This page is always a work in progress...We've categorized this collection of links into food gardening, nature & environment, arts, local resources and volunteering. We've tried to keep things pretty local (i.e. in Oakland) but a few of these resources are located outside the city limits, especially in the food gardening category.
If you know of a site you think we should include, by all means let us know.
Oakland Food Gardening & Related Issues | Nature & Environment in Oakland | Arts & Community in Oakland | Local Resources | Volunteering |
Oakland Food Gardening & Related Issues |
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http://www.foodcommunityculture.org/ Oakland Food Connection promotes nutritional awareness, access to healthy foods, and the connections between people and our planet. |
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http://www.cityslickerfarms.org City Slicker Farms increases food self-sufficiency in West Oakland by creating organic, sustainable, high-yield urban farms and back-yard gardens. |
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http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/ People's Grocery is a community-based organization in West Oakland whose mission is to build a local food system that improves the health and economy of the West Oakland community. |
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http://ttp://www.phatbeetsproduce.org/ Phat Beets food justice collective supports two certified clinic based farmers’ markets, one youth led school farm stand + community nutrition hub, and a youth market garden--plus they do a workshop series on a range of self-sufficiency subjects like food-growing and bike repair. |
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http://www.mobetterfood.com/ Mo’ Better Food has since 1998 has been working to preserve and expand the connection between African American farmers and predominately African American communities. |
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http://www.obugs.org/ OBUGs (Oakland Based Urban Gardens) builds healthy communities through programs involving school and community gardens and other green spaces. |
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http://funktownfarm.wordpress.com/ Funk Town Farm is a community garden located in the area known to locals as “funk town” in East Oakland. Funk Town farmers grow their own produce to use and sell at a sliding scale farm stand on Sunday mornings, and they raise chickens for eggs and involve the community in “sponsoring a chicken” and composting. They want to provide the neighborhood fresh organic fruit, veggies and eggs no matter what their socioeconomic status may be. |
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http://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/ Novella Carpenter’s super informative & entertaining Oakland urban farming blog |
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http://acmg.ucdavis.edu Alameda County Master Gardeners, check the ‘contact’ page for Plant Doctor Hotline info |
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http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/communitygardening.asp The City of Oakland’s community gardening program, where residents of all ages, cultures and backgrounds steward equitably distributed plots of land to grow organic vegetables, fruits and flowers. |
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http://www.eoba.org/Urban-Fresh-Gardeners.html EOBA's Urban Fresh Gardeners was developed to increase access to organic plant starts for the East Oakland community. They're currently selling low-cost vegetable, herb, and flower plant starts Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Check their site for details and more info on EOBA's programs for Oakland youth. |
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http://forageoakland.blogspot.com/ This North Oakland community fruit exchange connects locals with their fruit-growing neighbors to harvest and distribute the bounty of the area's fruit trees. Forage Oakland won props from the New York Times and is currently producing a guide to starting your own neighborhood fruit exchange. |
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http://www.ploughsharesnursery.com/ Specializing in edible, California native and drought tolerant plants, Ploughshares offers free educational workshops on gardening techniques, garden crafts, and techniques for preserving garden produce. Besides being a great garden resource, Ploughshares is also a nonprofit that trains and employs low income adults--100% of their sales support housing, job skills training, and other services for formerly homeless families. |
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http://wondertime.go.com/life-at-home/article/homegrown-recipes.html vegetable garden recipes and tips for super basic kid-accessible gardening |
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http://mygardenfare.com/ Garden Fare's approach toward gardening involves a constant awareness that we are working with nature, not against it. We believe strongly that growing and sharing good food can help to strengthen communities. We aim to make our gardens and, more generally, organic food more financially and culturally accessible to the range of communities we serve. |
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http://www.alledibles.com/index.htm All Edibles' mission is to inspire and educate East Bay residents about the potential of their natural spaces by offering the collaborative design and installation of edible landscapes on their properties. |
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http://www.meatoutmondays.org/7days.htm An e-newsletter with weekly vegetarian recipes—even if you’re an omnivore one meatless day a week has a positive impact on the environment (see the next link for a concise list of why) |
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http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2007/08/why-the-no-impa.html No Impact Man's excellent blog posting about why eating less meat is good for the planet |
