Sustainable Fairfax

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Transportation

List of Weekend Marches & Rallies

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Since there are several local rallies and marches happening this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to summarize them all in one place.

Here’s the list I have for Friday and Saturday:

1)  Friday, Jan 20 (Inauguration Day), Bridge Together Golden Gate– 10am-noon

Participants will form a human chain across the Golden Gate Bridge in a “peaceful demonstration and performance art piece” beginning at 10 a.m.

2)  Friday, Jan 20:  Marin is Marching!

People’s March & Unity Rally- for Love, Peace, Justice & Truth. This event is being organized by members of the Marin community.

Schedule: 

1:00 pm- Gather in San Anselmo (at the HUB/Creek Park) OR in The Canal (at Pickleweed Park)
2:00 pm- Groups March from East and West to San Rafael City Hall
3:00 pm- Groups Arrive at San Rafael City Hall for Unification
3:30 pm- Unified Group Walks from City Hall to Community Center
4-6 pm-  Unity Rally in San Rafael Community Center Auditorium, 618 B St, San Rafael  (Kid-friendly event with a kids activities room adjacent!) 

Volunteer:  If you want to help out before or at the march, contact Craig Slater (415 721.7241)

3)  Friday, Jan 20: 6:30-7:30pm- “An Inauguration Day Interfaith Gathering”

First Presbyterian Church, 1510 Fifth Ave., San Rafael

Join Congressman Huffman and religious leaders to celebrate religious freedom, social justice and community engagement. The event is free and open to the public. Tables will be provided to share materials for volunteer opportunities. Please bring materials to share.

Please note the event will also be live streamed on www.facebook.com/rephuffman.  Register here.

4)  Saturday, Jan 21: 10am- Fairfax Parkade

Fairfax residents are organizing a “standing” march in solidarity with the Women’s Marches across the country. They will not be marching to another location, but will be showing their support together downtown. (Note: I do not know of any marches in Marin on Saturday)

5)  Saturday, Jan 21: 10am-3pm- Women’s March in Oakland

Schedule: 

10am: Meet at Madison Park, Oakland

11am: March to Frank Ogawa Plaza (2 miles)

12:30-3:00pm:  Rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza

6)  Saturday, Jan 21: 3pm-8pm: Women’s March in San Francisco

Schedule: 

3-5pm: Rally at SF Civic Center

5-8pm: March to Justin Herman Plaza (1.7 miles) (Note: there will be no official event at the end of this march)

**Take Golden Gate transit with Sustainable Fairfax to the SF Women’s March. Lynette Carlton, our Fairfax on Foot organizer, will lead the way. Meet at the downtown Fairfax bus stop at 1:45pm. Find out more info here.

DC WOMENS MARCH: I will be attending the DC march and will be reporting from the march via the Sustainable Fairfax social media accounts. Be sure to follow Sustainable Fairfax if you want my updates at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SustainFX

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainfx/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SustainableFairfax/

These events were created to bring people together to stand in solidarity with the other marches all over the world aiming to protect civil liberties, civil rights, women’s rights, LBGTQI rights, immigrant’s rights, the environment, healthcare, education and other important issues. By coming together in such great numbers, we will show the incoming administration that we are unified, engaged and ready to take a stand for what is right.

Be safe, and enjoy all of the passionate and energized people participating in these historic marches!

Pedal Powered Food Drive: A Success!

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A joyful group of adults and children participated in the ReduceX2 Slow Riders Food Drive Bike Ride from Fairfax to the Corte Madera Town Center on Saturday  to “feed” the Giant Turkey (a collection spot for the SF-Marin Food Bank).

The group made three stops to collect food donated by Fairfax Market, Good Earth Natural Foods and Woodlands Market.

The Corte Madera Town Center greeted us with delicious Blue Barn organic ice cream, coffee and snacks.  The event was filmed for the MotherLoad Movie  promoting the cargo bike movement. The event was a great success and a beautiful ride!

Thanks to all who participated, the grocery stores for donating food, and Corte Madera Town Center for the warm greeting!

Sign up for future Slow Riders bike rides here.  These are fun and relaxed bike rides to popular Marin County destinations. You will learn bike routes that avoid the busy streets and will discover the beautiful paths and backstreets of Marin!

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Streets for People 2016- A Big Success!

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The fifth annual Streets for People in downtown Fairfax on Sunday, August 28th was an explosion of community spirit!  Approximately 1,500 people enjoyed the unique Fairfax vibe in the open street on Bolinas Road.

