Oakland Local Launches!

I’m excited about yesterday’s launch of Oakland’s newest community and news resource, Oakland Local, covering the environment, food, development, transportation, identity, arts & education, and social justice issues.

I am also honored to be a part of an amazing production and editorial team as a writer.  Founder Susan Mernit is an experienced media hound and a consummate human being.  She is also a self-described trouble-maker, so be prepared for some gritty coverage.   She won a New Voices grant from the J-Lab, funded by the Knight foundation, to develop and implement Oakland Local.

I love that Oakland Local will be giving press to many under-reported issues and providing a platform to under-represented voices in Oakland.  There is so much going on in Oakland, many challenges but also so much great work that needs to be covered.  I hope to do my part by help to cover this work and help grow community around these issues and further our civic discourse for positive social change.

Oakland Local is meant to be a hub for civic engagement, so be sure to check out the growing list of forums about Oakland issues, ranging from the moving of the trial of officer Mehserle to how to build an alternative, just, and local economy.  If you don’t see a topic yet you want to discuss, start one!

Oakland local also partners with and shares news about non-profit organizations, community groups, and engaged citizens.  Here are just a few of the community partnerships formed so far: Urban Habitat, Bay Localize, Communities for A Better A Environment, Just Cause Oakland, EBASE, YouthRadio, Urban Releaf, Kids First Oakland, and Media Alliance.

Oakland Local also hosts blogs from staff writers and community members.  Here is my Oakland Local blog.

Looking forward to seeing the site, the coverage, and the community grow over the coming year!

Plant the Seed: October 24 International Day of Climate Action

UPDATE: (Oct. 16)
Because of short notice for planning and other events (Social Media for Social Change and Beast Blogger Camp 2), this action will be held another date in November, to be determined.

Calling all you do-gooders, gardeners, permis, urban farmers, locavores, foodies, sustainable ag, urban greening people, slow food folks, climate just activists, educators, and food justice workers:

Many of you have probably heard of the 350 International Day of Climate Action on October 24.

I am putting together a positive and creative action for that day, specifically in Oakland, but perhaps in multiple locations and open to all Bay Area folks interested in joining.

My idea is that since food, the agriculture system, and urban green spaces are vital to localizing the economy, reducing carbon, and leading healthier lives, we should have an action around those themes.  Lots of ideas, but one is spelling out a huge “350″ in potted starter vegetable plants on a huge empty unused lot, then giving them away to people for free to grow their own food and give extra away to friends and neighbors, and planting the surplus plants during a volunteer work party to harvest, plant winter crops, on school roof-top garden, etc.  Ideally I’d like to take over 350 empty lots in Oakland and plant winter crops and trees on them!

We already have over 100+ plants (spinach, kale, lettuce, etc.) offered as donations for the action!

Let me know if you are interested in throwing some energy behind this with me and/or if you have some ideas. Thanks!

I found a couple possible locations for an action.  One is Explore Prep School in Oakland. Planting Justice has been working with them to develop a food forest and a curriculum.

I also met Starhawk at the Burn Green Soiree last night at Revolution Cafe in Oakland and her presentation was on Hunters Point Family project in SF and their permiculture projects, community gardens, farmers’ market, and youth programs.

I told her my ideas and it seems like a good fit and way to gather lots of people for a good cause while simultaneously helping raise visibility to both the issues and that project.  But I would  still want to find an Oakland site for an action in East Bay.

Here’s a couple links for inspiration and background:

Sharing the Harvest

Michael Pollan and Bill McKibben on The Good Food Project

http://www.350.org/foodandfarm

Gandhi’s Birthday, Militarism, and Non-cooperation

October 2 is Mohandas Gandhi’s birthday.  It has been declared International Day of Non-Violence.  One of the most memorable experiences of my life was visiting the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi, India, the site of his assassination by a Hindu nationalist.  It is worth pausing a moment to reflect on Gandhi, as we continue as a nation to invest in more violence and militarism while supporting a system that encourages the growth of vast social inequalities.

We like to think of Gandhi as a sort of holy man, someone separated from the ugly affairs of the world in prayer or meditation.  But we forget that Gandhi was very much a politician. He called himself “a politician trying to be a saint.”