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Bay Localize News #15: Stop the PG&E Power Grab & Climate Backlash (Winter '10)

Years of progress on clean power and climate action are under attack here in California.

The worst example this year is Prop 16, the PG&E Power Grab, slated to appear on the June ballot. PG&E is the sole financier of a retrograde initiative that seeks to enshrine their monopoly in the California Constitution. PG&E seeks to reduce consumer choice by crippling public power and Community Choice energy programs, thereby locking us into PG&E's high rates forever. They say they are doing it to protect us, but this is clearly about protecting shareholder profits at the expense of our communities.

Another backlash initiative spearheaded by Assemblyman Dan Logue seeks to suspend AB 32, the "Global Warming Solutions Act," at least until the state's unemployment rate drops to 5.5 percent. That may never happen. If passed in November, it would halt AB 32 and undo many of the critical steps that have already been taken to shift California to clean energy.

Thankfully, we can beat back these misguided initiatives and let the special interests know that we'll stand up for our communities and our natural heritage.

That's exactly what we're doing at Bay Localize:

Read on for full details, more exciting news from around the Bay Area, and a wealth of opportunities to get involved in the growing community resilience movement!

Toward a just, vibrant, and resilient Bay Area for all,

—Aaron, Dave, Emily, Jenni, Linda, Kirsten, Nile, Rachel, Rosa, and Tad


Help Us Bring the Bay Area to the US Social Forum!

This June 22-26, the US Social Forum will take place in Detroit, Michigan, bringing together a powerful multi-racial, cross-sector movement to push grassroots solutions to our deepening economic and ecological crises. Bay Localize is working with Movement Generation and other allies to co-organize workshops and other activities at the Forum, and we're also planning a reportback event later this year to share what we learn.

» Sponsor a Bay Area delegate — donate today!


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Bay Area 2020 Program:

Local Clean Energy Campaign:

Use Your Roof! Project:

Special Features:


Bay Area 2020 Program:
Strengthen Your Community — Schedule a Resilience Workshop Today!

Bay Localize is busy scheduling Community Resilience Workshops with organizations interested in planning for stronger, more socially just communities. We're especially interested in partnering with community organizing groups in low-income communities and communities of color. Contact Tad at tad@baylocalize.org if you'd like to discuss co-hosting a workshop with us.

Also, stay tuned for public Community Resilience Workshops co-sponsored with Transition San Francisco this April and with the Ella Baker Center this fall.

Community Resilience Workshops are for people engaged in their community anywhere in the Bay Area to explore:

  • Specific impacts of climate change and peak oil in the Bay Area
  • What community resilience looks like on the ground
  • Assessing strengths, weaknesses, and opportunity in your community
  • Innovative models for community action
  • Identifying priorities for your community to build resilience
  • Getting involved in the bigger political change we need to address these challenges

To learn more about our approach and workshop materials, download your FREE copy of the Community Resilience Toolkit.

Local Resilience Network Builds Bay Area Movement

As we embark on a new decade, we're looking to jump-start the work we're all doing to meet the growing challenges of economic recession, climate change, and rising food and energy costs. Toward this end, we're inviting Bay Area organizations to become part of a growing network of leaders that we hope will become a valuable asset in our work to build a stronger, more socially just region.

We seek to build a network of community resilience leaders spanning the 9-county Bay Area that:

  • Supports on-the ground projects and model policies that boost local self-reliance
  • Disseminates tools, models, best practices, and lessons learned throughout our region
  • Builds a powerful movement to advance a resilience agenda from our neighborhoods to City Hall to regional agencies

We envision special gatherings/events, group calls/video teleconferences, new online forums/resource libraries as well as workshops and trainings to help us all increase our effectiveness. In collaboration with Transition US, we're also in the beginning stages of planning one of the biggest, most exciting convergences of community leaders and organizers this region has ever seen!

JOIN US! If your organization, business, or community group is interested in joining, please contact our Network Development Director Aaron Lehmer at aaron@baylocalize.org. We're excited about the formation of this new network and look forward to having you join us in a collaboration that will help create a sustainable, equitable, and resilient Bay Area for all.

Localization News from Around the Bay

San Francisco: Dirty Power Plant Closes, New Green Initiatives Launch

San Francisco advocates cleared the final hurdle in shuttering the polluting Mirant gas fired power plant in the Bayview when the California Independent System Operator — an obscure agency in charge of our state electrical grid — signed off on the plan. Congratulations!