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http://www.cleannorth.org/help/answerbook/pesticides.html A great resource for organic bug control in your garden. Check the Grow Your Own Garden Guide for more resources about organic gardening. |
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http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Chickens-in-a-City Join the "urban chicken movement" and raise your own backyard flock. |
Nature & Environment in Oakland |
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http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp There’s no end to the info on this site: listings to every recycling opportunity in town, local climate change initiatives, bay-friendly gardening, hazardous waste drop-off (under ‘residents’), and much more. |
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http://www.scorecard.org/index.tcl Some of the most important stuff to know about your community and your health. Get the lowdown on Oakland’s biggest polluters, Superfund sites, toxic chemical releases and other local pollution data. |
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http://www.zerowasteoakland.com/Page33.aspx Info on recycling and other waste-reduction initiatives of the City of Oakland |
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http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/plasticbag/s01_consumers.html Lists an Oakland location for plastic bag drop-off and a list of acceptable bags for recycling. Lots of grocery stores accepting plastic shopping bags, by the way. |
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http://www.teleosis.org/gpp-locations.php Listing of drop-off locations for unwanted pharameceutical |
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http://www.cleanwaterprogram.org/residents_home.htm Info on water pollution prevention for homeowners and ways to get more involved in keeping Oakland’s watershed healthy |
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http://www.ebmud.com/services/recreation/east_bay/ Info on trails and outdoor activities at EBMUD recreation areas. Check out the paddle boats at Lafayette Reservoir! |
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http://www.ebparks.org/parks Links to all the parks in the East Bay Regional Parks system, info on access, features and activities, plus way more… |
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http://www.oaklandnet.com/JoaquinMillerPark/ Joaquin Miller Park is one of Oakland’s greatest places to walk around. Look for trail maps and park history/landmark information. |
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http://www.oaklandpw.com/creeks Creeks are one of the special wonders of Oakland. Get connected to Adopt-A-Creek, school presentations, Creek to Bay Day, and more. |
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http://www.sausalcreek.org/ Sausal Creek runs through the Dimond and Fruitvale/San Antonio neighborhoods. Download a trail and tributary map, learn about protecting fish and creek history and what the Friends are up to. Check the links page for more Oakland neighborhood creek associations. |
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http://www.butterslandtrust.org Butters Canyon Conservancy conserves wild landscapes in Butters Canyon, home to hundreds of species of wildlife and plants at the headwaters of Peralta Creek, just off Joaquin Miller Road. |
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http://yuwr.org/ YUWR is dedicated to the rehabilitation of orphaned and injured wildlife living in urban city centers and education of the public about how to live harmoniously with our cities’ wildlife. Great info on dealing with injured wildlife (except birds). |
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http://www.bugpeople.org/ This Oakland museum has a wealth of cool local bug info, including the amazing guide ‘Lake Merritt and Greater Oakland Insects’. Their website is also loaded up with fun and interesting things--easy to use and very detailed field guides to local bugs, photobank and slideshows, activity and reference downloads and more. |
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http://www.wildlife-museum.org Though it's not in Oakland the Lindsay (in Walnut Creek) is an excellent resource for learning about wildlife and what to do with injured wild animals. |
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http://www.urbanecology.org/greenway/ Urban Ecology strives to create neighborhoods that are thriving, healthy places to live. They specialize in participatory land use planning that creates a common vision for change and policy advocacy that turns a community’s vision into reality. |
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http://www.oaklandparkscoalition.org/ Oakland Parks Coalition, a local volunteer effort working for cleaner greener parks, recognizes the importance of public parks to the health and well-being of urban dwellers. Since 2001 they've been encouraging and organizing stewardship as a means to improving the quality of Oakland's parks. Get in touch with OPC to find out about adopting an Oakland Park! |
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http://www.oaklandparks.org/about_friends.htm Friends of Oakland Parks and Recreation generates funding and support for projects and programs to enhance and supplement recreational, environmental, educational, beautification and leisure activities offered through the Oakland parks and recreation centers. In other words they do a lot to add to our park experience. |
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http://www.nhwildlife.net/album/index.html The pictures in this gallery document wildlife seen in the hills on the Oakland/Berkeley border |
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http://oaklandgeology.wordpress.com/ This blog has cool categories like Oakland geology views and the Hayward fault, local soil and rock info, and lots more about Oakland geology. |
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http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt_birds.asp The city’s guide to birds you might see at the Lake, with photos. |
