Sustainability for the Nation: Resource Connection and Governance Linkages

As the government sector works hard to ensure sufficient fresh water, food, energy, housing, health, and education for the nation without limiting resources for the future generations, it's clear that there is no sufficient organization to deal with sustainability issues. Each federal agency appears to have a single mandate or a single area of expertise making it difficult to tackle issues such as managing the ecosystem. Key resource domains, which include water, land, energy, and nonrenewable resources, for example, are nearly-completely connected yet different agencies exist to address only one aspect of these domains.

In order for the nation to be successful in sustaining its resources, "linkages" will need to be built among federal, state, and local governments; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); and the private sector. The National Research Council (NRC) was asked by several federal agencies, foundations, and the private sector to provide guidance to the federal government on issues related to sustainability linkages. Sustainability for the Nation: Resource Connection and Governance Linkages is the committee's report on the issue. The report includes insight into high-priority areas for governance linkages, the challenges of managing connected systems, impediments to successful government linkages, and more.

Read or download the report here. 

Beyond LEED: The Living Building Challenge

The Bullitt Center will be the greenest, most energy efficient commercial building in the world, firmly planting Seattle at the forefront of the green building movement. The vision of the Bullitt Center is to change the way buildings are designed, built and operated to improve long-term environmental performance and promote broader implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other green building technologies in the Northwest.  The building is seeking to meet the ambitious goals of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most strenuous benchmark for sustainability.  For example, a solar array will generate as much electricity as the building uses and rain will supply as much water, with all waste water treated onsite.

Living Building Challenge was endorsed by both the US Green Building Council and the Canada Green Building Council in 2006.  Living Building Challenge is a certification based on a demonstrated level of rigor: projects can be certified as "Living" if they prove to meet all of the program requirements after 12 months of continued operations and full occupancy. It is also possible to achieve Petal Recognition, or partial program certification, for achieving all of the requirements of at least three Petals when at least one of the following is included: Water, Energy and/or Materials.

The Living Building Challenge is premised on a belief that the 21st century will require a rapid, worldwide movement to ultra-high performance buildings. But for this movement to realize its full potential, these buildings must also be a source of beauty, joy, well-being and inspiration. They will marry architectural titan Louis Sullivan’s “form follows function” precept with the highest levels of efficiency currently achievable. Learning from nature’s preoccupation with maximizing return from scarce resources, they will also be beautifully functional.

2011 Sustainability & Innovation Global Executive Study Results

For the third consecutive year, MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group have conducted a survey of managers and executives from companies around the world, asking how they are developing and implementing sustainable business practices.

More than 4,000 managers from 113 countries responded to the survey.  According to the respondents, 70% of companies have placed sustainability permanently on their management agendas.  Two-thirds of the resondents said that sustainability was necessary to be competitive in the marketplace.  And, many companies are increasing their commitments to sustainability inititiaves despite a lackluster economy.

On the other hand, respondents indicate that sustainability ranks eighth in importance among other management agenda items.  Economic growth continues to deplete the planet's stocks of natural capital, despite the efforts of many companies to minimize their impacts, decrease their carbon footprints, and cultivate closed-loop production systems.

The authors believe that these mixed results are overall positive, however.  They suggest that the sustainability movement is nearing a tipping point, at which a substantial portion of companies are seeing sustainable business practices as a necessity and are also deriving a financial benefit from sustainable activities.  Leading the charge are a group of organizations that are not merely implementing individual initiatives -- such as lowering carbon emissions and investing in renewables -- but are also changing their operating frameworks and strategies.  The report explores what sets these organizations apart and lessons that other organizations can take from these innovators.

Download the report here.

EPA Recognizes Seven Communities for Smart Growth Achievement (including one in the Bay Area and one in LA County)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized seven communities with its 2012 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. The Smart Growth awards are given for creative, sustainable initiatives that better protect the health and the environment of our communities while also strengthening local economies.

