KneeDeep Times

06/08/2024

Starting this September, a new FEMA rule ushers in an era of more climate-resilient bridges and buildings, requiring federally funded construction projects to be built to withstand floods. https://buff.ly/3LA5iiW

Photo: evening_tao from FreePik

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
San Francisco Baykeeper

02/08/2024

As the Bay Area braces for more heat waves after a record-setting July, KneeDeep revisits eight of our best stories about communities coping with hot weather and fire season, from schools installing air filters to cities cooling down with green roofs.
https://buff.ly/4c9OEBM

Photo: Maurice Ramirez

01/08/2024

In “a historic moment”, seven regional and state agencies - from CalTrans to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District - signed an agreement this July to develop a unified strategy for funding and implementing Bay area flood risk projects. “We need unprecedented coordination to prioritize flood risk management projects in the places that need them most,” says ABAG Executive board Vice President Belia Ramos. https://buff.ly/3YgEDiA

Photo: Joe Parks

Metropolitan Transportation Commission
California State Coastal Conservancy
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission - BCDC
Caltrans HQ
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
California Water Boards

31/07/2024

West Cliff Drive is the heart of Santa Cruz, a beloved stretch of coastline where locals connect with nature. After last year’s devastating storm damage, the community is charting a course for the future with a new 50-year plan. https://buff.ly/4bXEPXr

Photo: City of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz City Government

30/07/2024

📸 July Photo of the Month 📸
This patriotic shot from Beach reminds us of the power and promise of the young people inheriting our climate-changed world. Photo by Maurice Ramirez.

City of Alameda - Local Government
East Bay Regional Park District

26/07/2024

When Jennifer Silverstein’s family had to evacuate from the Tubbs and Kincaide Fires in Sonoma, she saw first-hand the psychological toll that climate disasters can have on children. As a licensed clinical social worker, she committed herself to supporting other parents and children dealing with climate-related stress.

In this 15-minute podcast episode republished from the Everyday Climate Champions podcast, Jennifer shares her insights on climate anxiety in children and the importance of community for mental resilience.

https://buff.ly/4bZoCkA

Photo: Jennifer Silverstein

Climate Reality - Bay Area
Climate Psychology Alliance North America
Climate Mental Health Network

24/07/2024

Climate change is a challenge that demands unprecedented collaboration. In our stories this month, government agencies and communities step up to the plate. https://conta.cc/4cWUnMk

Photos: City of Santa Cruz, Eric Overton/I-Stock

Santa Cruz City Government
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission - BCDC
California State Coastal Conservancy
San Francisco Baykeeper
Caltrans HQ
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Bay Area Air Quality Management District

19/07/2024

Indigenous communities often bear the brunt of climate impacts despite contributing the least to carbon emissions. But indigenous ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, may be the key to climate resilience.

In this 15-minute episode republished from the Everyday Climate Champions podcast, Shaandiin Cedar, a climate tech investor and tribal member of the Navajo Nation, shares why indigenous wisdom is an overlooked climate solution.

https://buff.ly/3SeBwEc



Photo: Shaandiin Cedar

Climate Reality - Bay Area

12/07/2024

Emily DeLeon, 11, pensó cuidadosamente qué más necesitaría un hogar, antes de gastar su presupuesto de construcción limitado. Ella y otros alumnos de quinto grado de la escuela Laurel Dell en San Rafael estaban rediseñando sus hogares y vecindarios para hacerlos más resilientes al cambio climático.

Lee 📖 o escucha 🎧 el artículo en español: https://buff.ly/4eY0EJ8

Foto: Shirl Buss

City of San Rafael - Government
Youth In Arts
Y-PLAN (Youth - Plan, Learn, Act Now)
Multicultural Marin
Canal Alliance

11/07/2024

“Don’t gatekeep from us”: At a youth panel at the State of the Estuary Conference, Charis Guerzo called for youth to be included in decision making. Other panelists discussed the need for more nature access and the struggle to find green jobs that can cover Bay Area rent. https://buff.ly/3zhFsgX

Photo: Joey Kotfica

San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Little Manila Rising
Grassroots Ecology
Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment

03/07/2024

The 14th State of the Estuary Conference in May highlighted exciting advancements in nature-based adaptation and infrastructure projects around the Bay, from wastewater-treating horizontal levees and innovative reuse of dredged sediment to scaling up living shorelines and redesigning Highway 37. https://buff.ly/3zhFsgX

Photos: Nate Kauffman, Katie Rodriquez
Map: Stuart Siegel, Dan Gillenwater, Peter Baye

02/07/2024

Marta Segura, L.A.’s Chief Heat Officer, is leaning on libraries to keep Angelenos cool this summer. Since KneeDeep spoke with Segura last fall, she has been adding “hydration stations” to public libraries and transforming them into cooling centers to keep the community safe during heatwaves. https://buff.ly/45J39L9

Photo: Pexels/cottonbro studio

Climate Emergency Mobilization Office
L.A. City Department of Public Works

02/07/2024

Fifth graders at Laurel Dell Elementary in San Rafael were challenged to redesign their neighborhood to adapt to rising sea levels. UC Berkeley Y-PLAN and Youth in Arts helped the students share their creative ideas with climate scientists from the Union of Concerned Scientists. https://buff.ly/3RK0tXW

Photo: Shirl Buss

City of San Rafael - Government
Youth In Arts
Y-PLAN (Youth - Plan, Learn, Act Now)
Union of Concerned Scientists

28/06/2024

📸 June Photo of the Month 📸

At a community workshop this month, Oakland activist and consultant Keta Price engaged neighbors and residents gathered on the MLK Shoreline in a conversation about
shoreline adaptation. Price’s firm Hood Planning is one of five community organizations partnering with the SF Bay Conservation and Planning Commission to organize an equitable, regional response to sea level rise and coastal flooding.

Photo: Karl Nielsen

26/06/2024

This month’s second batch of stories spotlights the changemakers leading the way on climate, from a heat officer finding innovative cooling solutions and activists calling out Big Oil to youth designing creative climate solutions. https://buff.ly/3VFjgEL

Photos: Joey Kotfica, LA Public Works, Shirl Buss

25/06/2024

New electricity rates are aimed at encouraging homeowners to switch to electric, but environmental justice groups say they will place a heavy burden on middle-income residents and even some lower-income residents. https://buff.ly/3Vm633x

Photo: California Department of Housing & Community Development

Communities For A Better Environment
California Environmental Justice Alliance
The Greenlining Institute

25/06/2024

Marshes are incredibly valuable as natural buffers against flooding. In fact, UC Santa Cruz researcher Rae Taylor-Burns calculates that restoring marshes in San Mateo County could save up to $500 million in flood damage, given moderate sea level rise. https://buff.ly/3RqTfrG

Photo: David Hasling

24/06/2024

Bay agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission were excited when the EPA announced $4.6 billion in funding for greenhouse gas reduction. However, they struggled to design projects that could truly reduce emissions within the restrictive five-year project timeline. https://buff.ly/4ckxbXs

Photo: alacatr, I-Stock

Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Bay Area Regional Energy Network

21/06/2024

Since 2017, North Richmond residents have teamed up with engineers and designers to reimagine their shoreline for rising sea levels. Their years of collaborative planning are now paying off, setting a model for other Bay communities.

https://buff.ly/4b0AqlZ

Photo: The Watershed Project

Environmental Science Associates
The Watershed Project
West County Wastewater District

13/06/2024

This month, KneeDeep investigates how Bay communities are digging deep into nitty-gritty, local climate planning while navigating the complexities of new regional, state, and federal climate and energy policies. https://buff.ly/3RsA14L

Photos: Mithun, Jason Clock, David Hasling

Kruthi Mithun Design Studio
California Public Utilities Commission
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Bay Area Regional Energy Network
Metropolitan Transportation Commission

31/05/2024

Inspired by an art installation, Helen Doyle reflects on two starkly different climate futures for our state:

