EARLY BIRD SPECIAL (for those who RSVP only)
9:00 am

Simone’s mature quarter-acre plot in the El Cerrito hills, with bee hives, dozens of chickens, fruit trees and raised beds is well worth the climb if you’re up for it. This portion is for cyclists who don’t mind hills, though the route is a lot less steep than Moeser.
Please email Claire Norris at songsparrow22 at yahoo.com if you’re interested, and she’ll send you details of where to meet.

OUR MAIN TOUR STARTS AT 10 AM (no need to RSVP) All times are approximate.
10:00 am
Meet up at Albany Community Center parking lot, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany.
Travel via Ohlone Greenway to

10:15 am
Gilman Street, Berkeley: first stop, Jim & Eva Wert’s certified Bay-Friendly garden and tiny back yard with cooped chickens, fruit trees and intensive year-round vegetables.

10:45 am
Travel via Acton and Virginia to

11:10 am
Bancroft Way, Berkeley, near San Pablo Ave: Jim Montgomery’s Green Faerie Farm, a sustainable urban mini farm with fruit trees, veggies, goats, chickens, bees, and rabbits. See a short video about Jim at http://www.ediblecitymovie.com/donate/

12:00 pm
Option A: travel via Ninth and University Village to Madison Street, Albany, then to B, or
Option B: travel via Ninth and Virginia directly to Cornell Street, Berkeley

12:20 pm
A: Madison Street, Albany: see Catherine and Leonard’s tiny but productive Albany yard with rainwater dispersal and greywater features, fruit trees, flowers and vegetables and a cob chicken house in the making, then continue to
B: Cornell, Berkeley: Susan Silber’s new permaculture-style Berkeley garden with raised beds, where there is room for us to have lunch and pick plums from her tree.

1:30 pm
Travel via Dartmouth and Ohlone Greenway to

1:45 pm

Peralta and Hopkins, Berkeley: tour the Eco House (a permaculture garden with rainwater catchment features, a banana tree growing in greywater, ducks, and a whole lot more.

2:30 pm
Make your own way home.

On the other hand, you might be an avid gardener struggling to satisfy your passion with a container garden or in a tiny space with inadequate sunlight. Or perhaps you’ve done as much as you can in your own yard and you’re itching to transform another patch of ground.

Whichever person you are, think about this: as cheap oil gets scarcer, so will cheap food, given that the average item on the US plate has traveled 1,500 miles to get there. Consensus among geologists has it that we’ll reach a Global Peak in oil production somewhere between 2008 and 2012, and, because it’s hard to tell until after you’ve got there, we may be at that point already. (Why are the oil giants now drilling for oil several miles under the seabed, for instance? The days of striking oil just beneath the surface and abundant “gushers” are long gone, and we’re reduced to risky operations like the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. As this environmental disaster develops, my own oil “habit” is coming under severe scrutiny.)

So, if food starts getting too expensive at the store, let’s learn to grow our own! Small mixed vegetable plots – with flowers for the pollinators – are more productive than large commercial fields by a large margin, and we can grow exactly what we like and only have to walk out into the yard to get it. How about that for reducing your carbon footprint!

Hyperlocavore

Albany now has its own garden sharing website on the new Hyperlocavore social network. Sign up, then find someone or some few who can work your plot and transform it into a beautiful haven – where you can sit and enjoy the peace of a well-nurtured garden, serviced by the bees and butterflies – while providing you both with delicious produce.

Throwing a gardening party is the best of all. Neighbors donate their good hard work in the morning (tear up that front lawn and put in beds?), then share a potluck meal and camaraderie afterwards.

Albany Food Map

Put yourself on the map! This google map was started to visually track all of the abundant food growing or growing potential. Use the color key to navigate the dots, and place your own gardens or available garden space. To add a dot, you have to log into a google account.

City Garden Swap

If we have too many carrots, peas, potatoes, onions, beans, beets, turnips, leafy greens, lettuce, radishes, plums, apples, pears, lemons, kiwis, oranges  …  we can give them to our neighbors or trade them at the Albany Garden Swap Garden Swap (Tuesday nights 6:30 pm at the Albany Community Center, May through October). What a lovely community event that is! Here’s a description from Eva Wise:

“On Tuesday we arrived at Marin Ave. and Masonic a little before 6:30 pm bearing a basket full of our latest extra garden yield–potatoes, some herbs and parsley tied in small bunches, sorrel. But the sign I’d seen earlier was gone and there was no-one else in sight. Too good to be true, I thought. But as we returned to our car I saw someone setting up an awning and table next to the Ohlone Path across from the library – promising! We grabbed our basket and walked over. In a few minutes others arrived bearing baskets and bags of food–Meyer lemons, giant cauliflowers, salad greens, pea pods, bunches of herbs. I immediately eyed the cauliflowers. Our yellow Yukon potatoes, the only ones there, were instant eyecatchers. Now the table, surrounded by a dozen eager gardeners, was full of fresh vegies. The bartering was hot and heavy. How about two big potatoes for a bunch of snow peas? I scored one-quarter of the giant cauliflower; it made two meals for us.