The 2012 award winners are being recognized in four categories: Overall Excellence in Smart Growth, Equitable Development, Main Street or Corridor Revitalization, and Programs and Policies. This year’s winners and honorable mentions were selected from 47 applicants from 25 states. The winning entries were chosen based on their effectiveness in creating sustainable communities; fostering equitable development among public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders; and serving as national models for environmentally and economically sustainable development.  Specific initiatives include improving transportation choices, developing green, energy-efficient buildings and communities, and providing community members with access to job training, health and wellness education, and other services.

The 2012 winners are:

Overall Excellence - Winner
BLVD Transformation Project, Lancaster, California
The redesign of Lancaster Boulevard helped transform downtown Lancaster into a thriving residential and commercial district through investments in new streetscape design, public facilities, affordable homes, and local businesses. Completed after eight months of construction, the project demonstrates how redesigning a corridor guided by a strategic vision can spark new life in a community. The project has generated almost $300 million in economic output and nearly 2,000 jobs.

Equitable Development - Winner
Mariposa District, Denver, Colorado
The redevelopment of Denver’s historic and ethnically diverse La Alma/Lincoln Park neighborhood is turning an economically challenged area into a vibrant, transit-accessible, district. The community’s master plan preserves affordable housing while adding energy-efficient middle-income and market-rate homes. Because of extensive community engagement, development will include actions to improve the health of residents, reduce pollution, and control stormwater runoff.

Main Street or Corridor Revitalization - Winner
The Cooperative Building, Brattleboro, Vermont
The Brattleboro Food Co-op, the town’s only downtown food store, made a commitment to remain at its downtown location by constructing an innovative, four-story green building on Main Street with a grocery store, commercial space, offices, and affordable apartments. The Main Street location provides healthy food, new jobs, and housing within walkable distances of downtown businesses and public transit.

Programs and Policies - Winner
Destination Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia
The city of Portsmouth revised its comprehensive plan and undertook a broad review of its development and land use regulations. As a result, Destination Portsmouth prepared a package of new plans, zoning ordinances, and other development policies in collaboration with community stakeholders. The overhaul of the city’s codes encourages development in targeted growth areas and helps businesses to locate in the city while also protecting the character of Portsmouth’s historic neighborhoods.

Equitable Development - Honorable Mention
Northwest Gardens, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Through safer streets, job training and education programs, and high-quality, affordable homes, the once struggling Northwest Gardens neighborhood is rapidly becoming a model for economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The redesigned neighborhood offers a range of energy-efficient, affordable housing choices and is one of the first communities in the nation to receive LEED for Neighborhood Development certification. A local housing authority program also provides disadvantaged youths with construction training as they complete their GEDs.

Main Street or Corridor Revitalization - Honorable Mention
Larkin District, Buffalo, New York
Community organizations and a local developer partnered with the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning to help revitalize the Larkin District, an old manufacturing district located one mile from downtown Buffalo. Architectural students worked with the developer and the city to create a master plan for an urban village that now features new office space, restaurants, apartments, parks, and plazas. New sidewalks, lighting, crosswalks, bicycle lanes, and bus shelters reduce pollution from vehicles by making walking, biking, and public transit more appealing.

Programs and Policies - Honorable Mention
Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund, San Francisco, California
The Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund is providing loans for developers to build affordable homes near public transportation. At this point, the fund has provided loans for a 153-unit high-rise for low-income families located two blocks from a major transit station, and for a 64-unit building for seniors close to a light rail station that will provide free transit passes for all residents.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm

Vulnerability & Adaptation to Climate Change in California

The California Natural Resources Agency and the California Energy Commission have jointly released "Our Changing Climate 2012", the State’s third major assessment on climate change.  This report highlights California's specific vulnerabilities, few of which will be a surprise to anyone:

• The state’s electricity system is more vulnerable than was previously understood.
• The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is sinking, putting levees at growing risk.
• Wind and waves, in addition to faster rising seas, will worsen coastal flooding.
• Animals and plants need connected “migration corridors” to allow them to move to more suitable habitats to avoid serious impacts.
• Native freshwater fish are particularly threatened by climate change.
• Minority and low-income communities face the greatest risks from climate change.