“I had to stop my bike and turn around to view the two sides of the new Nature’s Future is Our Future art installation in Golden Gate Park. But then I wished I’d only read the wooden signs heading east to west. These tell a climate future where California is a global leader, a healthy place for humans and nature. But If you approach from the west, the future is mighty depressing. Along the John F. Kennedy Promenade, these signs on wooden posts, dubbed historic climate markers, tell a future story of doom and gloom: salmon declared extinct in California in 2055; Highway 1 washed away in 2060; and no drinking water by 2083. Turn around, though, and view the signs from the other direction for a more hopeful future: world’s oldest sequoia celebrated its 2,500 birthday in 2029; kelp restoration protected fisheries in 2036; and air quality reached 5-year best in 2052. Is this optimistic future even possible? What will it take to prevent the dire climate crisis impacts of the doom-and-gloom future?”

On Sunday, June 2 from 12 - 3 pm, The Nature Conservancy will host an event at this site to highlight potential budget cuts to California’s climate commitments and discuss two critical climate bond measures that could be heading to voters in November.

Photos: Helen Doyle
Installation by The Nature Conservancy and Exploratorium

22/05/2024

This month, KneeDeep shares stories of people engaging with the places they call home, from building disaster resilience in Gilroy to sharing free heirloom seeds with community gardens and fighting for a new floodwall to protect a Marin neighborhood.

https://conta.cc/3WZ7vv4

Photos: Sowing Seeds, Greenbelt Alliance, Nate Seltenrich

Marin County Department of Public Works
Greenbelt Alliance

21/05/2024

Through his lens, photojournalist George Alfaro captures the intensity of life in the Central Valley, from the daily grind of agricultural production to the dramatic extremes of fire and flood.

https://buff.ly/3ynAxdG

Photos: George Alfaro

21/05/2024

A 2023 levee breach devastated the town of Pajaro, but the cause wasn't just extreme weather. Reporter Sierra Garcia examines how neglected infrastructure and subtle climate disruptions have left the community vulnerable to disaster.

https://buff.ly/3wIHbLe

Photo: Ken James/DWR
California Department of Water Resources

Center for Farmworker Families
Regeneration-Pájaro Valley Climate Action

20/05/2024

Fruit and nut trees in the Central Valley need time to chill for the best yields. UC Davis researchers Kat Jarvis-Shean and Mat Talton are heating walnut trees to study the impact of reduced winter chill due to climate change.

https://buff.ly/3yqr1GJ

Photo: Gurreet Brar, Janet Byron

UC Agriculture & Natural Resources
UC Davis

17/05/2024

Colorful visions of climate resilience created by fifth graders are the latest additions to our California Climate Quilt. This spring, fifth graders in Mr. Belmont’s class at Laurel Dell Elementary in San Rafael were tasked with designing their own climate resilient neighborhood. The students worked with architects from Youth in Arts, UC Berkeley’s Y-Plan, mentors from the City of San Rafael, the Canal Alliance, and the Marin School of Environmental Leadership to incorporate solar and wind power, water-conservation strategies, and even wildfire safety into their model homes.

https://buff.ly/4aon7vu

Choose Laurel Dell Elementary from the drop-down menu on the Climate Quilt homepage to see all submissions.

San Rafael City Schools
Canal Alliance
City of San Rafael - Government
Y-PLAN (Youth - Plan, Learn, Act Now)

16/05/2024

The nation’s breadbasket in California’s inland valleys is already suffering from hotter nights, wetter storms, drought and inequity. Pt. 5 of our Extremes-in-3D series, the Valleys, shadows scientists experimenting with the chill needs of walnut orchards, delves into the ripple effects of the Pajaro levee breach, and captures images of Central Valley landscapes in transition.

https://buff.ly/4biUIIh

Center for Farmworker Families
Regeneration-Pájaro Valley Climate Action
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources

26/04/2024

With the recent passage of California’s climate education bill (AB285), we need to hear more from educators already at the forefront of environmental education.

In this 15-minute episode republished from the Everyday Climate Champions podcast, learn how Angela Werner, a 3rd grade teacher at McDowell Elementary School in Petaluma, brings nature-based learning into the classroom.

Everyday climate champions podcast.