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http://bit.ly/oaklandwalks We love this cool calendar that posts all the scheduled walks going on in town! Local favorite walking spots are listed--everybody loves Mountain View Cemetary, right?--but you can also find info on tours of lesser-known Jingletown and old Key Line routes, plus informative walks discussing Oakland zoning and history. |
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http://www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org WOBO seeks to improve neighborhood livability, vitality and sustainability by making Oakland a better place to walk and bike. |
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http://cyclesofchange.org/ Cycles of Change works to improve the health and sustainability of our neighborhoods by increasing the use of bicycles as transportation, connecting youth with the extraordinary living systems of our local area, and building a diverse community of visionary young leaders. |
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http://btceb.org/index.php BTCEB's mission is to educate cyclists in responsible mountain biking, to advocate for appropriate access and to promote community among trail users so all may fully enjoy and preserve the natural spaces of the East Bay. |
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http://scraperbikes.net/index.html Winner of an Oaklandish Innovator Award, Scraper Bikes builds custom rides with flash and style and has elevated the DIY bike to a true art form. The perfect mix of style and positivity, born and raised in Oakland. |
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http://www.10000stepsoakland.org/about.php 10,000 Steps is a community-based creative stewardship project designed to increase the public’s aware of urban green space in downtown Oakland. |
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http://oaklandsol.org/wp/ SOL is transforming a Lower San Antonio urban space into a center for sustainable living. They provide a space to model and teach environmentally and socially conscious living in an urban community. |
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http://www.exoticsguide.org/ Our bays and estuaries contain some of the most invaded marine habitats in the world—this site’s Species Gallery will help you identify and learn more about some of the most common invaders. |
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http://www.savesfbay.org/ Save The Bay is the oldest and largest organization working exclusively to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay. Check their site for great volunteering opportunities, education programs and info on issues affecting the health of our Bay. |
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http://www.greenerpenny.com/ Accessible tips on what’s ‘good, easy and green’ |
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http://www.h2ouse.org/index.cfm Read the top 5 water-saving actions and take the home tour to learn about room-by-room water-saving opportunities |
Arts & Community in Oakland |
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http://www.eastsideartsalliance.com/ The EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA) is an organization of artists, cultural workers, and community organizers of color who live and/or work in the San Antonio district of Oakland. EastSide puts on the annual MalcolmX Jazz Arts Festival in San Antonio Park, an Oakland must-go event in one of Oakland’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods (sorry y'all—you just missed it, make sure you're there next May). |
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http://www.oaklandish.com Oaklandish not only produces cool Oakland apparel & goods—they also support local innovators and artists and put on free public events, all in the spirit of ‘promoting the strange luster and oddball spirit’ of East Bay life. |
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http://www.oaklandartmurmur.com/ Oakland Art Murmur is a coalition of art and cultural venues dedicated to increasing popular awareness of and participation in the arts in Oakland. First Friday Art Walks are a fascinating way to spend your first-Friday-of-the-month evenings. |
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http://www.instituteofmosaicart.com/ Located in Jingletown, IMA is a world-class mosaic education and resource center offering expert instruction and a fun and welcoming environment in the largest mosaic education center in the United States. |
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http://www.proartsgallery.org/index.html ProArts supports all kinds of Oakland visual art through Open Studios and exhibits and events year-round. |
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http://favianna.typepad.com/faviannacom_art_activism/ Favianna is a super-talented local artist doing gorgeous *and* powerful work, check her out! |
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http://www.obikaufmann.blogspot.com/ One man’s perspective on and links to visual art in Oakland |
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/themacinator/sets/72157604101191141/ Documenting some of Oakland's many many amazing tags |
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http://oaklandsidewalks.wordpress.com/ Ever notice the names and dates stamped into Oakland’s old concrete sidewalks? We’ve obsessed on them for years and just found this great Oakland stamp archive—thank you Andrew Alden! |
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http://www.marlonsaganaingram.com/ Check the fabulous works and blog of Marlon Sagana Ingram, our debut spotlight artist. |
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http://www.queridomundo.com Querido Galdo's full-service graphic design studio. Click the Photo button on the home page to see his photos of Oakland. |
Local Resources |
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http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/ The OPL website is a great resource on many fronts, including the link-packed About Oakland page www.oaklandlibrary.org/aboutoakland.html. Even if you never read another book in your life, as an Oakland resident you owe yourself a visit to the Oakland History Room at the main branch by the Lake. |
