TUESDAY IS EARTH DAY, and it is happening on a year the Earth could use a day off.
While lawsuits pour into courts over the Trump administration’s cancelation of funds for climate-directed projects and local counties prepare for another fire season, several events are scheduled around the Bay Area to draw attention to the climate crisis.
Over the weekend, the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation organized volunteer cleanup crews for public spaces, but actions will continue throughout the week.
EPA workers
Workers from the Environmental Protection Agency of the San Francisco area, represented by American Federation of Government Employees union Local 1236, will join the Engineers and Scientists of California and the National Treasury Employees Union at an Earth Day celebration. Speakers and supporters will gather on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Rincon Park at Embarcadero and Folsom Streets (near the bow and arrow sculpture).
Trump has promised to roll back EPA regulations and the department has begun layoffs.
In a public statement, the union warned of the costs of the Trump administration’s cuts to communities.
“The consequences of gutting the EPA would be dire for Americans: communities’ access to clean air and water would be hindered, contaminated lands and oil spills would go unaddressed, and chemicals and toxins such as lead, and radon would be left unchecked,” the AFGE said in a statement Monday.
Climate One
On Tuesday at 6 p.m., Climate One, a program with the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, will host a special Earth Day panel and reception for two of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize winners.
Laurene Allen led a successful campaign that pressured the closure of a New England plastics plant, which had leaked toxic forever chemicals into community drinking water. Carlos Mallo Molina led a global campaign that prevented the construction of a massive recreational boat and ferry terminal that threatened a biodiverse marine protected area in the Canary Islands. The prize, awarded to global champions of grassroots environmental achievements, is given by the San Francisco nonprofit Goldman Environmental Foundation.
On Thursday, Climate One will host two more shows, both focused on environmental justice. Starting at 11 a.m., KQED’s Alexis Madrigal will join Margaret Gordon of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, which monitors pollution and advocates for climate justice. They will discuss the fight to keep coal shipments out of the port of Oakland.
Book author Abby Reyes will discuss her work at the University of California, Irvine, where she brings together teams of faculty, students, and community collaborators to address environmental, health, and social justice challenges. Reyes’ partner and two other land rights advocates were murdered near Indigenous U’wa territory in Colombia in 1999, and Reyes has struggled to recover through the pursuit of environmental justice.
That evening at 5:30 p.m., San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Congressman Jared Huffman will discuss how to make climate progress despite opposition from the White House.
All Climate One events are open to the public. Reservations can be made online.
Berkeley protest
On Thursday at 4:15 p.m., dozens of residents, environmental justice advocates, faith leaders, and city officials will gather outside the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Berkeley office at 700 Heinz Ave. to protest a proposed expansion of hazardous waste dumping in the Bay Area. Afterward, advocates will attend the state Board of Environmental Safety hearing to voice their opposition.
Organizers are demanding that the Department of Toxic Substances Control halt what the groups say are plans to allow more landfills to accept hazardous waste without conducting adequate environmental studies or consulting impacted communities. Speakers will include Berkeley City Councilmembers Ben Bartlett and Igor Tregub; Richmond Councilmembers Claudia Jimenez, Cesar Zepeda and Sue Wilson, Antioch Councilmember Monica Wilson, and members of the nonprofits California Environmental Justice Coalition and Richmond Shoreline Alliance.
About Earth Day
Earth Day began in San Francisco in 1970. At the conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, a Christian preacher’s son from Iowa named John McConnell proposed an Earth Day be celebrated on the spring equinox. The city responded the following year by hosting the first Earth Day on March 21,1970. Today, more than 193 countries take part in events that demonstrate support for environmental protection.
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