Historically, the Bay Area is known for being socially and environmentally progressive (for further reference look up the entire “60’s,” the “Green Movement,” “AIDS,” “Silicon Valley,” and the whole “GLBTQ movement” — just to name a few) . And to confirm this to both locals and visitors alike, a new nonprofit organization called Bay Area Green Tours has started educational tours showcasing local socially, environmentally and economically sustainable businesses and organizations in action.
This is a win-win-win activity because these tours not only introduce both locals and visitors to local “green” businesses, which help promote and subsidize their important work, but also inspire tour participants to incorporate environmental responsibility and social justice into their personal and professional lives.
To date, Bay Area Green Tours have a variety of “green” tours throughout the Bay Area — north, south, east, and San Francisco, herself; however, this particular piece will highlight the Green Walking Tour of Berkeley.
Berkeley is so far ahead of the rest of the nation, when it comes to socially and environmentally responsible business, politics, and community, that we can only hope the rest of the country (and the world, for that matter) learns something from Berkeley and its citizens, in order to make the world a better, safer, more peaceful, and life-friendly (in all its forms) place.
The Green Walking Tour of Berkeley is a 3.5 hour walking tour of local eco-businesses, all within a few blocks of one another, in downtown Berkeley proper. The tour starts with The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse on Addision, which not only serves organic, local coffees and teas, as well as beer and wine, but is actually a LEED certified, all-ages nonprofit arts organization and performance art venue -- dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of traditional and roots music. Next time you visit Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse to attend a “pop” grass concert or go to a dance party there, make sure to check out their “living roof”; admire their re-milled wood walls and recycled glass countertops; and appreciate the warmth (on these cold days) from their blue jean-insulated walls.
The second stop on the Green Walking Tour of Berkeley is the eco-restaurant extraordinare: Gather. What makes Gather stand out from all the other local organic/green food venues throughout the Bay Area is that they have a “floors to food” approach to business as well as try to make their diverse menu as accessible to as many people as they can possibly reach. This means they don’t just serve tofu, raw foods, unpronounceable foods (your kids are scared to try), and vegetarian dishes -- but also serve local organic meats, seafood, wines and spirits, and at affordable prices.
And their corporate responsibility does not stop with its astringent food and beverage filters, but continues in their fair labor practices, fairly traded products, and the very interior décor of the entire restaurant. Next time you visit, check out the cushions made of recycled belts, the light fixtures made from vodka bottles, the pressed “paper-stone” countertops, and of course, the menu.
The third stop on the tour is the David Brower Center. Where do we start with this one?! Perhaps, we should talk about its local Berkeley-born namesake/environmental guru, David Brower, the first director of the Sierra Club and the founder of the Earth Island Institute? Or, we can start with the center’s Platinum LEED rating? Or, maybe with the 26 environmental and social justice nonprofits housed in its belly? Or what about the art gallery, or the theatre?!
Go visit the David Brower Center for the art or to attend a lecture or film in the community theatre, but make sure to check out the carpet “tiles” made of 99% post-consumer material — a cradle-to-cradle carpet design. Ask them to explain how “radiant heat” works to insulate the building, using tubes of hot water. Notice the building is made of raw materials (mostly steel and concrete) without toxic, not to mention expensive, painted surfaces, which can be easily washed with just soap and water! Figure out their lighting system … it is brilliant! Using only “task” lights by computers, they can show you how they designed the center to maximize natural daylight. Simple, economical, and brilliant! (No pun intended!)
Attached to the David Brower Center is the next tour stop: Oxford Plaza. This is an affordable housing complex, which has a resident-run community garden on its roof. Residents are even teaching their kids to how to grow their own food on the roof!
Back on the ground, the next tour stop is all about bikes and the importance of alternative transportation. A visit to the Bike Station, not only introduces you to how the bike station works, but houses a local nonprofit bicycle advocacy group called the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, which among advocating for safer cycling laws (and lanes) throughout the East Bay, also offers free bike safety classes to all ages. (Ask them about “bike smoothies”!)
Following the Bike Station, you will visit Green Citizen, on Shattuck, who have made it their mission to repair, reuse, and recycle electronics. GreenCitizen Eco-Centers give individuals (free drop-offs, by the way) and businesses (also free if 20 items or more!) the opportunity to reduce their e-waste footprint, while learning more about the electronic waste crisis (ask them about how they track electronics — hint they use barcodes!) GreenCitizen's IT support and repair professionals seek to extend the life of electronics for homes and businesses, while their pick-up and drop-off recycling services ensure end-of-life electronics are recycled securely and responsibly in the United States (and not shipped off to Ghana or Mexico, like some companies — do your homework!) And if you want to get them really worked up, ask them about “acid tracking”!
The final destination of this 3.5 hour walking tour through downtown Berkeley is the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, arriving conveniently at Happy Hour! This part of the tour you will just have to find out for yourself.
To participate in the next Green Walking Tour of Berkeley, or any of the other fascinating and inspiring Bay Area Green Tours, visit their website for more details and their schedule.
The David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way, Suite 280
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 704-0379
To LISTEN to more about all the places on the Green Walking Tour of Berkeley, please follow here.
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