This week UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and mayors from all over the world will converge in the Bay Area for World Environment Days. The focus of the event is environmental justice in the context of cities-as-standards-setters. Organizers of the event hope to get support for the San Francisco Urban Environmental Accords, the goal of which is to create a grassroots movement through the public's access to mayors who are already responsible for many urban environmental issues. Local environmental and social activists are planning many actions to coincide with the event.

Audio: Peace Talks Interview with Alli Starr

[ Green Cities, Brown Folks (6/1) || Voices Rising (6/4) || Community Sponsored Events || Grassroots Community Actions ]

Read more on Indybay's Environment News page

The US Justice Department estimates more than three-quarters of a million people in the US are gang members. For decades, various street gangs have operated in large US cities, but in recent years, many small towns and rural areas have become fertile ground for gang activity. As the U.S. Conference of Mayors convenes today in DC for a National Summit on Gang Violence, FSRN's Vinny Lombardo examines how one California community is confronting these issues and crafting solutions.

Audio: Listen to the Stream or Download the mp3

[ Free Speech Radio News || Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos ]

On February 14, Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning (SCRAP), a local grassroots organization backed by former Santa Cruz Mayors, held a news conference at the entrance to the Santa Cruz City Wharf. This was the official kickoff for a community-wide referendum campaign to halt the single largest development in the city since UC Santa Cruz. If the group can acquire at least 4,000 valid signatures, the "Coast Hotel" issue will be placed on the ballot for a city-wide vote.

Opposition to SCRAP's referendum campaign includes the developers (of course!), current employees of the Coast Hotel who would like to have more work in the winter months and SEIU Local 415.

The proposed development calls for a 270 room hotel, 6-level parking garage and a 23,000 square foot Conference Center.

Photos: Santa Cruzans for Responsible Planning vs. Workers and Bosses
Photos: SCRAP Kicks Off Anti-Hotel Petition Drive

Coverage of the 1/25/04 SC City Council Meeting: [ Meeting on Hotel-Convention Center Project I City Council Approves Coast Hotel Project Despite Widespread Community Opposition ]

Upon Entering Special Collections I first focused on "Cactus Forest", an image that brought to mind the openness and depth of Ansel Adams. No Surprise. In the Glass case behind me was a copy of Ansel Adam's "Making a Photograph" from 1935, inscribed by the author to Edward Weston, who wrote the forward.

Focusing Through Time: a unique story of
Friendship, Photography, and Collaboration
McHenry Library Special Collections, UCSC
January 3 - March 18, 2005

In a 4-3 vote, the Santa Cruz City Council approved the Coast Hotel and Convention Project. Supporting the proposal were Ryan Coonerty, Cynthia Matthews, Mike Rotkin and Tony Madrigal; opposing it were Emily Reilly, Ed Porter and Tim Fitzmaurice.

Expressing deep concern for the process which she felt left out much of the community, Reilly suggested an alternative motion to the approval of the Environmental Impact Report that would table the issue for six weeks while the community was able to learn more and communicate about the project. She expressed her desire to get the community behind the project instead of dealing with “a bitter community for the next year and a half.�

Video: Clear View Court Residents are Kept in the Dark
Photos: From the Council meeting

How the environment and eating (Local Organic Food) is linked to Gandhi's ideology for transforming the world. Many links.

Forwarded from LPDC:

Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US thanksgiving holiday. Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers.

Review of Sustainable Technologies for Renewable Energy, Eliminating Waste, Recycling and for Real economic Progress.

Many Links to sustainable technology, Recycling, organic gardening-farming, renewable energy, Permaculture and disaster relief web sites.

The House Republican leadership is trying to slip through draconian cuts to Food Stamps, Medicaid, Child Support Enforcement, and other safety net programs.

On Wednesday, as part of a national protest organized by MoveOn, five leaders of local non-profits and a group of community members spoke out on the steps to the Santa Cruz County Courthouse.

Following are their comments on the bill.

UCSC students participate in a national day of action aimed at increasing awareness about the use of sweatshop labor to produce collegiate apparel.