“The swap lasted only 30 minutes or so. At some point I looked around at the bright, animated faces of the gardeners; a 10-year old girl giving away lemons from her tree without even wanting an exchange. It turned out that the library sign had been stolen, but this hadn’t stopped the gardeners. We are already planning our next barter basket for this coming Tuesday. IMPORTANT: get there a few minutes early; the bartering begins promptly at 6:30. As the summer wears on there may be more gardeners and more food, with bartering harkening back to earlier times when money was not part of the experience of acquiring food. It’s a great way to meet your neighbor gardeners. Or to get encouragement to start your own garden!”

And here’s the scoop on the true cost of all that oil, in an Alternative Annual Report (PDF) just published on Chevron’s activities that covers the fallout in all the places round the world.

Chevron’s spending last year on alternative energy technologies was at its lowest since 2006, and the amount spent on lobbying in 2009 was higher than at any time in the company’s history.

Of course we know that it’s time to start seriously investigating and using alternatives when it comes to transportation and energy. But what about alternatives to plastic?

Transition Albany would like to host an event that features alternatives to plastics and other petroleum-derived substances in everything from kitchenware to personal products to hardware. Please send ideas and useful contacts to transitionalbanyca@gmail.com or the Transition Albany Yahoo Group. Thank you!
Bamboo and industrial hemp come to mind. And here’s a link to start the ball rolling.

Breaking news is that Ernest Callenbach, a local author and visionary creator of the 1975 utopian novel Ecotopia, will be with us on Sunday to talk about his current vision of a sustainable future. We will end the afternoon with an opportunity to suggest, find support for, and/or hook into practical projects that will move us further towards community resilience in Albany.

After seeing and talking with several Transition communities in the UK on a recent visit to my new granddaughter (yes, I flew, and I’m prepared for that to be the last time for the foreseeable future. Mother Nature delayed my return by sending volcanic ash into the air, and it looks like she hasn’t finished that game yet!), my impression is that there is a huge wave of grassroots energy moving inexorably towards more local self-reliance, and Transition towns are popping up like mushrooms. Projects that I’ve seen include local food production, creating alternatives to individual motorized transport, encouragement to reduce energy consumption at home, relearning skills that were taken for granted in a pre-oil-rich civilization (“reskilling”), or putting more emphasis on individual production rather than simply consuming more store-bought stuff. It doesn’t have to have the name Transition to be an essential part of our transition away from centralized, energy-intense living to a more local, energy-lean and community-based lifestyle.

Dated City Codes
Here in the East Bay there are already many backyards dedicated to growing food. My own tiny space produces more at times than I can keep up with. But it’s coming to my attention, thanks to an article in Terrain magazine, that city ordinances are written to dissuade people from engaging in urban farming within city borders. They probably date back to a time when it was seen as chic to be moving away from the drudgery of countryside living.

For instance, in Albany’s code (under Animals) it seems at first glance that keeping bee hives is not permitted. However the city did assure me that, as long as you ask them for and receive express written permission and pay a fee of $160, you can legally keep bees here (within limitations designed to maintain good neighborly relations). This makes the situation similar to that with chickens (up to six hens are allowed, no roosters). However, goats, sheep and horses are still listed as forbidden, and these are animals that do play a part in the low-energy Albany that some of us envision 20 years from now, along with super efficient motorized transport and high tech solutions. We are looking at major changes in the next couple of decades – let’s be foresightful and prepare the way.

So, come and watch the film and listen to one of the first people to express a utopian vision in writing on Sunday May 23rd and we’ll have a chance to share specific visions for Albany afterwards. In 20 years this community could look, sound and feel very different from Albany today. What do you envision?

When I first experienced Changing the Dream, I had just watched the climate docudrama, Age of Stupid, and was keenly aware of the precariousness of our position on the edge of collapse, as cheap oil, the fuel behind our consumer society, runs out and its effects on our climate grow more severe. The symposium helped me connect my heart to the issues and see things through a wider lens.

A key concept is that we in the West have been “entranced” by years of marketing to believe that we need something outside ourselves to be satisfied, and that ever-increasing consumption is the answer. Although it is clear that our addiction to manufactured stuff is driving climate change, perhaps we are not so much “stupid” as hypnotized. Stores and manufacturers seduce us with brand images and logos and condition us to feel we cannot live happily without them.

The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium was put together several years ago by the Pachamama Alliance in response to a heartfelt plea from the indigenous Achuar people of Peru/Ecuador, whose shamans had predicted that the world was on the verge of a terrible catastrophe, which only industrialized countries could avert. The version I experienced was a recent improvement that is taking the Bay Area (and beyond) by storm as more and more attendees are inspired to become facilitators and bring the symposium to their own groups and associations.

