper or fabric gift bags,
enough paper would be saved to cover ______ hockey rinks.
a. 45,000
b. 60,000
c. 85,000
d. 1 million 8. How many miles of ribbon will be used this year?
a. 500
b. 6,300
c. 12,000
d. 38,000
Answers:
1. d. Some LED bulbs use only 10% of the energy of traditional varieties.
2. a. Consider buying a potted tree, which can be replanted later.
3. d. Artificial trees generate more greenhouse gases than live trees over their lifetime,
due to plastics used in their manufacture, transportation costs, and disposal in landfills.
4. b. Consider giving gifts that don’t require batteries, or use rechargeable batteries.
5. c. Live trees can be composted. Look into drop-off locations in your neighborhood.
6. b. Good alternatives to purchasing cards are homemade ones made from old calendars,
recycled paper, or children’s artwork. You can also go paperless altogether, with e-cards.
7. a. There are also many alternatives to wrapping paper, such as old maps, newspaper,
posters, calendars, paper grocery bags, or fabric scraps. Wrapping paper made from
recycled content or hemp is also available. Reuse gift wrap whenever possible, and use as
little tape as possible.
8. d. Ribbons and bows are also easy to save and reuse later.
We provide educational tours and events 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.
Tax Deductible Donation?
In order to be sustainable ourselves we need to rely on grants, sponsorship and donations.
Please consider making a tax deductible donation to our 501(c)3 to help connect more people to solutions for our future.