Also, the City of San Francisco has been busy hiring low-income youth and parents (under Cal WORKS) for green jobs conducting community outreach on its many environmental initiatives. Two such initiatives are GreenFinanceSF, a new clean energy and water/energy efficiency financing program, and CleanPowerSF, the city's very own Community Choice energy program that will provide San Franciscans with at least 50% of their electricity from renewable resources and energy efficiency within ten years!

East Bay: Berkeley Launches Climate Portal, Alameda Promotes Composting

Wondering if your city is actually progressing towards its climate action goals? The City of Berkeley has launched an impressive interactive web site on which you can track real city trends in energy use, availability of carshares, and other nuts-and-bolts measures toward hope — or need for improvement. Check it out at http://berkeley.visiblestrategies.com.

Also, Alameda County has enacted a new law to make sure landscapers are composting plant debris instead of dumping it in landfills. More compost for us! For full details, visit www.LandfillBan.org.

North Bay: PG&E Bombards Marin Residents with Deceptive Mailers

Residents of Marin County are receiving deceptive mailers from the "Common Sense Coalition" — PG&E masquerading as community — urging them to opt-out of Marin Clean Energy's emerging Community Choice energy program. If you get a slick mailer about energy, look to see who paid for it!

South Bay: Sierra Club Campaigns for Climate-Friendly Communities

The Sierra Club's Loma Prieta Chapter is holding a series of trainings on grassroots organizing for "Climate-Friendly Communities" to increase citizen support of and involvement in proposals for livable, climate-friendly communities.

Region-wide: Students Take a Stand for Affordable, Quality Education

On March 4th, high school and college students throughout the state orchestrated a broad-based show of power to stop budget cuts to public education. What does California's resurgent student movement have to do with community resilience? Everything! We need some major people power to invest public resources in building just and sustainable communities instead of prisons and oil wars. California students are stepping up to the challenge. Look for announcements of student-led town hall meetings later in March, and stand in solidarity with this important movement. For more info, and ways to get involved, go to StudentActivism.net or StandUpforSchools.org.



Local Clean Energy Campaign:
Clean Power Conference Builds Momentum for Local Clean Energy

The Clean Power, Healthy Communities conference was a smashing success thanks to our speakers, volunteers, and participants (see photos at right). On February 10-11, over 175 staffers from local government, the Attorney General's office, representatives from clean tech industries, and leaders from area nonprofits and community organizations all came together to help build a healthier, more equitable, clean energy-powered Bay Area.

One of the key themes throughout the conference was the need for greater collaboration, information sharing, and regional coordination. In the first keynote, Bill Gallegos of Communities For a Better Environment said that all large-scale change in the face of entrenched interests has been led by social movements and that local clean energy will be no exception.

In this spirit, a key part of the conference was an organizing session that formed working groups to focus on five priority campaigns: stopping the PG&E Power Grab, advancing strong climate action plans, fighting dirty power plants, spurring clean energy financing programs, and forwarding Community Choice Energy. If you would like to join a working group, please contact one of the lead coordinators to get involved!

The conference sold out a week before it started and the proceedings were streamed live on Ustream.com. We are in the process of uploading videos of the keynote presenters, plenary speakers, and selected breakout sessions, some of which are available at http://localcleanenergy.blip.tv. Our main conference page features the conference agenda, full list of speakers, and selected presentations.

Stop the PG&E Power Grab — Protect Local Energy Competition

PG&E plans to spend at least $30 million on Prop 16, a deceptive ballot initiative named the "New Two-Thirds Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers." Prop 16 would amend the California Constitution to require local governments to obtain 2/3 super-majority voter approval before issuing public financing for a Community Choice energy program or for extending a public power utility (see video at left of Mark Toney from The Utility Reform Network).

In other words, Prop 16 seeks to enshrine PG&E's monopoly into state law. In addition, Prop 16 means higher rates and less choices for consumers. If it passes, Prop 16 will kill Community Choice and mortally wound public power.

At our recent conference, a Working Group formed charged with organizing the Bay Area to defeat PG&E's Prop 16. The group is building a strong Bay Area coalition while supporting the statewide campaign. Check out the "Stop the PG&E PowerGrab" GoogleGroup to get involved in the effort, learn about upcoming events, calls, and actions, and post news about what's going on in your community. Visit or join the GoogleGroup at http://groups.google.com/group/powergrab?hl=en. (NOTE: You can manage your preferences or un-subscribe at any time.)

