Environment

Olive trees given to lucky shoppers

Richmond residents shopping at the farmers market for fresh produce Saturday snapped up 1,000 free organically grown olive trees alongside their bags of fruits and vegetables. The giveaway was a collaboration between McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma and the environmental group Self-Sustaining Communities. “We’re not only trying to change the scenery of Richmond by having more trees but also change people’s internal lifestyles,” said Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. “Gardens are fabulous places for people to get to know each other and for…

County seeks tighter safety measures in wake of new findings

As Richmond  Fire Department and Chevron firefighters complete joint search-and-rescue training operations at the Chevron refinery this week — a sign of cooperation between the two agencies at a time when residents and regulators are demanding answers about refinery safety — Contra Costa County is taking steps to tighten its industrial safety standards. The county’s Board of Supervisors last week appointed Supervisor John Gioia and District 5 Supervisor Federal D. Glover to  consider amendments to its Industrial Safety Ordinance and…

Main street market: both sides of the tent

On Wednesdays a vibrant civilization springs from trucks and vans to Nevin Plaza, bringing fresh goods to the locals. Fragrant peaches, colorful heirloom tomatoes and delicate cannoli are among the many treats to be found between the 10 or so tents that sit snugly in the courtyard. And as for quality, the produce is spray, pesticide and hormone-free. Yet what some of the more prominent Bay Area markets boast, this one lacks – USDA-certified organic products.

The Flotsam Flotilla in 15 photos

Before the frenzy of volunteers descended on Shimada Friendship Park for the 28th annual Coastal Cleanup Day, a dozen volunteers arose early Saturday morning for a special task.   This “chosen few” — as one project organizer jokingly called them — made up this year’s Flotsam Flotilla, a small cluster of kayaks that set out to clean up a stretch of the Richmond Shoreline only accessible by boat. The Richmond-based Watershed Project, which organized the flotilla, borrowed boats from the REI…

Baxter Creek again listed among Bay’s dirtiest waterways

The bushes rustle as Herb Warren emerges toting a trash picker and plastic bucket. The 65-year-old retiree ambles through the plants, snatching up the pieces of littered plastic, food wrappers and bottles along the stretch of Baxter Creek running through Booker T. Anderson Park.

Park searches for funds to build Pinole interpretive center

The East Bay Regional Park District is looking for $5.2 million to fund a first-of-its-kind interpretive center at Point Pinole, which would help tell the environmental and cultural history of the area through educational programs for school children and the public.