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http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/temtll.htm Oakland’s Temescal Tool Lending Library currently offers over 2700 tools available for loan, as well as books and how-to videos. All the tools you need to dig that backyard garden! |
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http://www.friendsofmelroselibrary.org/ The Friends of Melrose Library raise funds and advocate on behalf of the Oakland Public Library, Melrose Branch. The Melrose Branch library serves a critical role in our community, and needs our support to continue to provide these services. |
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http://oaklandheritage.tumblr.com/post/50641386/current-events Besides organizing interesting walking tours throughout the town, Oakland Heritage Alliance advocates the protection, preservation, and revitalization of Oakland's architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources. |
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http://www.511.org/ A really dense site with access to all the public transit systems serving the Bay Area—link to ferries, trains, buses, and trains, plan transit trips and download bicycle maps, get the latest Spare the Air updates…on and on. |
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http://www.ridenow.org/carpool/ Pretty up-to-date info on casual carpool, posts about cars to avoid and carpool etiquette |
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http://www.oaklandpw.com/Page555.aspx Go here to sign up for free street trees! It’s a slow process (ours took a few months to show up) and it may be even slower now due to the city’s budget issues—however we highly recommend you get the ball rolling now, you’ll be really happy when the tree(s) finally shows up and your block moves a step closer to beautiful leafy green-ness. |
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http://plantexchange.wordpress.com/ Live by the Lake? Have plants you must prune or cull? How about trading your excess with others in your neighborhood? Take home new plants for your yard and have an instant new garden. All free. |
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http://www.east-bay-depot.org/home.html Oakland’s coolest selection of everything cheap and excellent for craft and teaching projects, and so much more we can’t do justice to in this tiny sentence. |
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http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/eastbay.quickguide.html This page is packed with connections to East bay classes, organizations, books and tons of other avenues to ecologically sustainable daily living. |
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http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/radicalrovingrecreation.asp A new initiative from Oakland Parks & Recreation to address some of the most neglected of Oakland's youth. The program's goal is to change the attitudes of misguided and misdirected youth in Oakland by meeting them where they are —emotionally, spiritually, and physically—and introducing them to new opportunities and experiences. |
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http://www.otxwest.org/index.html OTX-West is dedicated to eliminating the digital divide in Oakland. They do this in many ways, including distributing free home computers to Oakland students. A great place for the technically-tended to volunteer, and for the technology-obsessed to donate last year's laptop. |
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http://thereusepeople.org/ The ReUse People sell building materials from 'deconstruction'—great stuff to buy for both economic and environmental reasons. Check 'retail sales locations' in right sidebar for local address info. |
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http://www.theoakbook.com The online companion to Oakbook magazine, a repository of interesting Oakland stories, events, political opinion and more. |
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http://oaklandlocal.com/ Centered on topics including environmental justice, food distribution, transportation, development & housing, and gender & identity, Oakland Local does original reporting and publishes information from local non-profits and community organizations within a range of Oakland neighborhoods. |
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http://ouroakland.blogspot.com/ Ongoing discussion of local issues, plus interesting Oakland sign photos. |
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http://www.oaklandstreets.com/ Discussion on a wide range of local issues with focus on city planning and land usage, plus lots of informative and interesting links |
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http://cityhomestead.wordpress.com/ 'Making a home in the heart of the city', with discussion of local events, food, design and politics. |
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http://oaklandgrown.wordpress.com/ Supporting Oakland’s local independent businesses and artists, with arts and community event listings |
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http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/450404 Map and discussion of Oakland's taco trucks |
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http://www.freecycle.org/group/United%20States/California/Oakland Receive and post listings of stuff people are giving away. We've picked up a camera, bricks, and solar system flannel sheets—never mind the goods we've passed on to new happy homes. |
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http://www.oaklandnet.com The official website for the city of Oakland |
Volunteering |
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http://www.growyouroakland.org/pages/main.php?pageid=29&pagecategory=4 Check out our Grow: Volunteer page for a great starter list of local volunteer opportunities |