For more information on the NO on Prop 16 campaign, visit http://www.localcleanenergy.org/powergrab

TAKE ACTION! Speak Out for Strong Bay Area Climate Goals

What's it going to take for the Bay Area to get serious about climate change? You!

Regional and state agencies are considering how much to cut greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles in the Bay Area. Bay Localize supports science-based targets that will put us on track to stabilize our climate. The work of UN and NASA climate scientists indicate that wealthy countries need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. That's a lot! But we can get there if we all do our part.

Unfortunately, the targets that public agencies are considering for the Bay Area are far weaker than what science requires. Every sector needs to do its part. The livability of our region and our world is at stake.

On March 10, we'll have a chance to send a loud and clear message to government officials: Be ambitious! Don't compromise on our climate. We need to commit to total emissions cuts of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. This will also maximize co-benefits for our communities like cleaner air, convenient transit, healthy walking and biking networks, and green jobs.

Speak out for strong Bay Area climate action goals!

  WHEN: Wednesday, March 10 from 2 to 4 pm

  WHERE: Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, 101 8th St. (by Lake Merritt BART)

  » RSVP to Emily today!

The hearing is hosted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), California Air Resources Board (CARB), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).

Check out TransForm's website for more information on California's law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and land use, SB 375.

Come to March 30 Rally and Hearing for Strong Climate Action in Oakland

On March 30, Oakland City Council will have its first major hearing about the city's Energy and Climate Action Plan. To make sure it's strong and uplifting for all of Oakland, the Local Clean Energy Alliance and the Oakland Climate Action Coalition are throwing a rally to show the broad-based, cross-sector coalition that's standing together.

  WHEN: Tuesday, March 30 at 4:15 pm (followed by 5:30 City Council hearing)

  WHERE: Front steps of Oakland City Hall, near 14th and Broadway, Oakland

  » RSVP Today!

Unlike most City Council hearings, this one really will start promptly at 5:30, and the Energy and Climate Action Plan is the first thing on the agenda. Even if you're not an Oakland resident, you can still show your support for an innovative, inclusive approach to fighting climate change.

The Oakland Climate Action Coalition is calling for a plan that cuts pollution and at the same time creates green-collar jobs, saves residents money and improves health, especially for communities most impacted by climate change. Let Oakland City Council know that there's broad support for a robust climate action plan — click here to sign the Oakland Climate Action Coalition petition!


Community Choice Energy Leaps Forward in Marin, SF

Thanks to many years of hard work by community advocates, Marin Clean Energy will be California's first Community Choice Energy initiative and the first green Community Choice program in the nation.

On February 4, the Marin Energy Authority Board approved a 5 year contract with Shell Energy North America to launch Marin Clean Energy this June, with a goal of providing 50% renewable energy in five years while keeping rates at or below PG&E's. Watch the video at left of Supervisor Charles McGlashan's hilarious talk on the heroic efforts of local activists to make this vision a reality.

On February 23, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to move forward with its own Community Choice Program - CleanPowerSF. The city is in negotiations with Power Choice LLC and hopes to have a contract ready for Board of Supervisors approval by the end of March. Our allies at Our City and Brightline Defense Project are working hard to ensure that CleanPowerSF maximizes local rooftop solar to help strengthen our communities.

Bay Area Cities Receive Millions for Energy Efficiency

On February 11, the California Energy Commission awarded 12 State Energy Program stimulus grants totaling $110 million. The grants went towards municipal financing, municipal and commercial building retrofits, and comprehensive residential energy efficiency programs.

The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program and City of San Francisco received $2.5M and $2M respectively for their financing programs. Oakland received the largest single grant for a targeted retrofit project that incentivizes and drives energy retrofits in Oakland's downtown commercial sector and includes workforce development through the Oakland Green Jobs Corp. Oakland was a partner in 5 grants, totaling more than $40 million, that will create or retain more than 4,000 jobs statewide.

Green Faith In Action: Church-goers Make Homes Energy Efficient

We're moving to the next phase in our Green Faith In Action project to promote residential energy efficiency and green jobs within faith-based communities in Richmond and Marin.

Marin congregants who received "green house calls" from youth from a local green jobs training program agreed to share their energy use information so the actual energy and money saved can be measured over time. We recently met with members of the church in Richmond about assessing their energy information as well, and shared with them the many green job training/employment opportunities for youth and adults in Richmond.

Next, we will start comparing home energy use before and after the "green house calls" were performed, noting energy savings and other trends. Both churches are looking at various ways of engaging their members in reducing energy use and raising awareness around environmental stewardship. The church in Richmond is starting a large garden in a plot adjacent to the church with hopes of sharing fresh produce with neighbors and church members.

