Author Archives: anna

Join WOGI for Community Pride Days

Get out there, get involved, and get Green!

The West Oakland Green Initiative (WOGI) will be hosting Community Pride days this month. What is a Community Pride day? Glad you asked! These will be a chance for you and your neighbors to get to know one another by banding together to improve our local community. There will be a neighborhood cleanup day as well as a tree pruning day. We will be meeting at Hoover Elementary the next two Saturdays and covering the surrounding neighborhood. Bring some gloves and a song for whistlin’ and we’ll have a grand old time!

date: Saturday, March 22nd (cleanup day) and March 29th (tree pruning)
time: 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
locale: meet at Hoover Elementary 890 Brockhurst

3 Days ’til the Oakland Marathon!

Three days til the Oakland Marathon!!

The 5th Annual Oakland Running Festival is coming to our town. There’s a run for everyone at the Oakland Running festival, featuring a Children’s Fun Run, 5K, Team Relay, and Half and Full Marathon.
date: March 23rd
time: 7:00am – 5:00pm
locale: 19th and Harrison St in Oakland
more info: here!

Folks will be coming in from across the US and the globe. Come see why ORF was voted Best Marathon of the Pacific West last year in Competitor Magazine’s Annual Reader’s Choice Awards!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is Today!

“Clean out your closet and call your mama, it’s time for Swap-O-Rama-Rama!”

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a community clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which attendees explore the process of reuse and collective creativity with staff and fellow attendees. This hands-on creation experience is a great way to meet new people, slow the production of new textiles and keep old clothes out of the landfill.

Today’s DIY project: Holey Shirt! (Reverse Appliqué)
DIY project begins at 2:00pm sharp!
Spring is on it’s way, so break out those stained T-shirts (or other jersey clothing) and let’s spruce them up for the sunny season. Reverse Appliqué is a machine or hand sewing technique that involves cutting a window in one shirt and sewing contrasting fabric on back showing through. You can transplant graphics from one T-shirt to another or even create shapes of your own. Photo examples of Reverse Appliqué here.

More Photos of what we’ve been up to lately: http://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Swap-O-Rama-Rama/photos/

For this project, Please Bring:

1. T-shirt that fits you well – or other jersey clothing (Eliminate unwanted holes and stains!)

2. T-shirt or other jersey fabric to use as accent… or search the swap!

3. Clothing to swap (men, women, children, all sizes)

4. T-shirts to swap (With cool graphics especially)

We’ll supply: Sewing machines, thread, tools, scissors, etc.

All are welcome, but children must be supervised at all times.

Attendance is FREE, $5 suggested donation with all donations going to purchase supplies and maintain the sewing machines.

date: Today!
time: 1- 5 pm
locale: American Steel Studios 1960 Mandela Pkwy (enter on 20th)
more info: here

Wild & Scenic Film Festival is Coming!

What is the Wild and Scenic Film Festival?
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started in 2003 by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL, pronounced ‘circle’), a watershed advocacy group based in the Sierra foothills of Northern California. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of achieving Wild & Scenic status on 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The festival celebrates its annual event in Nevada City, CA each winter featuring over 100 award-winning films.

Once the curtain closes in Nevada City, the 4-day film festival gets packaged up into a one-night festival which visits over 100 communities nationwide and helps local communities rally to action and local non-profits raise funds for their programs. The films illustrate not only the challenges facing our planet but the work communities are doing to protect the environment and the places we love.

We can’t wait to host the festival in Oakland! Buy your tickets or sign up to sponsor right now!

Why is Rose Foundation hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour?

The mission of Rose Foundation is to inspire community action to protect the environment, consumers and public health. We are hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, “where activism gets inspired”, as a fundraiser for our grantmaking and community-based programs. The festival is an ideal forum for us to bring together our grantees, our New Voices Are Rising youth leaders, supporters, partners and greater community in Oakland and the Bay Area to instill or renew our commitment to protecting and enhancing our communities and environment. The films will make us laugh, cry, ask questions, discuss solutions, and take action. We hope you will join us for this fun and empowering evening to benefit Rose Foundation! Tickets are available now!

date: Friday April 18th
time: 3:30PM Activist Workshop, 5:00PM Happy Hour/Environmental Fair, 6:30PM Films Start
locale: Oakland Asian Cultural Center 388 9th St, Suite 290
more info: here!

Adapt Oakland: Climate Change, Community Resilience and Green Infrastructure Workshop

Urban Biofilter, Pacific Institute and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project have partnered to facilitate a day long workshop, Adapt Oakland: Climate Change, Community Resilience and Green Infrastructure, to address the challenges and opportunities to implementing green infrastructure and building community resilience to climate change. The summit will generate ideas for research and regulatory policy in California and highlight the potential for natural systems management in West Oakland infrastructure planning.

Please join us in this exciting community opportunity! Lunch will be provided for conference attendees.

