The Loma Prietan
April/May 1999
Earth Day 1999: April, the "Cruelest Month"? Not for Earth-Lovers
by Eben Schwartz
Once again, the calendars have turned, and we have entered the month of April. What T.S. Eliot dubbed "the cruelest month" is indeed, as tax deadline approaches, a ruthless time for some. But for environmentalists, April is a month of hope and rejuvenation. We look forward to the imminent end of winter storms, the rebirth of our local flora, and of course, Earth Day.
This year will mark the 29th celebration of Earth Day, an annual campaign to raise public awareness about environmental issues and to effect positive change. And once again, the groups that make up the Earth Day coalition will be providing such a large variety and number of events that we could easily rename April "Earth Month."
This year's theme, "Shaping a Sustainable Society," was chosen to help people look ahead to envision the type of society they would like to see as we enter a new millennium. In the face of a multitude of complex environmental and social problems, the end of this century provides as good a backdrop as any to help define and interpret the concept of sustainability.
Bay Area Action, the Palo Alto-based environmental organization, has been coordinating Bay Area Earth Day activities since its formation in 1990. According to Susan Stansbury, BAA's Executive Director, "Sustainability has become a real buzzword, and people's interpretations of it differ; however, the commonly accepted definition is balancing the three E's: Environment, Equity, and Economy. A good example is a company that treats its employees fairly, does not take resources from the planet faster than they can be replenished, and makes a profit."
Apart from developing such challenging criteria, the Earth Day coalition has also been putting together programs and events, focusing on sustainability, to encourage discussions on this important topic. Several groups are promoting a coloring contest for schoolchildren throughout the Bay Area. The Sacred Earth Connection has put together a discussion packet for religious groups. And, Bay Area Action will once again be promoting and organizing Green Teams as a way to help guide small groups of neighbors, co-workers, students and others towards greater sustainability in their daily lives.
Of course the centerpiece of Earth Day is the massive calendar of events. New programs and events are being added to this list almost daily. We have provided as much information as possible in the listings included below, but the most up-to-date listing is available at the Earth Day Website.
For more information on any of the events or programs listed, please call Bay Area Action at (650) 321-1994, or the Loma Prieta Chapter office at (650) 390-8494.
Thanks, and Happy Earth Day!
Events
April 1 through 22 - RIDES for Bay Area Commuters' Earth Day Promotion, "Make Your World a Little Greener," encourages commuters to try a commute alternative (carpool, vanpool, transit, bike, walk, telecommute) at least once between March 1 and Earth Day, April 22, to be eligible to win $1,000 or other great prizes. Call RIDES at 800-755-POOL or enter RIDES Online. Entries must be received by April 30. Winners announced May 14.
April 15 (Thurs) 7 to 9pm -Bay Area Environmental Forum presents "The Business of Sustainability: Accounting for the Environment." Palo Alto City Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton in downtown Palo Alto. Please see Environmental Forum box on page 6 for more information.
April 17 (Sat) 11am to 5:30pm - Berkeley Earth Day will combine cultural performances and speakers on a wide range of environmental issues. Activities include the Annual Eco-Motion Parade - all alternative and creative forms of transportation encouraged; kids' Eco-art making area coordinated by the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse; over 150 booths representing businesses, craftspeople, community organizations, food vendors, and government groups; demonstrations of alternative energy including electric cars, strawbale structures, and solar panels; Berkeley Farmer's Market with mostly organic farmers. Located in Martin Luther King Jr. Park (near Berkeley BART). For more information, call 510-654-6346.
April 17 (Sat) 9am to 12pm - Plant Restoration Work Day in Glen Canyon Park, San Francisco. Located on Elk & Chenery. Meet behind rec center at picnic tables. For more information, call Jean Conner at 415-584-8576.
April 17 (Sat) 9am to 4pm - "Living on the Edge of Evolution," presented by the Foundation for Global Community, is A workshop looking at the significance of the times in which we live in the context of our evolutionary story. Located at 222 High Street in Palo Alto. $25 (includes lunch). For more information contact Joe Kresse at 650-328-7756 or visit Global Community.
April 18 (Sun) 10am to 4pm - San Jose Beautiful presents earth.tech.2000, an expo on sustainability. Located at the Civic Auditorium & Parkside Hall in San Jose. For more information, call 408-277-4664.
