Bay Area answers call to climate action on Earth Day Weekend
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Events this weekend across the Bay Area honored Earth Day, from picking up trash, to reducing our carbon footprint. It's giving folks in the Bay Area a lot to think about when it comes to the future of the planet.
Earth Day San Francisco Festival was back on Valencia Street after a two year pandemic pause.
Green businesses were on display from Solar to those who plant trees. All food vendors have gone vegan.
"Being around the community with people who are doing the same thing, promoting veganism," said Mariana Landeros from Casita Vegana.
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For others, Earth Day weekend is a call to action to protect the planet.
"It's more than a celebration, it's a teach-in day for activism," said Earth Day SF spokesperson Monalisa Wallace.
Climate change is moving the needle and changing the conversation.
"It just means a chance to think about how we can take tiny steps to prevent climate change, be more responsible," said Kyle Hughes.
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In Marin City, Delynnda Mixon and her kids were picking up trash for an Earth Day community wide clean up.
"I enjoy doing it so our kids can play safe outside, without putting things in their mouth, especially the little ones," Mixon said.
Others were helping demolish an aging skate park, which had become hazardous. Community pride at work here.
"Start for the change right here, everything's got to look better to get better," said Lamar Hogges.
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But Earth Day is also a tough reminder how climate change is effecting the Bay Area and California, with hotter summers, bigger wildfires and longer prolonged droughts.
"Droughts are becoming more frequent, more severe and longer. We see that in rivers, streams that always have seen flows, they have stopped flowing," said Albert Ruhi, UC Berkeley assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management.
Ruhi says as a society, we need to adapt to a future that may have less water and managing existing reservoirs and dams in a more forward thinking way can be part of that adaptation, posing a challenge for water agencies.
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