In Richmond, we're working to establish a Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) requiring energy efficiency measures at the point of sale on homes. The plan is intended to make homes measurably more energy efficient using high-end testing and upgrades and employing a locally trained workforce. The ordinance will include foreclosures (about 3,500 homes) — something no other ordinance in the country has included to date. A draft of the ordinance is expected this month, with the intent of being ready to go before the Richmond City Council by late spring or early summer of this year. So far, Council Member Jeff Ritterman is fully supporting this effort, which would improve property values, save energy, and employ a steady green workforce.

Richmond has also received stimulus money to implement energy efficiency projects throughout the city. Several projects will target low- to middle-income residents. We are working with the city and church members about partnering on these projects, as the city will need participants within several months.

Use Your Roof! Project:
SF Forwards Green Roof Incentives, Oakland Rooftop Garden Needs Your Help!

Green Roof Alliance Wins Victory in SF, Cal Academy's Living Roof Thrives

The rainfall on a recent winter day lent an additional element of awe to the living roof system on top of the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). Its presence allowed a glimpse of the complete benefits the green roof provides — native habitat space, energy efficiency, and stormwater treatment were all on view. Bay Localize colleagues took it in on a tour of the perimeter, and gleaned inspiring tidbits from the roof's caretaker, CAS employee Kendra Hauser (in photo at far right with former Use Your Roof Intern Leah Fessenden).

We geeked out just the tiniest bit, and this magnificent green roof is veritable cause for stampedes: at just over a year old, the museum's rooftop has provided millions of visitors with information on the habitat and multiple benefits of that the living roofs can offer. And it goes further. San Francisco public policy makers are beginning to realize the numerous payoffs afforded by these systems, which have already been pioneered by cities across the country, and are penciling green roofs into long-term strategies. The newly drafted Stormwater Management Ordinance and Stormwater Design Guidelines, currently working their way to the Board of Supervisors, bode well for new green roofs filling in the patchwork of rooftops across the city.

The roof at the California Academy of Sciences certainly sets a stunning example to follow. The design was a collaboration between architect Renzo Piano and the ecological design firm Rana Creek. The result is a living roof of 2.5 acres, sited complete with rooftop hills with slopes of up to 60 degrees, several microclimates, 1.7 million plants comprised of 80 different native species and four productive beehives.

It is its role as an evolving native habitat that makes the roof an asset to the local ecology. Since installation in 2008, the living roof boasted a higher concentration of native insects than are present in the adjacent park at ground level. As it matures, different plants may predominate in different sections than in these first few seasons, and correlating cycles of insect and bird species will provide rich material for viewers and scientists to reconnect with a native habitat.

The plants, insects and native ecosystems are not the only ones benefiting from the presence of the living roof. The six inches of soil reduce the energy needs of the 400,000 square foot building by approximately ten percent through decreased demands of the cooling and heating systems. Over the course of its first year, the roof retained 98% of its rainfall, preventing 3.6 million gallons of water from entering the stormwater system. Especially during the El Niño season, this onsite stormwater retention reduces stress on our watershed and lowers costs for municipal wastewater treatment. And San Francisco is planning for wider implementation of green roofs to see those benefits city wide. Under the proposed Stormwater Management Ordinance, new and redevelopment projects above a threshold of 5,000 sq ft of ground surface disturbance will soon be required to meet onsite stormwater treatment goals which includes green roofs as a strategy.

The benefits have been proven and accepted; the popularity of green roofs beyond the California Academy of Sciences is apparent. Bay Localize and our allies at the newly-formed Green Roof Alliance spoke before the SFPUC, which unanimously voted in favor of our proposed amendment to further promote green roofs as a stormwater solution. It is clear that there will be a greener skyline in San Francisco's future, an important stepping stone for the rest of the Bay Area to follow suit. Even more exciting, SFPUC staff have expressed a desire to work with advocates to include green roofs more prominently in city ordinances, property-based financing programs, and other policies in the months and years ahead.

Still, infrastructure like green roofs often have high installation costs, so the role of first wave demonstrations sites like the rooftop at California Academy of Sciences are important to increase the public's awareness of the possibilities that exist and inform them of the benefits. But without strong leadership from other regional municipal governments, these projects are out of reach for most Bay Area residents. Cities across the country, from Portland to Philadelphia, are encouraging green roofs by using incentives, rebates, building code and stormwater ordinances. San Francisco is the first major Bay Area city to develop a guideline that sets requirements and encourages green roofs. Other governments should consider leveraging green building codes that promote green roofs as a multi-prong strategy; energy efficiency incentives; expedited permitting or Floor Area Ratio bonuses to developers including green roofs into their projects; or for cities that already have a stormwater fee, develop discounts and incentives for properties that incorporate onsite stormwater treatment. To get involved, visit the Green Roof Alliance GoogleGroup page.

Our recent visit to the Academy of Sciences planted in my mind how definitively green roofs are ready to materialize in a big way in the Bay Area. Bay Localize will continue to advocate for green roofs as sensible infrastructure ready to take root in our communities, for the holistic health of our urban habitats.

Thanks to Leah Fessenden!

Leah FessendenBay Localize wishes to acknowledge the hard work of Leah Fessenden, who contributed mightily to the cause of community resilience for over a half a year as our Use Your Roof Project Intern. She played a central role in outreach, event organizing, and policy advocacy, and deserves special recognition for all her hard work. Leah continues her studies in Environmental Management at Merritt College, serves as a living roof advisor for Bay Localize, and weekends as a friendly organic produce vendor at Oakland and San Francisco farmers markets.

Thanks Leah!

Get Your Hands Dirty at Oakland's School Rooftop Garden

Almost three years ago, the EC Reems K-8 school had a rooftop like most others, barren and unused. But thanks to the efforts of Oakland Food Connection, Bay Localize, school leaders, students and members of the community, this thriving rooftop garden now produces healthy food, promotes balanced nutrition, and serves as a gathering place for the local community. Having began as seven raised garden beds and a composting system, the garden now consists of a green house, 35 garden beds and 20 hanging herb beds!

It is inspiring to see how this rooftop garden has flourished, even more so, to see how members of the community have come together to make it happen. Now that spring is nearly here, it's time once again to prepare the raised beds for planting and revitalize the garden.

Come to EC Reems' next work day and help build local community resilience!

  WHERE: EC Reems Academy, 8425 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland

  WHEN: Saturday, March 20, 9:30 am to 2 pm

  » RSVP to Rachel Today!

We need help with the following:

  • Build 2-3 raised beds
  • Clean and maintain garden – planting & weeding
  • Build shelves for the green house*
  • Transfer compost to 7+ beds on the rooftop

* If you have carpentry skills, please let us know. We'll need several folks to focus on building out the green house shelving.

Also, please bring your own gloves, and any hammers or shovels you may have. And while there will be some food and drink for lunch, we strongly encourage you to bring your own dish or beverage to share. We look forward to seeing you there!

Available Online and at Bookstores: Use Your Roof Guidebook!

Rooftop revolutionaries rejoice! Check out Bay Localize's popular publication, Use Your Roof Guidebook: Resources and Considerations for Rainwater Catchment, Living Roofs and Solar Power. The booklet draws from the groundbreaking research of Tapping the Potential of Urban Rooftops, as well as other research findings from the field, and offers guidelines for selecting an appropriate rooftop system and embarking on the design and implementation process.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

Use Your Roof is available at select bookstores around the San Francisco Bay Area — help us keep the sales going! Purchase your own copy for as little as $7.00! It's vital that we continue demonstrating the rising interest and help the local economy and the movement grow — so let people in your network know or buy a few copies for friends and family! Our growing list of stores includes:

East Bay

  • Bookshop Benicia, 856 Southampton Road, Benicia, CA 94510
  • Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, 1310 McGee Ave., Berkeley, CA 94703
  • Berkeley Indoor Garden Hydro, 844 University Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710
  • Builders Book Source, 1817 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710
  • Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Berkeley, CA 94702
  • Mrs. Dalloway's, 2904 College Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705

San Francisco

  • Dog Eared Books, 900 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Flora Grubb Gardens, 1634 Jerold Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124
  • Modern Times Bookstore, 888 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Needles and Pens, 3253 16th St. (bet. Guerrero and Dolores), San Francisco, CA 94103

Independent Online Reseller

The Fire in the Belly
Community Organizing, The Shift, and Global Responsibility

"The Fire in the Belly" is a regular feature in our newsletter on what personally motivates people to work on localization. This issue features Derrick Ashong — or DNA as he is sometimes known — a musician, performer, progressive social change agent, and host of The Derrick Ashong Experience on Oprah Radio.

These essays are personal statements exploring the diverse viewpoints that lead to localization as an organizing framework, and as such do not necessarily reflect the positions of Bay Localize.

