Week 4 April, 2010
This week’s highlighted local treasure is the Department of Energy Joint BioEnergy Institute. From the DOE website: The DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) is a six institution partnership led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). It is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is fast becoming a hub of renewable energy research and development, and is headquartered in a new facility in Emeryville, close to its partner institutions. JBEI researchers are engineering microbes and enzymes to process the complex sugars of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels that can directly replace gasoline. Among the strategies they employ to produce these next-generation biofuels are the tools of synthetic biology. By developing new bioenergy crops, JBEI researchers will improve the fermentable content of biomass and transform lignin into a source of valuable new products. One of three “Energy Innovation Hubs” chosen by the Department of Energy to share $366M over the next five years, this local laboratory (and your neighbors who work there) just may develop the methods we’ll successfully implement to wean our nation from the scourge of a fossil-fuel driven economy. If you’re ready to enter the post-petroluem era in history you might want to drop by and show these folks some love.
Let’s find some fun ’round here…
Berkeley Earth Day: From the East Bay Express: Berkeley is always at the vanguard of earth-friendly innovations. People here were among the first to drive bio-diesel cars, resist fast food, compost kitchen scraps, ride bikes to work, and install grey-water systems. Berkeley residents knew about lowering carbon emissions before “carbon” became part of mainstream argot, and they helped popularize the terms “vegan,” “green-living,” and “locavore.” No surprise, then, that Earth Day is always a proud, self-congratulatory occasion in this town. This year’s celebration at Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic CenterPark.
Poem for Mother Earth: From the SF Bay Guardian: Take part in this indigenous healing day for Earth Day featuring poets, artists, musicians, and story-tellers of all ages presenting an afternoon of Bi-lingual performance and action. In conjunction with POOR magazine, a poor and indigenous people led, non-profit grassroots arts organization. Sunday, April 25 at Galeria de la Raza, 2857 24th St., SF; (415) 826-8009. 4pm, $5.
Private Collections Spring Art Tour: From the SF Chronicle: The Private Collections spring art tour offers a rare glimpse into the homes of some of San Francisco’s most notable art collectors. Among the 10 participating in this year’s event – which takes place Thursday night – are Sabrina Buell, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy and Chara Schreyer. They will be opening their residences to the public for an hour and providing guided tours of their collections. Link to Chronicle article.
Pic of the Week:
Straight up at Beauregard Vineyards in Bonny Doon
Vid of the week: