Feature Archives

The long fight by Bayview Hunters Point residents, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, and allies to close the "dirty, outdated, and unnecessary" PG&E Hunters Point power plant is over, as state and PG&E officials have confirmed that the plant has stopped generating electricity. Residents have also confirmed that the stacks that emitted unacceptable levels of pollution for decades are now quiet and are not in operation.

Julie Gill of the California Independent Systems Operator, the state agency in charge of the power grid, and Robert Harris, PG&E Vice President for Environmental Affairs, have both confirmed to Greenaction that the plant is no longer generating electricity. The plant will officially close when the “Reliability Must Run” contract is terminated by the Cal ISO on May 15th. As one of California’s dirtiest and oldest power plants, it had polluted the community for over 77 years. The closure is seen as a victory by people who have conducted years of protests, including direct actions at the plant. Marie Harrison, a community organizer with Greenaction, says that new struggles must be waged to encourage industry and government organizations to support cleaner, renewable energy.

On Friday, May 12, the Huntersview Mothers Committee and Greenaction celebrated the shutdown of the PG&E plant. Photos

see also: Black Out: The City Sponsored Gentrification of Bayview Hunters Point

Indybay's Past Coverage of the struggle to close the power plant | Greenaction

On April 24th, Dr. Vandana Shiva, a physicist, ecologist, activist, editor, and author, spoke at UC Santa Cruz. Vandana was born in Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal State, which was formerly a part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. She participated in the Chipko movement during the 1970s. The movement, whose main participants were women, adopted the tactic of hugging trees to prevent their felling. Read more

Vandana Shiva spoke at UCSC as part of The Education for Sustainable Living Program's Spring 2006 Lecture series.

audio (mp3): Vandana Shiva at UCSC (time: 1:05:24)

The Grand Jury Resistance Project and the Prison Literature Project will hold an event to send letters to those imprisoned in the current “Green Scare.” The Prison Letter Writing Café will be Tuesday April 25th 2006 at 7:00pm in Berkeley. Paper, envelopes and stamps will be provided, as well as prisoner bios. Help on how to write letters to prisoners, including specific prison regulations, tips and suggestions will also be available.

“Mail time is often the brightest part of a prisoner's day," organizers of the event said. "Letters help show that there is a whole movement of support outside the prison walls - and that they are not alone.”

READ MORE.

Derrick Jensen spoke at the Vet's Hall in downtown Santa Cruz on March 29th, 2006, as a benefit for the legal fees of EcoPrisoners arrested in the recent 'Green Scare'. Jensen emphasizes the hate, dishonesty, and destructiveness in contemporary industrialized culture. He argues that this culture will soon collapse because of the damage being done to the planet.

Jensen proposes that a different way of life is possible, and it can be seen in many past societies including many Native American cultures. This different way of life is characterized by honesty, appreciation of beauty, and connection with the natural world. Politically Jensen's work is in favor of a revolution in values, the self, and society. His ideas are often in line with eco-anarchism, anarcho-primitivism and neo-Tribalism. Read more

Audio (mp3): Part 1 and Part 2

A Day of Action to Shut Down PG&E's Hunters Point Power Plant was held on April 11th. People gathered at 12:00pm on Evans Street at Middlepoint Road. After eight years of broken promises, Bayview Hunters Point residents and community organizations continue to demand that the power plant be closed, and that the neighborhood be given clean energy and restoration, rather than redevelopment and gentrification. The protest included a non-violent action and legal protest in front of the Power Plant to demand that PG&E stick to its latest closure date.
Video | Report From BeyondChron

Marie Harrison's article from the Bayview Reporter | Greenaction website | Indybay's past coverage of the PG+E plant struggle

A former Pacific Lumber (PL) official has filed a wrongful-termination suit alleging he was ordered to conceal waste including asbestos and oil residue from Water Quality officials when seeking environmental permits for the company’s new $30 million sawmill. According to the suit, former business and community development director Jimmy Dan Cook was told "to not report the contamination and to keep the information in-house."

The lawsuit alleges Mr. Cook suffered "repeated verbal abuse and threats from (PL CEO Robert) Manne because of (Mr. Cook’s) resistance to follow orders he believed to be unlawful," and that a runoff-retention pond was built on the contaminated site which has "resulted in dangerously polluted water leaching and/or overflowing into the Eel River."

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The East Bay Permaculture Guild organized a Sunday, March 19th Sustainable Caravan to permaculture sites in East Oakland. The tour started at 10:00am and last until 1:00pm. A caravan left Fruitvale BART at 9:30am. The caravan planned to "journey along the streets and watersheds of the East Oakland Hills, deep into the heart of the Dimond District and San Antonio neighborhood, to welcome the beginning of Spring." Participants visited East Oakland gardens and parks that feature examples of urban farming, green and natural building, remediation and restoration, graywater systems, neighbor cooperation, and community activism. The caravan consisted of bikes, biodiesel, and ride sharing, demonstrating a range of sustainable transportation.

Some permaculture resources: Permaculture Activist Magazine | Permaculture.net | City Repair | East Bay City Repair Oakland | Sustaining Ourselves Locally | Permaculture Design Institute | Alameda Point Collaborative | Urban Permaculture Guild | Urban Ecology