When people ask me what I do, I always tell them I'm an artist. See, I think there's a skewed perception of what artistry is in this day and age. Right now, anybody who you see on television or has a record deal or a TV show is allegedly an artist, and I don't think that's really the definition of the term. An artist is different from a journalist; a journalist is supposed to take a dispassionate look at the world around, and report what's happening. What artists do is they look at the world around and they interpret it, and then they represent it in a way that when you see it — when you commune with it — you can look at it and see some fundamental element of truth, where you can say, "Oh my God. That's what I would've said if I could have said it." In everything that I do, I bring an artist's perspective to it.

Right now, we've got an information glut in our world. You're looking at the television, you've got stuff coming to you from your laptop, and from your BlackBerry — constant information. Social media has been a very powerful tool in better connecting us and enabling us to communicate with each other about our ideas and values. But at a certain point, you got to be able to sift through all that information. We have to move into "socially meaningful media" — you're not just getting information for information's sake, and you're not part of a network for the network's sake. It's about the quality of what it does in your life, and what it enables you to do. It also helps to shift your own perception of your place in the world, and your power in it. It's more valuable when you put that interpretive lens on it.

I recently appeared in a movie entitled The Shift, which sheds light on a movement happening worldwide — the greatest movement ever known in humankind. It is comprised of all the people around the world who are working and striving to make our world a better place. It's about the people who have realized, "It's not about me." This has got to be a world that functions for "we." The interesting thing about it is that it has no leader, it has no face. People are doing it independently because they believe, "Yes, we want to have cleaner water, and my community ain't got it. Or, we want to make sure that people can access better food in my Bay Area community. Clean technologies, better air quality, better quality of life, free of dependency on oil in foreign places..." The shift is an acknowledgment that this is not a bunch of little people running around the planet trying to do good. This is a shift in human consciousness, and it is the next stage in our evolution toward not only a better planet, but our betterment as individuals as well.

Everything that we do in the Bay Area is actually tied to people across the planet that are seeking to do the same. If we interconnect with each other, we can better facilitate the change we want to see in our communities.

As Americans, we're the biggest economy on the planet, and we're also the biggest polluter on the planet. Because we utilize significantly more energy and resources than anywhere else in the world, we have a responsibility. If we suck up resources, people who live in other parts of the world who are suffering and struggling trying to just be, will look at us with resentment.

I think it's important to have global discourse. Once you start to look at the opportunities, the skill sets, and the intelligence that is being developed in other parts of the world, you begin to see that there are a lot more possibilities than we think. At the same time, because of the place that the United States holds in the world as an economic and military power, I think we have to bring pressure internally. Whether from grassroots mechanisms or elite mechanisms, we have to be going on all fronts.

Obama may not be the solution, but he is certainly a part of it. Let's push him to do what's right, but let's always keep mobilizing ourselves, and that young generation coming behind us, to continue to be inspired — not by the man, but by the ideas. Let's continue to advocate and agitate for the things that we want.

Photo credits: Derrick holding guitar by Gasuza, Derrick on the mic by B. Quinto

The above is an excerpt from the audio interview. If you are interested in helping us transcribe the entire interview, please contact Dave Room. Download the entire program.

About Derrick
Derrick N. Ashong, or DNA as he is sometimes known, is a Ghana, West Africa, native and has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. Taking social media to the next level, Derrick hosts The Derrick Ashong Experience on Oprah Radio, socially meaningful media designed to entertain, inform and elevate the national dialogue. He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. Derrick is a Harvard graduate and resides in Los Angeles, where he is the leader of the band, Soulfège.

For more information on Derrick, visit www.DerrickAshong.com

Bay Localize Welcomes Rosa González
Popular Educator, Writer, and Performer Joins Steering Committee

Bay Localize is proud to announce the newest member of our team, Rosa González! As coordinator of popular education for the Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (PILA), Rosa helps link political education and community organizing. She designs curricula and facilitates theater-based workshops and townhall meetings for critical community dialog. Rosa is also a member of headRush, a psycho-political performance and popular education crew dedicated to inspiring working class communities. She has a Masters in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and a Masters in Teaching from the Arts in Education program at the University of San Francisco.

Rosa first became aware of the work of Bay Localize while at a climate justice town hall meeting at La Peña Cultural Center where she was facilitating a theater-based discussion on building community solutions. "Bay Localize was one of the organizations representing at the town hall and it was clear to me that they were actively working to build local solutions, and putting them into action," said González. "I am excited to contribute my skills in popular education and community-building to Bay Localize’s participatory approach to social change." Welcome Rosa!


