Quick Guide to East Bay Resources for Sustainable Living
Local Organizations
Ecology Center
Free, public library includes garden, building, solar, greywater,
design, permaculture, biodiesel books, videos, magazines and more.
Sustainable Living classes cover such topics as permaculture, hands-on
biodiesel, native plants, chicken keeping, more. Eco-calendar lists
Bay Area eco classes, workshops, events, grant deadlines (see www.ecologycenter.org.)
Free info hotline can help locate resources, answer questions. Store
carries eco garden and house supplies, ecopaper, books on sustainable
living. Open Tues – Sat, 11am-6pm. At 2530 San Pablo Ave @Dwight,
Berkeley. Info: 510-548-2220 x233.
EcoHouse
Demonstration site with permaculture garden, cob building with
living roof, solar-powered, salvaged and eco building materials.
Visits arranged by request. Hands-on workshops. At Hopkins and
Peralta, Berkeley. 510-548-2220 x242, www.ecologycenter.org/ecohouse/.
East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse
Salvages and gets donations of reusable items and resells at low-cost
for art projects and more. Materials such as fabric, frames, art supplies.
Visit at 4695 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 510-547-6470.
Urban Ore
Salvages and resells building materials, housewares, furniture for
reuse. Seventh and Murray, Berkeley, 510- 841-7283.
Building Education Center
812 Page Center, Berkeley. 510-525-7610. Lots of classes on construction
– plumbing, carpentry, electrical, laying tile, more. www.bldgeductr.org.
Solar Living Center in Hopland (2 hours North of Berkeley)
Source for alternative energy and building supplies, hands-on workshops,
demonstration site. (solar, wind, biodiesel, greywater, strawbale,
more.) www.solarliving.org
Bikes
- BAATT Cave - Bike library with parts and helpful
people. Also needs volunteers. Call at 595-1803.
- Tinker’s Workshop – Skill-share clinics
on bike fixing and more. 510-644-2577.
- Missing Link – Cooperatively owned bikeshop
sells, rents, repairs and reconditions bikes. At 1988 Shattuck, Berkeley.
510- 843-7471.
Permaculture – Garden - Food
- East Bay Permaculture listserv - eastbaypermaculture@yahoogroups.com
- Permaculture: a Designer’s Manual
– Bill Mollison, (Tagari Publications, 1988)
- Gaia’s Garden – Toby Hemenway,
(Chelsea Green, 2001)
- City People's Book of Raising Food –
Olkowski (Rodale, 1975).
- Golden Gate Gardening – Gardening
for local Bay Area climates.
- Permaculture Activist magazine
- Urban Wilds - Gardeners' stories of the
struggle for land and justice – Edited by cleo
- Native Here Nursery – All East Bay native
plants. In Tilden Park, 101 Golf Course Drive. Open Fridays, 9am-Noon
and Saturdays, 10am-1pm. Very knowledgeable volunteer staff.
- California Native Plant Society - East Bay chapter,
www.ebcnps.org.
- Rotline - Alameda County’s great resource
for low cost bins, info hotline, free classes. Plus Master Composter
Training Program. 510-444-SOIL.
- San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG)
– Classes and resources for urban gardening. 415-285-7584, www.slug-sf.org.
- Master Gardener Hotline – Very knowledgeable
info staff answers garden questions for free. 510-639-1371.
- Berkeley Community Gardening
Collaborative – Info and help about the many community
and school garden projects in Berkeley. 510-883-9096.
- Seed Saving: BASIL
– free seed interchange library (housed at Ecology Center) with
seed saving classes and seed swaps. Books: Seed to Seed (Seed Saver,
1991), Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, (Chelsea Green, 2000).
- CSA Food Boxes that Deliver to
the East Bay
Green Building
- ADPSR listserv: Adpsrmail@aol.com.
Local email listserv of Architects, Designers, Planners for Social
Responsibility, with quality postings on green building events/issues.
