Environment
Sibley’s narrow dirt trails shaded by oaks provided expansive views of the bay, and are part of a modern-day retreat for Oaklanders looking for a quick get-away.
There are a number of incentive programs for Oakland residents who go solar—such as California Solar Initiative, Energy Upgrade California, or Sungevity.org—but they only work if you own your rooftop. But what if you don’t?
Lake Merritt may look calm and flat, like a city lake that’s probably more for pedal boats and kayaks than sailboats. But while the lake doesn’t have the challenging big swells and wind of the San Francisco Bay, it offers plenty of opportunities for sailing.
To alternating applause and boos, supporters and opponents of a proposed dog park at Lakeside Park broke even on Wednesday evening during a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, when the plan drew a tie vote from the commission.
It’s summertime, and Oakland’s community gardens are thriving. But in a city with only about 200 plots for 40,000 people, waiting lists are long, and the Office of Parks and Recreation is expanding the gardening program as fast as it can.
Oakland’s public works committee spent about a minute Tuesday morning discussing a resolution that would connect a gap in the Bay Trail underneath the High Street Bridge in East Oakland near the city’s border with Alameda, before approving it by consensus. But that doesn’t diminish the step forward towards completing the trail, said Laura Thompson, the trail’s project manager.
Youth Greening Oakland (YGO) is an eight-week “earn and learn” summer program that hires teenagers to work in urban gardening projects while also learning about environmental justice and food sustainability issues.
Furniture retail giant IKEA is putting solar panels on its store roofs all over the globe, including the one on the Oakland-Emeryville border. If you drive across the highway overpasses nearby, you can see the array coming into shape.
Fuel-free forms of water sports like paddle boarding, rowing and kayaking can provide surprisingly breathtaking ways to travel, explore and exercise in Oakland’s own backyard.