The Water team has been developing ways to implement water conservation and stormwater management strategies for the Oakland EcoBlock. Some of the strategies include installing water-efficient appliances, rainwater harvesting systems, and modifying landscaping strips for stormwater management and filtration.
Resilience Hubs are community spaces that provide critical services and resources to meet residents’ needs in both everyday situations and during emergencies. Through the NorCal Resilience Network’s Resilience Hubs Leadership Training Program, the EcoBlock team is learning from communities throughout the Bay Area how to better support each other and the planet, and help build a more resilient EcoBlock.
Scaling up community microgrids while ensuring equitable access to renewable power will require a range of new policies and financial mechanisms. In this blog, Kate Ringness and Miriam Aczel highlight novel legislative initiatives in CA and at the federal level that support community energy resilience and expansion of microgrids.
For nearly 50 years, the United Nations’ World Environment Day has been celebrated each June 5th. This year the event is being hosted by Pakistan and the theme is ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. Take a look at the history of this event and some of the most significant achievements from the past decades.
Last month, Dr. Sascha von Meier gave a presentation on the Oakland EcoBlock for Berkeley’s Science at Cal lecture series. In this blog, Miriam Aczel provides an overview of the engaging public lecture, and highlights what EcoBlock’s co-PI is optimistic about.
In the decade since the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, microgrids have sprung up across Japan to help the country meet their energy demands and build resilience. Japan’s National Resilience Program led to the development of several microgrids. This article describes the development of the first microgrid community established in Higashimatsushima.
On April 21, the EcoBlock team gave a presentation for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) San Francisco. The event drew over 50 attendees from across the Bay Area from a wide range of backgrounds. Read our event recap and watch the recording here!
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month honors the culture, history and contributions of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians in the United States. We join our partners in celebrating the contributions and recognizing the challenges faced by AAPI.
Microgrids have many benefits, but the value of microgrid services is not well-defined in the market and represents a critical barrier to future economic growth. Andrew Rasetti highlights novel rates and tariff structures to address these barriers for microgrids.
Spending time outside can be a fantastic way to improve your family’s wellbeing! Here are a few suggestions for helping increase your family’s time in nature while maintaining social distancing.