The report maintains that there are effective ways to prepare for and manage climate change risks, but local governments face many barriers to adapting to climate change.

Read the complete report here.

Stop Traffic Before It Starts

Found via the Daily Good...

Christian Brüggemann, 25, and two of his friends, all of them students at universities in Germany, have created a Windows Phone app called Greenway that aims to prevent traffic jams and get you from Point A to B in the shortest amount of time.

While existing mapping apps such as Waze and Google Maps show their users traffic jams and hazards and offer alternate routes, Greenway hopes to prevent backups from occurring in the first place by using software to predict where drivers are heading. The approach is part of a broader trend that has, for example, seen some insurers offer rates tailored to a person's driving habits—after tracking their movements via a GPS unit attached to the car.

The Greenway app, which is being tested by dozens of smartphone users around Munich, Germany, has already gained some recognition by clinching an environmental sustainability award (and a $10,000 prize) at Microsoft's annual Imagine Cup student technology competition in July. The Greenway group is now trying to secure funding to bring its app to iPhone and Android smartphone users.

Read the complete story here.

Happy Earth Day from Northgate!

On Saturday, April 21st, Northgate participated in “Volunteer for Oakland Earth Day”, an event that brought volunteers to locations throughout Oakland to green-up and clean-up the city. Our team worked in The Gardens at Lake Merritt, a seven-acre collection of themed gardens located in the heart of Lakeside Park. The team helped weed, move rocks and soil, and perform other tasks to help further beautify the gardens.

As an added bonus, Northgate’s Molly Ammons and Anya Starovoytov brought their Girls on the Run team to participate in the cleanup. Girls on the Run is a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. In addition to Northgate’s financial support of the team, Molly and Anya also donate their time and coach the girls one afternoon a week and every Saturday morning.

Saturday was a true example of our commitment to all aspects of sustainability.

Happy Earth Day!

U.S. Army Has Net Zero Vision for National Security

April 16, 2011 By Tina Casey

With its vast stock of vehicles, ships, planes, buildings, lands, and other facilities, the U.S. Department of Defense could foment a green revolution all by itself – and that seems to be just what it intends on doing, starting with the Army. Working quietly for the past couple of years, DoD has been nudging closer to developing an ambitious net zero program for a group of U.S. Army bases. That applies not only to energy production and consumption, but also to water resources and waste disposal as well.
National Defense and Sustainability

You can go all the way back to General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1948 book about World War II, Crusade in Europe, to find evidence that senior military officials have long recognized the limitations of a modern national defense strategy that depends on fossil fuels. More recently, the Department of Defense has adopted a broader sustainability goal, which recognizes that environmental security is a key element in national security. In other words, the U.S. military has adopted sustainability as a national defense strategy. It’s not going to happen overnight but when you look at military bases around the country, they’re a buzz of new sustainability projects from geothermal, solar, and water conservation to biofuels and green roofs.

Net Zero Bases for the U.S. Army
The Army has been working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on the program, officially dubbed “Army Vision for Net Zero.” With a few tweaks, its mission statement could be applied to just about any green-minded organization or business: “We are creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability measured not just in terms of financial benefits, but benefits to maintaining mission capability, quality of life, relationships with local communities, and the preservation of options for the Army’s future.” One standout example is Fort Bliss, which among other programs is looking at taking in waste from nearby El Paso as part of a hybrid solar power/waste-to-energy operation.

Net Zero Water and Waste
A 2008 Defense Science Board report asserted that under the current energy landscape, some bases face “unacceptable risks from extended power losses,” so net zero energy is a priority for the program. However, water resource protection and waste disposal are also critical elements. In the case of waste disposal, part of an individual base’s success will depend on another recently ramped up DoD priority, to reduce or eliminate its use of hazardous or toxic materials such as paints and other coatings, and replace them with safer alternatives.