Who’s Invited? Government agency officers and staff, academic researchers, community leaders and business and industrial stakeholders.

RSVP here!

date: Wednesday April 16th
time: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
locale: 1111 Broadway, 7th Floor
more info: here

Swap-O-Rama-Rama DIY Upcycled Clothing Project Workshop

“Clean out your closet and call your mama, it’s time for Swap-O-Rama-Rama!”

March DIY project: Holey Shirt! (Reverse Appliqué)
DIY project begins at 2:00pm sharp!
Spring is on it’s way, so break out those stained T-shirts (or other jersey clothing) and let’s spruce them up for the sunny season. Reverse Appliqué is a machine or hand sewing technique that involves cutting a window in one shirt and sewing contrasting fabric on back showing through. You can transplant graphics from one T-shirt to another or even create shapes of your own. Photo examples of Reverse Appliqué here.

More Photos of what we’ve been up to lately: http://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Swap-O-Rama-Rama/photos/

For this project, Please Bring:

1. T-shirt that fits you well – or other jersey clothing (Eliminate unwanted holes and stains!)

2. T-shirt or other jersey fabric to use as accent… or search the swap!

3. Clothing to swap (men, women, children, all sizes)

4. T-shirts to swap (With cool graphics especially)

We’ll supply: Sewing machines, thread, tools, scissors, etc.

All are welcome, but children must be supervised at all times.

Attendance is FREE, $5 suggested donation with all donations going to purchase supplies and maintain the sewing machines.

date: Saturday March 15th
time: 1- 5 pm
locale: American Steel Studios 1960 Mandela Pkwy (enter on 20th)
more info: here

What would you make from Bay Bridge Steel?

WHAT would you make out of bay Bridge Steel?

WHERE would you like to see a community based installation?

Do you see park benches, classrooms, bus stops, climbing walls, sculpture, or a space ship? Vertical gardens, solar panels, rain water catchment, or sandboxes?

Develop a concept sketch or model of your vision for the future of the old Bay Bridge. Bay Bridge Steel wants to hear about YOUR vision for creative re-use of the bridge.

LEARN all about it, and how to submit your ideas at BayBridgeSteel.org

Spoon Rocket

The most convenient meal ever just happened. A new place has opened in the neighborhood that delivers local, fresh, hot food from 10am til midnight, 7 days a week.

After trying them out several times, and getting our deliveries in minutes, we reached out to welcome them to the neighborhood and find out more about this speedy savior from hunger pains.

SpoonRocket described themselves this way :

Our mission is to make people happy by delivering delicious meals made with fresh ingredients at the speed of light. We’re dedicated to helping the world through our meal matching program. For every meal purchased, we donate one to a child in need.

We deliver hot delicious meals, made with the freshest ingredients, to your curb in 10 minutes for $8.

The YCombinator-backed startup was founded by two UC Berkeley grads and call East Bay their home. CEO and Co-Founder Steven Hsiao said “We launched in West Oakland because so many young professionals and families live and work there. They value good food and convenience, so we knew SpoonRocket would do really well. Our goal is to serve the whole Bay Area, but it’s awesome to say that we are one of the few startups to be founded in East Bay. To be serving here, and West Oakland in particular, is such a privilege.”

Here’s how it works. They offer two selections a day. One vegetarian, one meat. They let you know if anything contains gluten, dairy, nuts, is spicy… whatever. You pick how many you want, there is no minimum, and then they bring it to you. Fast. Their delivery range is pretty extensive. Check out what they are offering today at spoonrocket.com

Welcome to the neighborhood SpoonRocket. Our bellies are so happy you are here!

Cesar Chavez Day of Service : March 31st

Community Clean UP and Beautification Project

We gather together once again in honor of Oakland in memory of our great leaders. March 31st is Cesar Chavez Day, and we honor his enduring legacy with a day dedicated to community service. Join us in cleaning our streets and beautifying our neighborhood.

date : Monday, March 31st
time : 12 – 3pm
locale : 1960 Mandela Parkway (enter on 20th Street)

Bags, pickers, vests, and latex gloves will be provided for litter removal. Paint, rollers, and gloves will be provided for graffiti removal, as well as supplies for beautification projects. Wear closed toe shoes, and if you have sturdy gloves, bring them.

Our supplies, dumpster and waste removal is generously donated through the City of Oakland Public Works Department and the offices of District 3 Council member Lynette McElheney.

Women’s Health Special with Dr. Lupin

Dr. Lupin DeMuth, ND wants to encourage all you, especially the American Steel Studios community, to make your health and happiness a priority this Spring.

In order to help you get started on your health journey, Dr. Lupin is offering a Spring Cleaning discount through April. A comprehensive health intake, which includes a health evaluation, physical exam, and initial treatment plan, now only $120 through April 30th, 2014. For new patients only.

To schedule an appointment, please visit her website or call Dr. Lupin directly at 510-985-9137.