Good place to post an info request when looking for green materials,
contractors, etc.
- Green Resource Center – Info on green building
methods, materials, resources. See www.greenresourcecenter.org.
- Building Materials, Reused/Salvaged Wood
- Urban Ore, Seventh and Murray, Berkeley, 510-
841-7283.
- Building Resources, 701 Amador St., SF 415-285-7814.
- C & K Salvage - 718 Douglas Ave., Oakland.
510-569-2070
- The Reuse People - 2100 Ferry Point #150, Alameda.
(510) 522-2722
- EcoTimber – High end wood - 1611 Fourth
Street, San Rafael. 415-258-8454
- Earth Source - High end woods. 1618 28th Street,
Oakland. 510-549-WOOD
- Caldwell Building Wreckers - 195 Bayshore Blvd.
SF 415-550-6777
- Berkeley Architectural Salvage - 1167 65th Street,
Oakland. 510-655-2270
- CALMAX. Statewide materials exchange. Great for
getting or giving away large quantities of free stuff (ex; bricks,
wood chips). See www.calmax.org.
- Books:
The Straw Bale House – Steen (Chelsea
Green, 1994).
- Straw Bale Building: how to plan, design &
build with straw – Magwood, et al (New Society,
2000).
- Cob Builders Handbook – Becky
Bee, (Groundworks, 1997).
- The Natural House: a complete guide to healthy,
energy-efficient, environmental homes – Chiras
(Chelsea Green , 2000).
- Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: design and construction
– McHenry (University of Arizona, 1984).
- Building with Earth: A Guide to Flexible-Form Earthbag
Construction – Wojciechowska (Chelsea Green,
2001).
Greywater
- Guerrilla Greywater Girls Guide to Water
– Zine that is often available at the Long Haul and the Ecology
Center.
- Create An Oasis with Greywater: Your Complete Guide
to Managing Greywater in the Landscape – Art Ludwig.
(Oasis Design, 1998). Also lots of free information at http://oasisdesign.net.
- Ashby Plumbing – helpful in answering plumbing
questions.
- Building Education Center – classes in plumbing.
www.bldgeductr.org, 812 Page
St, Berkeley.
Building Resources – Good source for reuse materials, pipe,
drums. 701 Amador St., SF 415-285-7814.
- EBMUD – Gives rebates on water conservation
devices plus conservation tips: http://www.ebmud.com/conserving_&_recycling/residential/default.htm
Solar, Wind, Alternative Energy
- Solar Living Center in Hopland (2 hours North
of Berkeley) – Source for alternative energy and building supplies,
hands-on workshops, demonstration site. (solar, wind, biodiesel, greywater,
strawbale, more.) www.solarliving.org
- Northern California Solar Energy Association –
Workshops, info, contractor/supplier listings. www.norcalsolar.org.
- Over 50 books in Ecology Center library on solar and wind, including
PV, solar water heaters, solar cookers, including The Passive
Solar House, Wind Power for Home and Business, Windmill
Power for City People, more.
Biodiesel
Chickens, Bees
- Chickens in your Backyard, A Beginner's Guide
– Luttmann, (Rodale, 1976).
- Complete Guide to Beekeeping –
Morse (Sunrise, 1974).
Creek/Habitat Restoration
- Urban Creeks Council – Creek and watershed
restoration. 1250 Addison, Berkeley, 510-540-6669, www.urbancreeks.org.
Some Classic Books on Sustainable Living:
- Other Homes and Garbage: Designs for Self-Sufficient
Living – Leckie; Masters; Whitehouse; Young (Sierra
Club Books, 1975).
- The Integral Urban House – Olkowski,
et al (Sierrra Club Books, 1979).
- The Encyclopedia of Country Living –
(Sasquatch Books, 1994). Practical advice on how to cultivate a garden,
bake bread, raise farm animals, can fruit, grow herbs, build a chicken
coop, etc.
Other