The street was alive with music, dancing, hula hooping, art and crafts, games, local food and other offerings from residents and Fairfax businesses. To name just a few: the upcoming Mas Masa served up delicious quesadillas, the Gestalt Haus offered free hot dogs to the kids, Mana Bowls gave out samples of their Acai bowls and 7-11 gave out free slurpies to participants. Bolinas Road newcomer The Find created a Makers Meetup inspiring crafts on the street, The Forge offered free temporary tattoos, Tatyana’s Magic Brush did face painting, and Joseph Jacques of Harmonic Humanity provided a lovely musical backdrop with his street piano. The Youth Music showcase, organized by Jack Irving, featured ultra-talented youth musicians and the Clothing Swap was a huge success, once again.

Other highlights: Families on cargo bikes and a new generation of riders participated in Kidical Mass, and paraded through the street on their decorated bikes. Naby Bangoura and his class at Roco Dance set the beat for the event with vibrant African drumming and dancing. Brycken Olive of Sol Studios brought soulful energy to the street with her Roots Dance class.

img_3938New this year was the lively “Teen Scene” in Bolinas Park and featured an open mic, yoga, community art, henna tattoos, hula hooping and games.

“Transit Alley,” a special feature celebrating Sustainable Fairfax’s Reduce By Two program, featured:

The Marin IJ captured the spirit of the event beautifully in this article. Check out the event website to learn about the vision of this open streets event and the international open streets movement. Streets for People was inspired by Ciclovia in Bogata. Columbia.

img_1066HELP KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING!  Sustainable Fairfax takes the lead on the organization of Streets for People with sponsorship from the Fairfax Chamber.  The entire event is run on a budget of about $1,000, and the organizers/volunteers donate their time as a heartfelt gift to their sweet community.  Please consider providing support at the $30, $60 or $100 level here.  Or buy an organic Streets for People t-shirt or tank, generously sponsored this year by Good Earth Natural Foods.

Thanks to all of the VOLUNTEERS who made this event run like a charm!

SPECIAL THANKS:  Thank you to Good Earth Natural Foods for sponsoring the Streets for People Shirts (order here), Patty at For Paws for providing us with event storage, Polly at Fairfax Variety for donating paint for street art, US Pure Water for the Water Station, and Fairfax Market for donating the fruit for the Bike Powered Smoothies!

Streets for People slideshow and tribute to the late Gene Wilder:

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Streets For People Slideshow- 2016

Streets for People is Almost Here!

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Fifth Annual Fairfax Streets for People will Make Bolinas Road in Downtown Fairfax a Car-Free Party for One Day: August 28, 2016

Sustainable Fairfax announces the fifth annual Streets for People festival; an Open Streets event in downtown Fairfax, on Sunday August 28, 2016 from 10:00 am to 4:00pm. The event transforms Bolinas Road in downtown Fairfax into a lively car-free space for a day. Participants can catch live music, play a game of checkers, get a bite to eat or drink at an outdoor café, find a new outfit at the clothing swap, or watch dance demonstrations.

This year in Bolinas Park there will be a Teen Scene (10am-2pm), organized by the Streets for People youth committee, featuring an open mic, hula hooping, and more.  You can also catch a QiGong (2:30) or  Tai Chi (3:00) class later in the afternoon.

Outreach tables by nonprofits and local agencies will provide information and resources focusing on sustainability and community.

The event celebrates alternative transportation and will feature Transit Alley, with biking, walking and public transportation related exhibits as part of Sustainable Fairfax’s ReduceX2 campaign. Safe Routes to School will be be there with its bike powered smoothie maker! Free bike valet service will be provided in the parking lot next to Gestalt.

Streets for People is part of a national and international movement of Open Streets events. It was started in 2012 by Renee Goddard of Sustainable Fairfax (now Mayor of Fairfax), in collaboration with Sustainable Fairfax, the Town of Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber.  She was inspired by Ciclovía, a successful weekly event in Bogotá, Columbia that opens over 70 of miles of city streets to citizens for outdoor physical activity, attracting up to 2 million participants. “It is the diversity of people in a common space which allows for a rich community fabric in which each citizen is a thread”, says Goddard. “The vision behind Fairfax’s Streets for People is to create community resiliency and positive spirit. It’s a celebration of what makes Fairfax unique, and a fun opportunity to stimulate our local economy.”

The event is a collaboration of Sustainable Fairfax, the Town of Fairfax and the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Streets for People, visit the Streets for People website.

