Paper or Canvas?
Berkeley to Vote on Plastic Bag Ban
Grocery store baggers may be asking a new question to Berkeley residents and visitors. This March, an ordinance aimed at ending the use of single-use bags in favor of reusable ones will be presented to the Berkeley City Council. The ordinance bans the use of plastic bags at checkout counters, imposes a 15 cent fee on paper bags, and requires all paper bags to be made from at least 40% post consumer recycled paper.
Dry Creek Helps Water Flow Clean
Richmond Greenway Project Well Underway
Several decades ago, California enacted environmental regulations to end direct piping of pollution into the San Francisco Bay. Yet today, pollutants continue to pour into our precious bay at alarming rates. Prior to modern settlement, the city of Richmond was a combination of mud flats and wetlands with a unique hydrological system that filtered snowmelt and stormwater before it entered the Bay. Upon urbanization, the system was permanently altered.
What's in Your Watershed?
Wriggling Earthworms
With all the rain we've been having in the Bay Area lately, earthworms moving aboveground will soon be a common sight. These valuable animals emerge from their earthen homes when excessive rainfall threatens to drown them out. Although there are many species of earthworms all across the globe, it's those of the Sparganophilus that we see around the San Francisco Bay.
A Wetter Face for Downtown Berkeley
Center Street Project Would Daylight Strawberry Creek
Imagine emerging from the downtown Berkeley BART station into a tree-shrouded plaza. Rather than the roar of cars and buses, you would hear the hum of flowing water and chatting people. Groups of musicians might be playing next to the wetland plants that would border the burbling stream curling down the center of the street. If this sounds too good to be true, think again. Thanks to the hard work of local Bay Area advocates and planners, this vision, officially known as the Center Street Proposal, is likely to become a reality in the near future.