Bay Localize's Dave Room Joins Transition US Board
Heads Diversity Subcommittee and Transition US Diversity Working Group

Bay Localize co-founder Dave Room recently joined the board of Transition US (see photo at right), a nonprofit organization that provides inspiration, encouragement, support, networking, and training for Transition Initiatives across the United States. The Transition Movement is a vibrant, grassroots movement that seeks to build community resilience. Given his commitment to diversity and inclusion, Dave has chosen to lead the board's Diversity subcommittee and to take part in the Transition US Diversity Working Group.

Bay Localize is in discussion with Transition US and local Transition Initiatives about partnering on future trainings, workshops, and other events. See below for information on an upcoming community resilience workshop in April in partnership with Transition San Francisco.


Events Roundup: Upcoming Gatherings and Conferences

  • Protecting California's Global Warming Solutions Act
    March 11, 6-8 pm
    Central Historic Building, 436 14th St.
    2nd Floor Conference Room, Oakland
    The next meeting of Local Clean Energy Alliance will feature a conversation with Lisa Hoyos, California Coordinator of the Apollo Alliance. She will speak about the counter campaign to the efforts to Repeal AB32, California's landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, as well as building bridges between labor and environmentalists. We will also have a debrief from our recent Clean Power, Healthy Communities conference, along with reportbacks from the five Working Groups formed at the conference. Please RSVP to Emily at emily@baylocalize.org.


  • Rooftop Garden Workday at EC Reems School
    EC Reems Academy, 8425 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
    March 20, 9:30 am to 2 pm
    Join Bay Localize and Oakland Food Connection for another inspiring workday at EC Reems' school rooftop garden! Help build out new raised beds and revitalize the garden. RSVP to Rachel Today!


  • Dirt! The Movie Screening and Discussion
    March 24, 6:30 pm
    Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street, Oakland
    Come see an advanced screening of the film inspired by William Bryant Logan's acclaimed book, Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth. Find out how industrial farming, mining and urban development have led us toward cataclysmic droughts, starvation, floods and climate change. Bay Localize Program Director Kirsten Schwind will join other guests as part of a panel discussion following the film. Check out the Dirt! The Movie website for more info.


  • Women and Water: Solutions for Community Resilience
    March 31, 6 pm
    David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley
    Our allies at the Women's Earth Alliance (WEA) are hosting a Water Solutions Salon and report back from their work in Ghana. The event will include a dynamic reception, presentations on local water solutions and community resiliency projects, and live African music. WEA is a global organization uniting women on the frontlines of environmental causes. Bay Localize and our friends at DIG Coop will be tabling onsite.


  • Ecology Emerges: Bay Area as Incubator
    March 31, 6 pm
    Koret Auditorium, SF Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco
    Shaping San Francisco presents "Ecology Emerges," a four-part evening discussion series documenting Bay Area eco-activism from an historical perspective. On March 31, the series examines the Bay Area as a demonstration area for experiments that have shaped national and international ecological movements. Bay Localize Program Director Kirsten Schwind joins an esteemed panel to discuss these issues.


  • Fossil Fools Day
    April 1
    Your Town, Planet Earth
    (See website for details)
    This April 1st, prank with a purpose! Join organizations worldwide in shedding a creative light on the buffoonery occurring in our fossil-fuel-addicted world. Be it in the form of office occupations, banner drops, road blockades, spoof-product-launching, or clownish parades, no scheme is too outlandish. Get crazy, and get people talking!


  • Green Festival San Francisco
    April 10-11
    Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco
    Don't miss this momentous gathering of green leaders, organizations, businesses. November's Green Fest boasted 3 days of 140 renowned speakers and 400 green business exhibits, and its spring event is sure to see similar results. Come engage with the best in the movement! Bay Localize's Aaron Lehmer and Dave Room will speak to "Building a Bay Area that Works for All" at the Urban Green Living stage on Saturday, April 10.


  • Oakland Earth Expo
    April 14, 10 am - 2 pm
    Frank Ogawa Plaza
    A host of environmental advocates will gather outside of City Hall for EarthExpo 2010, showcasing how all of us, working together, continue to make Oakland more sustainable. Learn from green businesses, government decision makers, and community leaders and share in the solutions taking shape in the Oakland community!