Help us make Streets for People a success!  Sign up to volunteer here.

Find resources and information on Open Streets Events at http://openstreetsproject.org/.

Take the ReduceX2 Challenge! 

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Take the Sustainable Fairfax ReduceX2 Challenge, and replace your single-occupancy car trips with other modes of transport at least two times per week (ReduceX2!). After completing the 3-week challenge, you will be entered into a drawing to win great prizes including a Boreas Gear backpack and an Alite barrell handlebar bag.

During the first week of the challenge you will assess your travel habits by tracking each of your trips through our text messaging program. The second two weeks you will try to replace your single occupancy car trips with biking, walking, taking the ferry, busing or carpooling.

You will receive encouragement and feedback along the way, including a daily report of the greenhouse gases you reduced by taking alternative transportation.  Share pictures from your trips with other ReduceX2 participants on social media (Instagram or Twitter) if you choose to.

This challenge offers a fun way to break habits and find better ones, not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but to foster new ways of connecting with the beautiful Fairfax environment and community.

STARTING THE CHALLENGE IS EASY!  Just text “Start” to 415-214-9502 and you are on your way!!  To learn more about the Challenge, check out the ReduceX2 FAQs.

Why is this important?

Fairfax Climate Action Plan: Community Emissions by Sector, 2010Getting around without your car reduces both traffic and greenhouse gases. The Fairfax Climate Action Plan shows that transportation is responsible for 47% of the Town’s greenhouse gas emissions.  If everyone used alternative transportation modes for just two additional trips per week, together we could make a significant impact, while GAINING the benefits of exercise, health, and a stronger connection to our community.

ReduceX2 Facebook Page

LIKE the ReduceX2 Facebook page here to stay on top of recent news and upcoming ReduceX2 events.

WANT TO JOIN OUR REDUCE BY TWO COMMITTEE? We are looking for motivated creative people of all ages to make our campaign energizing and fun.  Email SustainFX@gmail.com

Celebrate Earth Day 2016 in Fairfax

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How did Earth Day get its start?

The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd, 1970 when 20 million people participated in peaceful demonstrations to protest the industrial revolution and advocate for a healthy sustainable environment. Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired to create Earth Day after witnessing the devastating 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara. He sought to tap into the passion and energy from the anti-war movement to environmental protection.

Earth Day became internationally recognized in 1990 when Denis Hayes mobilized 20 million people in 141 countries. This led to a boost in recycling efforts and set the stage for the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Earth Day 2000 focused on global warming and clean energy, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the National Mall in Washington DC.

In 2010, the Earth Day Network launched A Billion Acts of Green®, and introduced a global tree planting initiative that has since grown into The Canopy Project, engaging 22,000 partners in 192 countries in observing Earth Day.

Fairfax Earth Day Activities

There are several ways you can join Sustainable Fairfax t0 celebrate Earth Day this weekend. Saturday promises to be a beautiful day to be outside after a day of spring showers forecasted for Friday.

1) Saturday, April 23- 8:15am – 1:00pm: Fairfax on Foot: Walk to MMWD Broom Pull- Walk with Sustainable Fairfax to an MMWD French Broom Pull volunteer work party to remove this harmful species from our open space. Learn more here.

2) Saturday, April 23- 10:00am – 2:00pm: Green Infrastructure Workshop & Workday- Learn about green infrastructure from an expert in the field, and work with your community to improve the area surrounding the Fairfax Pavilion parking lot. Come for all or part of this workday! Learn more here.

3) Saturday, April 23- 10:00am – 4:00pm: Earth Day Celebration at The Away Station-The Away station is Marin’s only “reclaim and Reuse” marketplace. The Away Station, located at Fairfax Lumber at 109 Broadway Come, is Marin’s only “Reclaim and Reuse” marketplace.  Celebrate Earth Day with local artists and craftspeople who will demonstrate and provide ideas and inspiration for creative repurposing. At 1:00pm, Fairfax Mayor (and Sustainable Fairfax VP) will give a brief talk about zero waste and Fairfax’s goal of reaching Zero Waste by 2020!

4) Adopt a Redwood!- Help SPAWN plant 10,000 redwoods in the San Francisco Bay Area over a 3-year period. The trees will help the salmon habitat along the creek and will create a local “carbon sink” to fight climate change. You can adopt a tree here!

We hope to see you at these events this Saturday! If you have any questions please email SustainFX@gmail.com