Nourish The Spirit » Green living

SF Bay’s 16th Annual “Ride Your Bike to Work Day”

Vera — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:18:39 +0000

Bike to Work Today!

(Yup, it totally snuck up on us! But better late than never…)

Today, Thursday May 13^th, is the SF Bay Area’s 16^th annual Bike to Work Day, so get up and get out there! If you don’t have a bike, take public transport (or better yet, take a walk and check out all the suit & tie cyclists on their afternoon commutes). This year’s event extends throughout all nine Bay Area counties, so don’t think you’re off the hook just because you’re no city dweller. If a cycle-bound commute isn’t in the cards, ride your bike after work: take a spin with the kids, pick up some fresh local flowers via bicycle for someone you love, or simply take a cruise down main street to show your support.

Visit www.youcanbikethere.com for info about today’s events, including Energizer Stations (complete with “free snacks, canvas bike bags and good cheer” to keep you ridin’ high), a photo contest for the site that could win you a free Bike to Work Day T-shirt, after-hours Bike Away from Work Parties and more.

The site also offers commuter cycling news, updates, and convenience and safety tips for biking businesspeople the Bay Area over: a great resource for cyclists and the drivers who respect and watch out for them alike.

So go outside, Be Kind & Bicycle!

Contributed by Lauren Westerfield

Charlie Starbuck’s Green Thumb

Vera — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:52:01 +0000

SF volunteer’s commitment brings trees to the city’s urban landscape

For all our eco-awareness here in the Bay Area, our standard-bearing city of San Francisco is remarkably short on trees. Shady, life-giving greenery covers a mere 12% of the city – and chances are, if you pass by one of these precious trees, Charlie Starbuck had a hand in putting it there.

Starbuck, a former tax lawyer and member of the San Francisco city planning commission, began volunteering with the city’s Friends of the Urban Forest organization (FUF) back when it first took to the streets to plant trees in 1981. Since then, he’s dedicated unpaid hours each week, in all weather (quite a feat in some our chillier seasons!) to planting trees with loving, expert care. In reference to his work with FUF, Starbuck (quoted in the Christian Science Monitor) says “it’s easy to be obsessed with it because of the whole transformation that occurs. You change so much [by planting tress] in one morning. It’s an emotional high for me.”

Get inspired by a Starbuck that has nothing to do with mass produced coffee products: if you live in the city, plant a tree – or better yet, reach out and get involved with Friends of the Urban Forest yourself. Visit www.fuf.net for more info.

Contributed by Lauren Westerfield

Veggie Gardens growin’

Vera — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:39:22 +0000

San Francisco made a big statement with its new veggie garden, planted right in front of City Hall, and a highlight to many seeing it for the first time at Slow Food Nation. Tickets to lectures and an exclusive 50,000 square foot tasting pavillion made it possible to hold the public event there for free, where the public had a chance to meet farmers by the new edible, organic garden.

Various organizations helped build it, ncluding City Slicker Farms with donations from Seeds of Change. It’s there as a reminder of where food comes from – a key mission of Slow Food, and wouldn’t be there without mayor Gavin Newson’s support.

Volunteer opportunities
You can volunteer to work at the garden by contacting anna-AT-slowfoodnation-DOT-org. Produce that’s harvested goes to the SF Food Bank.

Boycott bottled water – take back the tap

Vera — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:19:11 +0000

I recently created a Facebook group for Take Back the Tap after reading Bottlemania by Elizabeth Royte. Years ago we somehow got sold on the idea that bottled water was the healthy thing to drink. But doing so, we’re draining water reservoirs from communities that depend on it in plastic bottles that end up in landfills. This not only hurts small towns and depletes natural resources, but consumes tons of oil for both gas and plastic production.

Bottled water companies claim health benefits over tap water that aren’t true. New York City, Portland, and San Francisco are all getting active in taking bottled water off their menus and large public events. At Slow Food Nation in SF, an estimated 100,000 plastic bottles were spared from going in landfills when tap water was used as a substitute.

There’s lots of information on how to go back to tap water on Food and Water Watch. Check out Gristmill or watch Thirst to learn about the bigger picture, including issues like water privatization. We have to prevent water from becoming the new oil.