urban tilth Archives

Richmond needs a Buddhist: Urban Tilth’s Doria Robinson

By Wendi Jonassen | February 20, 2012 |

doria robinson smiles, wearing a green T-shirt and pink hairband.

Eighteen years ago, Doria Robinson, a third generation Richmond native, was studying Buddhism philosophy, and Tibetan language and culture in a monastery in Dharamsala, India. She was as far away from her hometown as she could be. Now she’s back in Richmond, helping residents gain access to healthy food and urban gardens.

Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service draws a crowd

By Ashley Hopkinson | January 17, 2012

Inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, more than 400 Richmond residents volunteered their time and skills at the 5th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service at the Richmond Greenway. The event, which had a festival atmosphere, offered musical entertainment, food, and booths with information on everything from habitat gardens to food…

Richmond’s first food policy council meets

By Wendi Jonassen | November 10, 2011 |

At Richmond’s first food policy council meeting Tuesday night at City Hall, Urban Tilth Executive Director Doria Robinson instructed the carefully chosen participants to catalog the city’s most pressing food-related problems. The session started off quickly. As the participants introduced themselves, they cited their biggest concerns while Robinson took notes on a dry-erase board in…

Environmental inequalities are hot topic at Richmond sustainability conference

By Wendi Jonassen | November 7, 2011 |

When Luz Gomez, the deputy chief of staff for County Supervisor John Gioia, tried to establish a small deli on a corner in North Richmond, even with help from the County, had to overcome more zoning code, development agency and operator obstacles then she anticipated. Though she says that she feels close to opening the…

Richmond native Tania Pulido wins national award for youth activism

By Wendi Jonassen | October 17, 2011 |

Tania Pulido of Richmond will accept a Brower Youth Award for exceptional youth activism and leadership on Tuesday at the Herbst Center in San Francisco. The Brower Youth Award is one of the most prestigious youth activism awards in the country. Presented by the Earth Island Institute the award recognizes six individuals under the age…

Planting seeds of change

By Christina Lopez | April 4, 2011

Community members from the Coronado, Iron Triangle, and Santa Fe neighborhoods in Richmond came together on César Chávez’ 84th birthday to honor the farm labor leader by planting vegetables, trees, and other vegetation in local schools and neighborhoods. The first annual César Chávez’ Community Garden Day brought nearly 100 people out of their homes and into a garden at Richmond College Prep Charter School, sparking a true grassroots movement.