April 18 (Sun) 7pm - Barry Spector and Ginny Anderson, in cooperation with Bay Area Action and the Palo Alto Friends Meeting Committee on Unity with Nature, invite you and your friends to "Weaving the Web," an oral traditions gathering, celebrating Earth Day. For this revival of the ancient tradition of reciting poetry and story in community, please bring poems, stories, songs, dances, chants, and tall tales on themes related to the web of interconnection, diversity, community, spring, the sacred earth, etc. Learned by heart - no reading! We will also have a drum circle, so bring your percussion instruments. For more information, call Barry at 650-327-5493 or Ginny at 650-323-4494.
April 22 (Thu) 6 to 7am - Bay Area Action presents Earth Day Sunrise Ceremony at Bixby Park (end of Embarcadero Rd. near the Recycling Center in Palo Alto). For more information, call Susan at 650-321-1994.
April 22 (Thu) 7pm - Headwaters slideshow and book signing at Printer's Inc Bookstore, 301 Castro St., Mountain View.
April 24 (Sat) 10am to 2pm - Trail Day at the Arastradero Preserve presented by Bay Area Action. For more information, call Karen at 650-329-8544.
April 24 (Sat) - Earth Day celebration at McNee Ranch State Park in Montara. Join the Montara Mountain Habitat Restoration Project and Bay Area Action with creek cleanup, habitat restoration, native plant propagation, music, free lunch, wildflower hikes, and more! Projects for all ages and physical capabilities. Tools and work gloves provided. Located on Highway 1 at the McNee Ranch State Park in Montara. For information, call Chuck Kozak at 650-728-8239 or Bay Area Action at 650-321-1994.
April 24 (Sat) 9am to 4pm - Stewardship of Stanford's open space lands. Caring for native oaks planted over the last decade: weeding, watering, mulching, or sheltering native oaks. Contact Joan Schwan with Magic at 650-323-7333 for details or sign up.
April 24 (Sat) 9am to 4pm - "Living on the Edge of Evolution" presented by the Foundation for Global Community - A workshop looking at the significance of the times in which we live in the context of our evolutionary story. Located at 222 High Street in Palo Alto. $25 (includes lunch).
For more information contact
Joe Kresse at 650-328-7756 or visit Global Community.
April 24 (Sat) 9:30am to 3:30pm - California Trail Days / Earth Day at Windy Hill presented by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. To celebrate both California Trail Days and Earth Day, the District is hosting a trail construction project at the lower portion of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. Join the thousands of California trail enthusiasts who will be volunteering at parks and open space preserves throughout the state. With your help, we will complete this important new trail connection. For more information or to sign up
call Paul at 650-691-1200 or send email to: Volunteer for Open Space Preserve.
April 24 & 25 (Sat and Sun) 10am to 4pm - California Native Plant Society's Annual Wildflower Show and Native Plant Sale. Display of hundreds of native plants; weed information table; other educational exhibits; tours of Foothill's native plant garden. Plant sale: huge variety of native plants, some are not available anywhere else. Experienced growers to answer your questions. Also seeds, bulbs, notecards, books (many hard-to-find titles), posters, art, other native plant-related items. Located at the Foothill College Student Center.
For more information,
call 650-856-7579 or visit California Native Plant Society's Annual Show.
April 25 (Sun) 10am to 2pm - Midtown Garden Open House and workshops presented by Bay Area Action. Located behind the Palo Alto Food Co-op, 2605 Middlefield Rd. For more information, call Carolyn at 650-321-1994.
April 25 (Sun) 10am to 6pm - The Contra Costa County Earth Day Festival is again being sponsored by KKSF Radio, 103.7 FM. Located at the Festival's permanent home, the Concord Pavilion.
For more information, email Chris Smith or visit Contra Costa County Earth Day Festival.
April 25 (Sun) 10am to 6pm - "A Walk Through Time...from Stardust to Us" presented by the Foundation for Global
Community - How life evolved on planet Earth. An illustrated, one-mile walk spanning the 5 billion years of Earth's history. Located in the Contra Costa Earth Day at the Concord Pavilion. For more information contact Samantha Schoenfeld with the Foundation for Global Community at
650-328-7756.