The idea now is to focus on a small group of bases that are the most likely candidates for achieving net zero in energy, water, and/or waste, and the selections will be announced shortly. They will be used as learning tools by other bases and by the civilian world as well. It will be a big advantage for companies seeking to invest in sustainability, and for local governments seeking public support for sustainability initiatives, to use major military installations as living examples of success. Unfortunately, it appears that not everyone is as interested in environmental security as the Department of Defense is…oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Infrastructure Sustainability Rating System

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently joined together to create the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) to develop a new infrastructure rating system to assess the sustainability of civil-engineering projects.

ISI’s "EnvISIon" rating system aims to do for infrastructure projects what the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program does for buildings.  EnvISIon is just one of many initiatives currently underway by a variety of professional organizations (such as SURF) and academic institutions that are studying and measuring sustainability. Through the creation of guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable design, construction, maintenance and remediation practices, these new tools will allow risk managers, corporate executives and directors to make better decisions.

EnvISIon is now available for public comment through December 9, 2011.  Practitioners and interested parties may critically review the tool and its assumptions and make comments or suggestions prior to its actual release for commercial use early in 2012.  All comments will be reviewed and considered in confidence by the ISI Technical Committee.

Environmental Economics

Paul Krugman has written an article for the New York Times Magazine on the economics of environmental protection and mitigating climate change.

An excerpt:

Like the debate over climate change itself, the debate over climate economics looks very different from the inside than it often does in popular media. The casual reader might have the impression that there are real doubts about whether emissions can be reduced without inflicting severe damage on the economy. In fact, once you filter out the noise generated by special-interest groups, you discover that there is widespread agreement among environmental economists that a market-based program to deal with the threat of climate change — one that limits carbon emissions by putting a price on them — can achieve large results at modest, though not trivial, cost. There is, however, much less agreement on how fast we should move, whether major conservation efforts should start almost immediately or be gradually increased over the course of many decades. 

Read the complete article here.

Visit the Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) Links page for links to additional information and reports on environmental economics, life-cycle assessment, sustainable and green remediation policy, and more.

Top Ten List: Sustainable CEOs

Triple Pundit created and published a (non-scientific) survey on their readership's Top Ten Sustainable CEOs.

The list:

1. Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia (Owner/Founder)
2. George Siemon, Organic Valley Company
3. Mick Bremans, Ecover
4. Jeffrey Hollender (Former CEO), Seventh Generation
5. Jan Blittersdorf, NRG Systems
6. BethAnn Lederer, Working Wonders
7. John Mackey, Whole Foods
8. Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan, New Belgium Brewery
9. Eric Schmidt, Google
10. Ray Anderson (Former CEO), Interface Carpet

The results in themselves spark several questions:
Does the perception of sustainability match the reality?
What do the results say about the consumership of the survey respondents?
How did the respondents balance the CEO's positive contributions to people, planet, and prosperity?

Teaching "Green"

New York City schools put stronger focus on environmentalism
Mireya Navarro and Sindya N. Bhanoo, New York Times, January 10, 2010

Rather than simply covering predictable topics like recycling and tree planting, the Green School alerts students to problems like sooty air and negative media representations of their neighborhoods.

"Green is not just the environment,” Jennifer said. “It's politics, government, social justice."

"We do a lot of things other schools are not doing," said Jose, 15. "I feel like we’re doing something important."

The Green School is a progressive alternative high school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York that focuses on sustainability, the environment, science, social justice, experiential learning, and career planning. The students are encouraged to delve into local issues that may affect them and their families, like contamination in waterways like the Gowanus Canal, water quality, or the razing of low-scale housing.

"You can't have a kid in a violent neighborhood and say, 'Let's talk about the polar bear,' " said Karali Pitzele, one of the school's two co-directors.

Across the nation, the range of green schools form a fledgling network, finding eager partners in groups like the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation, which provide lesson plans or money for field trips, and in private and government agencies that are making concerted environmental efforts in communities and cities.

Read the complete article here.

