Environmental Resource Center (ERC)

2530 San Pablo Avenue (@ Blake Street)
Berkeley, CA 94702
Open 11am-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday
Info Desk:
Phone: (510) 548-2220 x233
email: erc@ecologycenter.org

The Environmental Resource Center is free, open to the public, and is where you'll find information, books and people to help you on a wide range of issues. Our library is open to everyone for reference and if you are an Ecology Center member you can check out books and videos. The Center also offers job, internship, and volunteer listings; political alerts; binders on grants available; and on education programs. We publish the bi-weekly EcoCalendar, an extensive listing of Bay Area events, classes, actions and grant deadlines. Our information hotline provides information on a wide range of environmental issues from toxics to composting to activism. We also produce fact sheets on topical issues and an annual Bay Area Environmental Education Resource Guide. Classes related to sustainable living are given on most Saturday mornings and we hold evening events featuring guest speakers, videos, slideshows and more. Come visit!

Library

Search the Ecology Center library catalog online!

The ERC maintains a public library covering the environmental concerns of Californians, with particular emphasis on the Bay Area. Our collection of books, reports, periodicals, do-it-yourself pamphlets and clippings files feature subjects including toxics (household & community), permaculture, gardening, globalization, recycling, environmental education, sustainable development and environmental justice. Special collections include an index of our magazine, Terrain, dating back to 1979; extensive files on the Headwaters Forest; data on plastics and their impact on health and the environment; green products and services catalogs; and environmental education classes and program directories.

Information Hotline

We are available to answer questions over the phone; via post-mail, e-mail or fax and on a walk-in basis (see contact info at top of page). Our staff handles questions on a wide range of issues: "How can I get rid of the ants in my kitchen without using dangerous pesticides?"; "How can I get involved in a group working to stop the destruction caused by fossil fuels?"; "How can I go solar?"; "I’d like to join a community garden, how do I find one?; "Can you help me figure out how to keep bees?"; "I have some old batteries; how do I dispose of them?; "Where can I get worms & a worm composting bin?"; "Where can I find a nontoxic dry cleaner?"; "How can I get involved in creek restoration work?"; "Where can I get an alternative to fiberglass?".

These are just a few examples of some commonly asked questions. If we are unable to answer a question ourselves, we can usually make a referral. In exchange for our services, we ask that those who can consider membership in the Ecology Center, or make a small donation.

Classes

The ERC hosts classes on a variety of subjects. Most classes happen on Saturdays, although some are offered on weeknights. Check the EcoCalendar for the current class schedule. Past classes have included topics such as: How to Start Your Own Gardening Business; Solar Cooking; Nontoxic Solutions to Pest Control Problems; Raising Chickens in the City; and Permaculture Principles. Emphasis is on topics not easily found elsewhere and those that provide hands-on assistance for those wishing to lead a more self-reliant and sustainable lifestyle.

All classes are held at the Ecology Center 2530 San Pablo Avenue unless otherwise noted. For more information call (510) 548-2220 ext. 233.

Ecology Center
2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702
Phone: (510) 548-2220 x233
Fax: (510) 548-2240
email: erc@ecologycenter.org
Open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday