Richmond Rivets
A Transition Initiative

Do you have too many tomatoes/zucchinis/ lemons or something else in your garden? Come to a garden produce swap and trade your excess produce for something you don’t have.  Meet with your neighbors, trade gardening tips and help out your community. Excess produce can be donated to a local food pantry.

When: Every Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 starting July 28th, 2011
Our last Crop Swap of the season will be October 13th from 6:00-6:40
Where: Richmond Public Library – Main Branch – 325 Civic Center Plaza, in the courtyard

BYOB (bring your own bags)

Sponsored by Richmond Rivets Transition Town & Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library

Put these 2 special events on your calendar. Check back here for info updates.

This coming Sunday, March 20th, 1-4:30 pm, come to Albany Library's Edith Stone Room (1247 Marin Avenue, Albany), and join other Albany residents for an inspiring afternoon exploring the question:
What would an exceptional, local, sustainable health care system look like in Albany?
With our current lifestyle and expectations now facing all kinds of challenges -- from the rising cost of gas (and anything that needs gas to reach us) to economic contraction -- our community could breathe easier knowing that our basic health care needs can be met largely at home. This afternoon is designed to help us reach that point. When we come together as a community of health care providers and residents, we can craft solutions together that we might not think of alone.

We will be guided by Open Space facilitator, Saundra Leigh, to form groups around our own visions and passions to begin planning a future health care system that can meet our immediate needs at home. Afterward, with the contacts we have made, we can begin implementing the ideas we generated.

We welcome ALL interested community members (not just those in health care). Come and meet old friends and make new ones.This is history in the making!

Please arrive promptly at 1 pm and plan to stay the whole session.
Bring your business cards and flyers. We will provide tea and snacks.
Your donation would support our facilitator and pay for materials.

See you there...

Catherine Henderson, CMT
transitionalbanyhealth@gmail.com

This two-day course is an in-depth experiential introduction to Transition for those considering bringing Transition to their community. It's also great background for those considering joining an existing Transition effort (such as Rivets). The course describes how to catalyze, build and facilitate a successful Transition Initiative. It is packed with imaginative and inspiring ways to engage your community, and delves into both the theory and practice of Transition that has worked so well in hundreds of communities in the U.K. and around the world.

On thisNational Day of Service, over 300 people came out to volunteer and :

• Plant edible, native, butterfly-friendly plants and trees

• Learn how to grow and care for medicinal plants
• Help design a new mural & create helpful signs for our public gardens
• Beautify Richmond's public Berryland and the Lincoln School Farm
• Tend the public Greenway: Pull weeds, lay sheet mulch, and remove litter
   

It was a beautiful day with food, music, prizes and most of all sharing with neighbors.

 


Do you have too many tomatoes/zucchinis/ lemons or something else in your garden? Come to a Garden Produce Swap and trade your excess produce for something you don’t have.  Meet with your neighbors, trade gardening tips and help out your community. Excess produce can be donated to a local homeless shelter.



Here are the times and locations:

• Sunday, September  26th – 1:00-2:00 at (Richmond Homestead Tour, 525 32nd St., Richmond)
• Sunday, October 3rd – 1:00-2:00 at Catahoula Coffee
• Sunday, October 10th – 1:00-5:00 at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch  (Part of the 10-10-10  Global Day of Climate Action)
  

Join Mayor Gayle McLauthlin to hear about her recent experience in Mondragon, Spain learning about the successful worker-owned cooperatives that have been part of the economy there for over 50 years. These cooperatives in manufacturing, retail, financial services and education have brought prosperity and social equity to a region that had been stricken by high rates of poverty and unemployment. The Mayor is committed to exploring the potential for worker-owned cooperatives here in Richmond. Please come and share your ideas at one of the events below.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010,  7:00-9:00 pm, Whittlesey Room of the Richmond Main Library   
or
Thursday, October 14, 1:00-3:00 pm, Multi-Use Room, 440 Civic Center Plaza

On Sunday, October 10th, 2010 Richmond citizens joined thousands of others around the world to help fight climate change. This global event was created by 350.org to encourage people to get to work on local climate solutions and let our leaders know we are serious about climate change. The City of Richmond and Richmond Rivets Transition Town organized our local event.

 The day started with hundreds of people lining up, some of them 2 hours early, to get free compost. The compost came from our own green waste and food scraps and was made here in Richmond by Richmond Sanitary Service. By the end of the day enthusiastic gardeners had emptied two huge dumpsters.

The main event, which was across the street at the Main Library, featured free plants, produce and garden tools. Sunnyside Nursery gave away hundreds of organic vegetable seedlings grown at their refurbished greenhouses in North Richmond. Sunnyside Nursery is just one of many efforts to revitalize our many agricultural traditions. Another is Urban Tilth’s planting food crops for all to share on the Richmond Greenway. There was a workday on the Greenway as well as a Healing on the Greenway workshop by CURME, a group that also builds community gardens in North Richmond under the Lots of Crops program. Making Waves Education, a group that maintains the community garden at the Library, planted vegetables including some purple tree collards, Richmond’s official green.

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, Vice-Mayor Jeff Ritterman and County Supervisor John Goia were in attendance and gave their wholehearted support to our many sustainability efforts in Richmond. Mayor McLaughlin pointed out that Richmond had recently received awards for having the highest per capita installation of solar power in the Bay Area, for our green jobs training program and our newly remodeled, highly energy-efficient (LEEDS Certified) Civic Center. She also talked about our bicycle and pedestrian proposal which is being announced soon, our solar manufacturing industry (Sun Power), and many other plans for sustainability.
 
 Delicious, healthy food was offered free to participants thanks to the generosity of Sunrise Bakery and the City of Richmond. The food was of course served in compostable containers in accordance with the City’s Styrofoam ban.

  Other community groups that participated with information booths and presentations were:

•  Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee
• No on Proposition 23 – To register people to vote and give them information on this proposition that is attempting to roll back our landmark global warning bill, AB32, in California.
•  Richmond Grows – a seed lending library at the Main Branch of the public library
• Richmond Rivets Transition Town – Offered a presentation on this effort to localize all the elements our community needs to thrive – food, water, energy, transportation, housing, etc.
• Richmond Spokes – Offered bike parking and a bike repair workshop
• Richmond Build – Youth green job training
• Richmond Public Library
• Asian Pacific Environmental Network

People left with not only lots of food and fertilizer for their gardens, but with more energy, and inspiration to keep building our community towards a sustainable, just future.

When Tuesday August 24th from 5:30-7:30pm
Where  1910 Ralston Ave, Richmond (cross street Hazel Av. near Mira Vista School)

Many of us are involved in making Richmond a model city of the new economy.  Come join us for an evening celebrating what we are all doing, and for an introduction to the Transition Town efforts happening right here in Richmond!

What are Transition Towns?
* An international movement dedicated to "relocalizing" our economy as the oil-based economy changes into something more sustainable * Taking a close look at where we get our food and energy, how we get around and everything else needed to build a strong, resilient community
* There are now Transition Towns in hundreds of communities worldwide and over 70 in the US,(Transitionus.org) including Richmond (RichmondRivets.org).

Here is what we're planning for the evening
* Short introduction to the Transition Town movement
* Review of "re-localization" efforts already happening in Richmond
* Discussion of how we can get more involved in this exciting opportunity for our city

All the while mingling with friends old and new and enjoying light refreshments.

More info   Trish Clifford 510-234-6580  or  Dan Schwab 510-685-0722

We look forward to seeing you!! If you'd like, bring something to share maybe from your garden or local farmer's market.

Feel free to forward this invitation to any of your neighbors in Richmond or nearby communities that might be interested.
Also, this event was sent out as an Evite to many people. If you would like to receive an Evite for this event please email us at TransitionRichmond@gmail.com.

Wednesday August 18th,  7 pm

Richmond Progressive Alliance office 317  11th St
(The office is located on a parking courtyard at 317 11th Street.  You can drive in from Nevin and 11th.  If  you park on Macdonald you can walk past the construction trailer on 11th.)

 In this well-known film Michael Moore goes into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down. He  goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC, Wall Street,  and elsewhere.  More information about the film is available here.    

