Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
Make a Clean Air Pledge
California Clean Air Day is coming up on Wednesday, October 2. The statewide campaign is built on the idea of a “unified day of action” to create new habits that improve air quality. There are many ways to participate, including attending Bay Area events and taking “the clean air pledge” by planting a tree, riding public transit, or making all of your online purchases in one weekly order. Take a look at the pledge list and see what air-clearing actions resonate with you. Then, aerate your mind by brushing up on policy needs guiding the Bay Area’s Clean Air Plan.
Get Cooking
The environmental push for home electrification took another step forward last night as the City of San Jose banned natural gas in new residential construction projects, becoming the largest U.S. city to do so. As other municipalities follow Berkeley’s lead as the first to enact such a ban, more people will want to look into induction cooking, which uses electricity instead of natural gas. One opportunity to find out more comes on Wednesday, October 2 in San Ramon, as the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, and Emeryville — along with the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition, 350Bay Area, the East Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and others — tours the Fishnick Food Service Technology Center. There will be a hands-on demonstration and discussion of induction cooking, as participants see induction ranges in action and learn how to operate these appliances. The deadline to sign up is September 22, so reserve your spot now.
Warming Trend
We hear a lot about sea-level rise, but how well do we understand it? And what impact could it have on urban spaces like Lake Merritt, or all of Oakland for that matter? If you have a notion about the answers but want to learn more, a “Fact and Fiction” presentation on Saturday, October 5 from 7 to 10 p.m. with climate expert John Englander (pictured) could help you feel more seaworthy. The event is being put on by the Lake Merritt Institute and other co-sponsors. “Even though we cannot predict how much and how fast the waters will rise, we can, and must, begin to plan for the future,” according to the event description. Fill up on event information and discover other means of local preparation. Even tidal marshes are being re-engineered to adapt to changing water levels.
E-Harmony
From electric scooters and mopeds to bike-sharing and ride-hailing, a flood of new mobility services has hit San Francisco streets. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) needs to ensure services are safe and suitable to operate. So, it’s developing a plan to require that all new operators under its jurisdiction get permission before launching. Named “Mobility Permit Harmonization,” the effort seeks to unify and streamline mobility permit programs. Residents can help establish the plan’s guidelines at a community forum next Wednesday, September 25 at 6 p.m. in the SFMTA offices at One South Van Ness Avenue.
Monitor Notes is produced by Cecily O’Connor. To receive it by email, scroll to the bottom of this page, enter your email address in the box under “RECEIVE EMAIL UPDATES,” and click the red “SIGN UP” button.