Linksploration - Bay Area

The Concord Naval Weapons Station closed 19 years ago. After some false starts, it looks like its redevelopment is finally underway. We get the scoop from Guy Bjerke, who is the director of the project for the City of Concord.

Marsh Creek in Brentwood was engineered to be a drainage ditch, but the Contra Costa County Flood Control District, in partnership with American Rivers, is changing that. We tour the Three Creeks Restoration Project to see what is possible within the constraints of suburban living.

Rooftop solar seems like the front line answer to climate change, but there's a problem:  how to share the cost of maintaining the grid and other programs among users, as more and more homeowners opt out. In this episode we look at the latest effort to fix the problem by - yes - taking another swipe at rooftop solar. Hang on to the end to hear what our neighbor Nevada is doing!

The refinery's lawsuit against the Bay Area Air Quality Management District is settled; what's next? Let's check in with Heidi Taylor from Healthy Martinez. (Hint: there's more to keep an eye on.)

After the work comes the party! A stroll up the Richmond Greenway takes us to Unity Park and the after-party. We talk to exhibitors, listen to music, and generally chill out.

Urban Tilth work day in Richmond: Planting, weeding, mulching, and meeting the staff and volunteers who make it happen.  We met the cutest weeder, age 5 - and they found a potato!

Electrification is coming! And there is much to learn. Rebates! Tax credits! Cheaper power! And where to get help. Brenna Shafizadeh of the Climate Reality Project shares her expertise.

We have a special holiday gift for you from our friends over at the Bay Area Chapter of the Climate Reality Project, and their podcast, "Everyday Climate Champions"!  Ravinder Sehgal of the San Francisco Veg Society talks about why and how to reduce meat consumption to benefit you, the animals, and the climate. It's a win-win-win!

What's new at the Martinez refinery? They have added flares and stinky gas releases to their repertoire. Meanwhile, there is a December 21 court date with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and a class action lawsuit is getting underway. In this bonus minisode, we get an update from Heidi Taylor of Healthy Martinez.

We're back and planting! Learn about native plants, and efforts to bring them back in the Bay Area. We get to work at an annual event planting native plants, and also learn about their history, how they almost got wiped out, and the fun of resoring them to a part of their former territory. Spoiler alert: we ask about beavers.