  This free film show is cosponsored by the Richmond Progressive Alliance  and the Peace & Freedom Party, Contra Costa County Central Committee. Richmond Rivets will also be there.

 For more information call Tarnel Abbot at 510-910-4510  or RPA 510-412-2260

The Awakening the Dreamer
Changing the Dream Symposium 
is a profound inquiry into a bold vision:
To bring forth an environmentally 
sustainable spiritually fulfilling and
socially just human presence on Earth.

 Come and help create this vision right here in Albany and Richmond with  
a strong, resilient, local community. Find out about the world-wide Transition  
Town movement to build more meaningful lives by growing our own food, creating  
and conserving energy, sharing with our neighbors and more.
 
Sponsored by Transition Albany & Richmond Rivets
(Transitionalbany.org  & RichmondRivets.org)

Sunday, June 6, 2010   1:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Albany Senior Center       $10-$20 (sliding scale)
846 Masonic (at Solano), Albany No one turned away for lack of funds
 Refreshments will be served
 
For more details or to register, contact:      

transitionalbanyca@gmail.com
Phone: 510‐528‐2261
Or register online at:
AwakeningTheDreamer.org


 

Wednesday, April 21, 7:00-10:00 pm

Earth Day 2010—Creating a Healthy Future 

Location: The Brower Center • 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 

Contribution: $15 (includes a copy of the Sustainable World SourceBook)

Keynote speakers: — bestselling author John Robbins (Diet for a New America) and son Ocean Robbins (founder of YES, Youth for Environmental Sanity) Four Years.Go.— a new collaborative model; Mark Dubois, Pachamama Alliance Sustainable World SourceBook—  launching the Pay It Forward campaign

Reception: Live music by Shambu, wine and appetizers . Local sustainability groups will be there including a Transition Town table hosted by Richmond Rivets, Transition San Fransisco,  Albany and East Bay.

Produced by Sustainable World Coalition, a project of Earth Island Institute

Information: (415) 785-1888, info@swcoalition.org, www.swcoalition.org

On the weekend of February 27-28th, the school communities of Richmond High School and Kennedy High School will be building 2 school “farms” in 2 days!  These farms will grow food that directly changes the food landscape of the families in the schools of Richmond.  And best of all, the farms will be built by the students, teachers, parents and community members surrounding the schools. 

These “farms” will accompany Urban Agriculture Institutes at both schools where students will learn not only how to manage the farms, but earn graduation credit, learn better nutrition and build and beautify the school community. 

Richmond and Kennedy High will be the first High Schools in California to run a food production program that is student centered, service oriented, and entirely focused on producing healthy food that feeds the community from which it came.  Support that premise and begin to bring change to our public schools. 

For more information about helping to raise funds and volunteering, please visit the Urban Tilth website.

Where: Richmond Greenway - 6th Street @ Ohio Street
When: Monday, January 18, 2010 - 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

As part of broader efforts across the United States to honor the spirit of service championed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Richmond Rivets will be participating in Richmond Greenway Restoration activities, and hope you will join us.

FREE Food, DJs, Speakers, Performers, and Greenway Community Leader Recognition



Volunteer opportunities will include:

* Design a new mural
* Plant a new Medicine Garden
* Plant Trees (tree planting volunteers should meet at 39th street and Ohio Ave)
* Family Bicycle Swap and Fix-In (Bring a bike /Swap a bike)
* Youth art and poetry memorial in remembrance of Kyle Brattan
* Beautify Berryland & Lincoln School Farm
* Expand the Habitat Garden
* Remove graffiti

Please dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes, and bring work gloves if you have them.

All tools and materials will be provided - Children are welcome!

For more information contact Doria Robinson 510-778-5886 or Doria@urbantilth.org.

The 3rd Annual Martin Luther King National Day of Service is sponsored by the City of Richmond. 5% Local Coalition, Active Leaders of Today, Catahoula Coffee, Communities Unified Restoring Mother Earth, Earth Team, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Friends of the Richmond Greenway, Groundwork Richmond, Native American Health Center, National Parks Service, Opportunity West, Party Green, Richmond High Cooking Club, Richmond Spokes, RYSE Center Leadership Team, The Watershed Project and Urban Tilth.