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September 2007
Welcome to Urban Ecology’s new volunteer e-newsletter: As you can see above, if you’re receiving this, you’ve got to be cool: either because you’ve been involved in one of our very worthy projects, or are just interested in the kind of world we are striving to help design. With this newsletter we hope to keep you informed about what we’re doing and where we need your help—and other topical events we’re involved in or are just happening in the Bay Area. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful.
thanks
§ We want to thank volunteers, including Jennifer Beechinor and Maya Baraona, who have been assisting us recently, especially with the East Bay Greenway. Most generous of all has been Cate Bainton, who has been devoting significant time, creative energy, and design skills to the Greenway project over many months. Thank you, Cate!
a call for volunteers!
Here’s the most important item in this e-newsletter: We need your involvement in the East Bay Greenway project! Right now we are working furiously on the Draft Concept Plan that we will present to the community this fall, and then we will be incorporating that community input and publishing the Final Concept Plan at the end of the year. So we need volunteers who are interested in research, writing, publication layout, and community meetings—definitely something for all skills and interests. We’ve discovered this year that the most effective way for volunteers to learn about our projects and needs, and for us to get to know you and your talents and interests, is to host a gathering where we can all meet and talk. So, we hope you can join us next week for:
A GATHERING TO LEARN ABOUT THE EAST BAY GREENWAY AND VOLUNTEERING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, from 5:30 to 7PM
In our Conference Room on the 10th floor of 582 Market Street @ Montgomery
There will be food and drink, cool people, information on the Greenway and volunteer opportunities, and opportunities to chat and ask questions
Click here to
RSVP that you WILL be joining us next Wednesday; click here if you
can’t come but are still interested in volunteering on the Greenway
project (if you are interested at all it would be great if you could come for
even part of the time…) Also check out our website at www.urbanecology.org/current
project updates
§ UE is close to completing a community needs survey for the Central Market Community Benefit District (CMCBD). This survey engaged all of the diverse constituencies in the community, and will help this new CBD to decide on priority programs and projects. We will attach links to the finished survey report and presentation in our next “You Are Here;” in the meantime learn more about the CMCBD at http://www.central-market.org . Thank you again to the great street facilitation work done by volunteers Andrew Hyder., Odile Estrella, Lucy Corbett, Jennifer Beechinor, Carrie Foster, Carrie Havila, Chris Hodges, and Maya Baraona.
§
Oakland Schoolyards: At Garfield Elementary School, our work with
EBAYC and Grey Kolevzon, the school district, and teachers, parents, and
students has resulted in a great Sun Garden, the schoolyard getting repaved
over the summer, and new schoolyard courts, shade tress, and entry gate this
fall; all of these were components of the schoolyard plan we designed.
At the Urban Promise Academy,
the schoolyard plan we designed with the administration, teachers, parents, and
students has been incorporated in the new gym plans by the school district, and
Councilmember de la Fuente has pledged matching funds for a artificial-turf
mini-field. At the Manzanita Schools
we will be kicking-off the planning process with parents, students, and staff
this fall. We are now working with EBAYC to design and fund an Oakland Schoolyards Initiative pilot
program that would focus on making the schoolyards and adjacent parks real
community assets at these and several other schools. Check out our website at www.urbanecology.org/current
§
UE
is acting as one of the co-conveners with the Alameda County Public Health
Department and the Alameda County Community Food Bank of the Oakland Food & Fitness Collaborative, a
W.K. Kellogg Foundation-funded initiative to create healthier and more vibrant
communities through the intersect of the built environment, physical activity,
and food access. Please visit www.wkkf.org/default.aspx
recent press
§ Go to www.activeliving.org/node/672 to see a nice piece on the East Bay Greenway project. The Active Living Network is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported initiative focusing on organizations and projects working in the intersect of the built environment and health.
§
Go
to www.contracostatimes.com
people
§
We
are very excited to welcome two new UE board members: Dick Jackson, Adjunct Professor of
Environmental Health and of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley; and,
Katherine Williams, Rose
Architectural Fellow at the Visitacion Valley Community Development Corporation
located in San Francisco.
Please visit our website at www.urbanecology.org/directors
§ Phil Olmstead, who had headed up our Greenway community outreach efforts amongst so many others responsibilities, left UE this summer to return to school at UC Berkeley for a graduate degree in Planning. We miss him!
§ Most of our volunteers have gotten to work with our incredible interns Kali Futnani and Ines Lei, both of whom are integral members of the Greenway design team and are involved in all of our other projects; Kali also played a major role in designing the survey, analyzing results, and working with volunteers on our Central Market CBD project. Please visit our website at www.urbanecology.org/staff.htm to see profiles of them, as well as to learn about our two great summer interns: Carrie Harvila, working on the Greenway; and, Paul Goodrich, working on fund development.
some upcoming events + links
§
Architecture and the City Festival: Sponsored by AIA San Francisco from 9/1-30. www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public
§
Dwell on Design Conference: in San Francisco 9/14-16. www.dwell.com/services/conferen
§ West Coast Green: in San Francisco 9/20-22. www.westcoastgreen.com
§ PARK(ing) DAY: 9/21. www.parkingday.org
§
San Francisco Green Home Tour: 9/23. www.builditgreen.org/tours
§
American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Annual Conference: in San Francisco,
10/6-9. www.asla.org/meetings/am2007
§
“Manufactured Landscapes:” The UE staff recently went to see
this documentary focusing on Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, who is
known for his large-scale photographs of nature transformed by industry.
It’s finished its Bay Area theater run, but it would be well worth seeing
when it comes out on DVD. www.mongrelmedia.com/films
some on-going events + links
§ SPUR Forums: Weekdays 12:30-1:30pm. www.spur.org/forum/calendar
§
East Bay Green Drinks: Sponsored by Sustainable Business Alliance
every 3rd Wednesday at Green City Gallery in Berkeley 5:30-8pm. http://www.sustainablebiz.org
§ Green Movie Night & Forum: sponsored by Urban Alliance for Sustainability @ Roxie Film Center every 3rd Thursday @ 6:30pm. www.roxie.com
§
StopWaste.org workshops and classes in Oakland. www.stopwaste.org/home/index
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If you have any other newsletter comments or questions, please email Winston Dong at winston@urbanecology.org