Welcome to Monitor Notes, a weekly roundup of news items, event announcements, and updates on past Bay Area Monitor articles.
For the People Act
Access to the ballot is a democratic necessity. In support of the For the People Act, the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition and the League of Women Voters launched last week “Our Democracy Story,” a storytelling workshop where people can share their experiences engaging in American democracy. Today, 14 July, at 4pm PDT, they will be offering an online training session to teach participants how to host a storytelling workshop in their own community. Sign up and learn how storytelling can galvanize democratic engagement and mobilization around a cause.
Planet Conscious Cooking
When it comes to your cooktop, do you prefer gas or electric? Why not neither? Acterra is hosting a series of planet-friendly, kid-friendly cooking classes on the induction cooktop, an energy efficient cooking method that heats cookware directly (compared to traditional methods involving putting cookware over heat, i.e. thermal conduction). If that sounds suspect, consider dropping in for the first of two online cooking classes tomorrow at 5:30pm which will cover the basics and give participants a chance to decide if induction is the right way to heat their cup of tea, so to speak . The second of two classes on 29 July will build on the basics and introduce some cultural, plant-forward recipes.
Baylands Bioblitz
I never really understood the appeal of Pokemon Go (and I grew up playing video games), but a Bioblitz sounds more my speed. Environmental Volunteers, an outdoor engagement and education nonprofit, invites one and all to come down to their Palo Alto Ecocenter this Saturday, 17 July, for the Baylands Bioblitz, or a hunt to find as many plants and animals as possible in a given place and time. This family-oriented, socially distanced event is free fun, and EV volunteers will be stationed throughout the Baylands to answer questions and offer lessons on the local ecology.
Equity in Transit Development
Join SPUR for a “Digital Discourse” on equity in Bay Area transit-oriented development this Tuesday, 20 July. The one hour event will feature speakers from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, BART, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, and Greystar, all weighing in on the challenges and opportunities present in optimizing land use within walking distance of public transit. Discussion will look at, among other things, lessons that can be learned from other projects already underway and best practices from other examples around the country to best create equitable development in the region.
Concert Culture
Remember concerts? In another hopeful sign that culture is returning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Value Culture is hosting a free concert at the Golden Gate Park bandshell tomorrow evening, 18 July. The leave-no-trace event is sponsored by the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice and headlined by reggae performer Pato Banton.
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