Environment

Richmond leads way in effort to prevent trash from entering the bay

Most Bay Area cities are trying to staunch the flow of trash into the bay through storm drains, but some cities are leading the pack. Richmond has already reduced 80 percent of its trash entering storm drains, thanks to a mix of trash bans, trash-filters and community projects. “The City of Richmond has made a lot of progress,” said Allison Chan, associate director of policy at the nonprofit Save the Bay, an advocate of reducing trash pollution. “Of the cities…

Calling it a ‘sick pig,’ residents urge reopening of Point Molate settlement

Audible gasps spread through the Richmond City Council meeting on Tuesday when it was announced that nearly 50 people had signed up to speak during the public comment period, most about the city’s most valuable piece of shoreline that is once again the subject of tense debate. The gasps foreshadowed some colorful comments from the residents who blasted city officials about how they approved a settlement agreement for the prized shoreline, known as Point Molate. Richmond resident Juan Reardon denounced…

Swimmers Dive In at Keller Cove to Support Youth Swimming

It all started over a decade ago, when Point Richmond resident Norman Hantzsche and his dogs started swimming in the bay at Keller Cove. With its sweeping bridge views and high water quality, the cove offers some of the best open water  swimming around. It wasn’t long before a group of local swimmers jumped in alongside Hantzsche. The group of intrepid bay swimmers soon started an annual event to raise funds for a youth swimming program in the city of…

Meet Richmond’s fishermen (and one woman)

Despite some concerns about water pollution from the city’s industries, people fish in many different spots across Richmond’s extensive shoreline: in parks, off piers, and even under bridges and highways. They do so for relaxation, to enjoy the outdoors, and to feed their families. Meet some of them here.

Eco-Church

Eco-churches are coming to Richmond. True Fellowship Baptist Church in Shields-Reid announced this week that it is planning to become the first congregation in Richmond to rely only on solar energy. “This is just the beginning,” said David Green, True Fellowship Deacon. Green said the church ultimately hopes to be certified as a green building through the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The church launched an online crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday with the help of RE-volv, a…

Community involvement takes on illegal dumping

According to a city report, in 2017, Richmond’s abatement staff collected more than three million pounds of illegally dumped debris from 13,430 locations. A pile of waste strewn around the entrance of the Lillie Mae Jones Trail is just one example of dozens of waste piles illegally dumped throughout the city of Richmond on a daily basis.

Battle over fate of Point Molate continues

Following the settlement which ended a years-long legal battle between casino developers and the city of Richmond over the fate of the scenic Point Molate, several activist groups have filed suit to block the development of housing in the area.