At the crux of the event is the revelation of one simple assumption under which we have been operating for centuries, the reversal of which will make it inevitable that we reduce our consumption, care more for the earth and each other than for profit, and rebuild our lives in resilient communities. Can you guess what it is?

The Symposium offers a beautiful, compact introduction to the Transition concept, so I am delighted to announce that the Pachamama Alliance and the Transition Network are currently formalizing a partnership. You can experience Awakening the Dreamer – Changing the Dream yourself on June 6th at the Albany Senior Center (see calendar). We are asking $10 – $20 for the event, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please invite friends and be prepared to be moved.

Join us at the first annual Albany Arts & Green Festival where we celebrate both the arts and the environment!

Sunday May 2nd, 2010

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Transition Albany presentation at 2:00 PM)

Memorial Park & Veterans Hall

Performances |  Green Workshops

Food  |  Art  |  Green Orgs

Free Bike Valet Parking  |  Free Bike Tuneups

Kids’ Zone  |  Floor Lamp Exchange Program

Free Small E-Waste Collection

Albany today is developing a reputation for having a vigorous public arts program and being one of the greenest cities in the country. So it’s not surprising that this year we are celebrating “arts and green” together! Art helps see and appreciate beauty, and protecting the environment helps create a beautiful world!

Read more about the event on the City’s website.

Transition Albany presents at 2:00 PM

Inside the Veterans Hall workshop room.

Building Community Resilience, the Best Preparation for an Uncertain Future: An introduction to Transition Towns and Transition Albany

Transition Albany invites all of Albany to create a positive transition from fossil fuel dependency to vital, engaged, resilient, and interdependent community. Catherine Sutton will be presenting the principles of Transition Towns, with updates from her recent visit to some original Transition Towns in England.

Come visit the Transition Albany table inside the Veterans Hall!

Painting: AcerRuber@aol.com

Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Walk to/on Albany Hill including Ceremony

Meet at Peet’s Coffee & Tea, San Pablo & Carlson

With Friends of Five Creeks & Corrina Gould, Chochenyo Ohlone

You are invited to participate in a walk that will include some of Albany’s history, an overview from Albany Hill, and a ceremony to honor the ancient keepers of this land and to ask assistance as we recreate a low energy, local-based lifestyle.  Wear shoes with traction and bring a stick if you need one for walking on steep trails.

The event will be held rain or shine.

Sunday, April 11th

1:30 – 4:00 PM  |  Albany Library Edith Stone Room

An event to inspire more bicycle riding!

1. Short Film: Vélib
2. Guest Speaker: Laura McCamy
3. Presentation: Albany Bike Master Plan

Bicycles -  they’re practical and fun!

Did You Know? In Albany, vehicles on local roads (that’s excluding I-80 and San Pablo) account for 24 thousand metric tons (CO2e) of greenhouse gases per year! That represents about 2.7 million gallons of gasoline! This is obviously not a sustainable habit. Luckily, there’s a quick and healthy solution for most of those local trips (and longer distance ones too): the good old bicycle!

Guest Speaker: Laura McCamy

Alameda County’s Bike Commuter of the Year

Laura will talk about easy and fun ways to add biking to your life! Laura gave up her car three years ago, and bike commutes from Emeryville to San Francisco. She generally rides her bike to the MacArthur BART station in the morning and leaves it securely locked there using the new eLockers, or simply takes the bike onto BART. She even does all her errands using a 100+ lb capacity bike trailer, including Saturday trips to the farmer’s market. Hear about her experiences and glean useful advice for bringing bicycling into your daily life.

Check out the article she recently wrote for Momentum Magazine, the magazine for self-propelled people!

Albany’s Bicycle Master Plan

Presentation by Albany Strollers & Rollers

Come learn about about Albany’s Bicyle Master Plan – what’s planned, what’s been done, what hasn’t, and future revisions to the Plan. The Master Plan will make bicycling easier, safer, and more convenient for riders in Albany!

Short Film: Vélib

From the E Squared Film Series

Imagine a nearly free bicycle rental program to use in your daily life. Pick one up near your starting-point and drop it off near your destination. In Paris, you can do just that with Vélib!

+ PLUS +

Take a Test Ride!

On unusually practical bicycles meant for urban commutes and chores.

Available for sale:

Bike lights and other cool stuff.

This event is co-sponsored by Albany Stollers & Rollers

Starting now, SmartSolar offers its free services to Albany residents!

Are you interested in making your home more energy efficient and self-sufficient? Would you like more information about solar technologies before talking to a contractor?

Free classes for Albany residents start on May 6th!

“ I love helping people discover their emissions/energy impact and take simple steps toward living more sustainably. Doing this in small groups is fun and empowering. It’s really like opening a door to a new way of living. Taken collectively, these personal and household actions will have a big impact on our U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. My own family has been able to cut our emissions in half and we are saving a lot of money too!

~ Linda Currie, Instructor

For more information, contact Linda Currie

510-851-2552  |   Lcurriedesign@aol.com