Corporate America Moving Sustainability Initiatives Forward

A 2009 study commissioned by Siemens Building Technologies and conducted by McGraw-Hill shows that three out of four executives view sustainability as consistent with their company’s profit mission and engage in sustainability activities, double the amount in 2006. Over half (58%) believe sustainability will serve the financial performance of their company, up from 31% in 2006.

The economic crisis has supported and not deterred sustainability activity in the firms represented in the study. Over half (57%) believe sustainability practices are either unaffected or aided by a down economy. Only 32% view an economic crisis as an obstacle.

Energy savings is the most important driver toward sustainability, with 75% citing it this year, and 73% in 2006. Government regulations decreased as a driver with only 29% citing it, down from 40% in 2006. However, 72% expect it to become a requirement.

Over 80% of larger firms believe sustainability provides market differentiation, and over 70% expect sustainability efforts to retain and attract customers and reduce the costs of doing business. Almost a third reported dedicated funding for sustainability.

Sixty-nine percent reported that their firm employs three or more sustainability practices. The most common sustainability practices are:

• Recycling
• Employee engagement/activities
• Green building
• Initiatives with NGOs/voluntary government programs
• Publication of annual sustainability reports

Read the Executive Summary of the study here, and click here to download the complete report.

Creating Policy and Building Infrastructure for Local Hire Programs

Wednesday, November 18th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, California

Local hire requirements have the potential to be a powerful mechanism by which multiple sectors can work together to advance socioeconomic equity in urban communities. But how can we ensure that local hire programs benefit poor communities and communities of color in the long term, with lasting, quality jobs that lead to a reduction in poverty and that sustain community growth over time?

This event will engage with four local hire experts who will share case studies and demonstrate the importance of making sure that local hire requirements are not only clearly and strongly articulated, but also that local hire programs include key infrastructure features - such as well funded training pipelines, city staff buy-in, monitoring mechanisms, and consequences for lack of compliance - for effective operation that puts local residents to work in good jobs and responds to local socioeconomic needs in poor communities.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Julian Gross, Attorney, Community Benefits Law Center
• Marie McKenzie, Redevelopment Manager, City of East Palo Alto
• Alex Paxton, Special Assistant to Deputy Chief of Operations, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles
• Bernida Reagan, Director of Community and Client Relations, Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services

RSVP to guarantee your reservation. Seating is limited.

Executive Order to Set GHG Emissions Reduction Targets

President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order today that sets sustainability goals for federal agencies and focuses on making improvements in their environmental, energy, and economic performance. The Executive Order requires federal agencies to set 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets within 90 days.

The new executive order mandates agencies across the federal government to "measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions toward agency-defined targets," the White House said in a statement.

The Executive Order also agencies to meet a number of energy, water, and waste reduction targets, including:

• 30% reduction in vehicle fleet petroleum use by 2020;
• 26% improvement in water efficiency by 2020;
• 50% recycling and waste diversion by 2015;
• 95% of all applicable contracts will meet sustainability requirements;
• Implementation of the 2030 net-zero-energy building requirement;
• Implementation of the stormwater provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, section 438; and
• Development of guidance for sustainable Federal building locations.

The federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the US economy. It occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, employs more than 1.8 million civilians, and purchases more than $500 billion per year in goods and services.

The Executive Order builds on and expands the energy reduction and environmental requirements of Executive Order 13423 by making reductions of greenhouse gas emissions a priority of the federal government, and by requiring agencies to develop sustainability plans focused on cost-effective projects and programs.

Transportation, Land Use, Housing, and SB 375

The California Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act (SB 375) links regional transportation planning processes to planning for land use and housing with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of this legislation is to develop regional plans that encourage compact development served by high quality public transit.

This caucus will explore the relationship between transportation, land use, housing, and climate change and the opportunities that SB 375 may offer in advancing regional equity as it meets its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The program will explain how local land use planning processes (and related boards and commissions) will contribute to regional development and equity through the SB 375-mandated Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS).

Wednesday, October 21, 6 pm to 8 pm
David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley
Seating is limited. RSVP early to guarantee your reservation.
RSVP to Laurie Jones Neighbors at Urban Habitat.