  • Community Resilience and Transition Workshop
    April 17, 9:30 - 5 pm
    California Pacific Medical Center, Enright Room, 2333 Buchanan St, SF
    Bay Localize and Transition SF will convene local Transition Initiatives and other Bay Area groups for a day-long workshop on building community resilience. Using the Community Resilience Toolkit, the workshop will help groups assess their own strengths and vulnerabilities, develop action plans, and explore the many ways it can facilitate intelligent resource management and community organizing. RSVP to Ania at ania@transitionsf.org or (415) 819-9663.


  • Sustainable Peralta Conference: Ideas in Action
    April 23, 8:30 am to 5 pm
    Laney College, 900 Fallon Street, Oakland
    The theme of this year's Annual Peralta Conference on Urban Sustainability is Ideas in Action. Youth climate justice leader Kari Fulton is among the many speakers in the program, and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has been invited to share her perspective on national solutions to Climate Change. Laney's ever-expanding Green Trades programs will also be highlighted. Bay Localize will be presenting at the conference.


  • 40th Anniversary of Earth Day and the Ecology Center
    April 22, 6 - 9 pm
    Hotel Shattuck Plaza, 2086 Allston Way, Berkeley
    On April 22, 1970, both the Ecology Center and the Earth Day movement were born. Since that time, the Ecology Center has had major impacts at the local, national, and international levels. Help ring in 40 years of achievement for the environmental cause. Enjoy an evening of organic food and wine, the company of environmental visionaries, a celebration of the past, and recommitting to bold action for the next 40 years.


  • Scaling Up Local: Expanding Markets for Values-Based Food Systems
    A Farm-to-Institution Symposium
    Date, Time, and Location TBA
    The Community Alliance with Family Farmers is working hard to change the face of the food industry, and this event will give growers, buyers, and movement leaders an opportunity to connect face-to-face. The symposium will focus on sharing cutting-edge research and innovation in local food marketing, distribution, and procurement.


  • An Evening in Transition
    June 9, 5:30 pm
    Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street, San Francisco
    A Transition Town is an organized effort by people in a community to respond to the challenges of peak oil, climate change, and economic dislocation. Beginning in England in 2005, the Transition movement has grown rapidly, with 60 official US initiatives, including six in the Bay Area alone. Join Transition US Executive Director Carolyne Stayton and Bay Localize Co-Founder Dave Room, and a panel of Transition leaders for a lively introduction to Transition, locally, across the US and worldwide. Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members


Look for announcements of other upcoming gatherings on our website.

Support Bay Localize Today!

Have a Computer or Office Equipment to Donate?

Reuse is even better than recycling, and we can offer your old computer a good home! We're looking for PCs running Windows XP or later. Contact kirsten@baylocalize.org or call (510) 834-0420. We are also interested in laser printers, flat panel monitors, fax machines, and photocopiers. Tax write-offs available. Thank you for your generosity!

Invest in Bay Localize!

We would be honored to count you among our growing range of supporters. Your contribution will help us to forward localization projects and initiatives in the Bay Area. Each donor of $35 or more receives a one-year subscription to the award-winning quarterly publication, the Earth Island Journal.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click on the online donation link below, or write a check or money order made payable to Earth Island Institute (our fiscal sponsor) with "Bay Localize" in the memo and mail it to:

   Bay Localize
   436 14th Street, Suite 1216
   Oakland, CA 94612

Donate online!
https://www.earthislandprojects.org/bayLocalize/donate.html

Thanks for your support!

About Bay Localize News
Bay Localize News features regular news and updates from Bay Localize, a growing network of nonprofits, businesses, and municipal leaders working to build a more self-reliant, sustainable, and socially just Bay Area.

EDITORS: Aaron Lehmer, Jenni Perez, Kirsten Schwind

CONTRIBUTORS: Aaron Lehmer, David Room, Derrick Ashong, Kirsten Schwind, Leah Fessenden, Linda Currie, and Rachel Ortega

PHOTOGRAPHY: David Hanks Photography, Aaron Lehmer, and Lisbeth Gordon

VIDEO PRODUCTION: "Charles McGlashan, Marin County Board of Supervisors," "Clean Power, Healthy Communities Conference," and "Mark Toney, Stopping the PG&E Power Grab," by Jacob Ruff Media

For more about Bay Localize, please visit our website at http://www.baylocalize.org.


Contact Us:

   Bay Localize
   436 14th Street, Suite 1216
   Oakland, CA 94612 USA
   (510) 834-0420
   Web: http://www.baylocalize.org
   Bay Localize is a project of Earth Island Institute.

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