So Right So Smart Film Screening

Earth Island Institute invites you to join them for a screening of the new documentary, So Right So Smart. This film highlights the successes of businesses that have taken positive steps toward an environmentally sustainable future, and features the pioneering work of Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of Interface, Inc.

The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Ray Anderson, and a book signing for his new book, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist.

Sunday, October 4, 2009
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Richard and Rhoda Goldman Theatre
David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way (at Oxford)
Berkeley, California

West Coast Green - October 1-3, 2009

West Coast Green, known as the largest green building conference, is expanding its focus this year to include the "intersection of the built environment and technology", with sessions on Business & the New Economy and Social Innovation.

This year's event will be held October 1-3 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. Over 14,000 attendees are expected. There will be 300 exhibits showcasing the latest in resource efficiency, 80 education and networking sessions to learn and discuss innovations and opportunities with thought leaders fact-to-face, and 125 inspirational and dynamic speakers, including:

• Ray Anderson - Chairman and Founder, Interface, Inc.; Author, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist
• Dan Kammen - Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, UC Berkeley
• Panama Bartholomy - Advisor to Commissioner, California Energy Commission

Register in advance for a reduced price.

Triple Pundit readers can get additional discounts.

Corporate Water Footprinting Conference

The 2nd annual Corporate Water Footprinting conference and exhibition will take place December 2-3, 2009 in San Francisco, California.

Corporate Water Footprinting will outline the risks and opportunities water poses to business and offer practical advice on mapping and reducing water consumption in products across the supply chain. As well as discussing new methodologies and standards for water footprinting the event will examine how companies are addressing water issues at a strategic level including: corporate engagement on water policy, collective action on water issues, unravelling the water-energy nexus, the development of water policy and regulation, the growing interest of water to the investment community, and corporate engagement with NGOs and activists on water issues.

The conference will include:

• Case studies from corporate leaders in water management and efficiency
• The latest methodologies and standards for water footprinting
• New water policy and regulation development, and how companies are getting involved
• Water stakeholder engagement strategies
• The potential impact of the "human right to water"
• Individual sessions on water market development, frameworks for strategic water management and the water-energy nexus

Expert speakers include:

• Robert Barbieri, Global Environmental Project Manager, Diageo
• Dan Bena, Director of Sustainability, Health, Safety and Environment, PepsiCo International
• Elissa Loughman, Environmental Analyst, Patagonia
• Matti Rihko, Chief Executive Officer, Raisio
• Kirstin Thorne, Corporate Advisor, Global Issues and Policy, Chevron
• Alex McIntosh, Director of Corporate Citizenship, Nestle Waters North America
• Tom Cooper, Corporate Water Programs Manager, Intel Corporation
• Debra Vernon, Manager, Corporate Responsibility, California American Water
• Jonah Schein, Marketing Specialist, WaterSense Program, EPA
• Kasey D. Schimke, Assistant Director, Legislative Affairs Office, California Department of Water Resources
• Adam Krantz, Managing Director, Government and Public Affairs, National Association of Clean Water Agencies

To download the full event brochure click here. To register click here.

Eat Real in Oakland - August 28-30, 2009

Street food, fresh summer fruits and veggies, live music, handcrafted local beers, ice cream sold from the back of a bicycle. Find it all and more at Eat Real, a free festival, taking place August 28-30 at Jack London Square. In between the good eats, enjoy the non-stop entertainment and activities that include chef demonstrations, dance performances, bands, films, food competitions, and lots more, for free.

Proceeds from the event benefit People’s Grocery, La Cocina, and Community Alliance with Family Farmers, organizations promoting access to healthy and affordable food, entrepreneurship, and economic development.

About Eat Real Festival:
Founded in 2008, Eat Real Festival is a social venture created to inspire eaters to choose tasty, healthy, good food. Through a vibrant, local festival in Oakland, and a focus on delicious and sustainable street food, Eat Real puts eaters in contact with the real people -- the farmers, chefs, and producers -- who make our food.