A reminder that beef creates enormous environmental damage. It is by far the largest cause of global deforestation, especially in the Brazilian rain forest. So, umm, please don't eat beef.

Our World in Data@ourworldindata.org · 2d ago

The largest cause of deforestation is, and has been, the expansion of farmland. But the production of which products, in particular, has been driving this in recent decades? A recent study, published in Nature Food by Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson, answered this question.

@sparetheair.bsky.social is still not active, so I’ll post this for them. A #SpareTheAir Alert has been extended through Saturday, 8/1, due to wildfire smoke impacts, especially in the North Bay. Limit outdoor activity and protect your health. Check fire.airnow.gov and baaqmd.gov/wildfiresafety.

In addition to neighborhood gatherings around Berkeley on National Night Out, you can also come to a City-hosted block party featuring activities for kids and food for all. berkeleyca.gov/commu...

In July's Direct Current, we celebrate 1 year of Bike Electric (& its 1 year extension), spotlight eligible batteries for SmartHome Battery, & remember our founding Board Chair Scott Haggerty. Plus: 3 tips to prep for outages, & a discount for this Sunday's Oakland Ballers game! / 📸 Jenny Pfeiffer

Know someone who's got weekday mornings free? Send them to volunteer with Meals on Wheels! We need folks to pack and deliver meals to 200+ homebound seniors across Berkeley. Weekly or on-call shifts Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.

Volunteer to pack or deliver meals to homebound seniors | City of Berkeley

Help Meals on Wheels feed Berkeley seniors. Weekly or on-call shifts Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. Use an hour of a weekday morning to help pack or deliver nutritious, fresh meals for Berkeley’s homebound seniors. You can expect to make 8-15 deliveries during your shift, which should take about an hour.If you can't commit to a regular weekly shift, you can also join the on-call list and help when additional volunteers are needed.You can also request a walking or biking route to make deliveries without a car.Reach out by phone or email to volunteer with Meals on Wheels:

berkeleyca.gov

The Trump Department of Energy wants to gut energy efficiency standards for appliances, driving up costs for consumers and profits for the energy industry. You can submit comments here through August 21 -- www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Energy Conservation Program: Procedures, Interpretations, and Policies for Consideration of New or Revised Energy Conservation Standards and Test Procedures for Consumer Products and Certain Commercia...

On July 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking ("NOPR") and announcement of webinar proposing to update the Department's curre...

federalregister.gov

The endless debate on the Hopkins Street bike plan made me get out my credit card records. We shopped at Monterey Market 126 times in 2025. Also many times at Magnani's and Raxacoul. None of those trips was done by car. The shops will be fine with the new bike lanes.

Berkeley City Council decision on Hopkins bikeway referral to staff: - CM Kesarwani-drafted item passes 7-2: buffered lanes Sutter to The Alameda, bikeways to Peralta, speed cushions to Stannage. Additional minor amendments made in-meeting.

You heard about it from your neighbor...after it happened. Next time, hear it from us first. Get updates on Berkeley events, projects, public meetings, recreation, grants, jobs, and more. City news straight to your inbox. 📬 Sign up: http://bit.ly/berknews

The battle of Hopkins bike lanes are back, the final battle, and I got a lot to say. I haven't attended a Berkeley city council meeting in 7 years, but on Tuesday I'll be there, and I hope you will too. darrellowens.substack.com/p/the-final-...

The Final Battle of Hopkins Bike Lanes

One of the most important climate actions goes to Berkeley City Council.

darrellowens.substack.com

To be clear - tomorrow the Berkeley City Council is revisiting Hopkins bike lanes again. The city has spent lots of money and time to make Hopkins safe for all, and it keeps stalling due to people in North Berkeley wanting to keep parking over the safety of anybody outside of a car.

Kendra K. Levine@kklevine.bsky.social · last wk.

Who owns Hopkins in Berkeley? I guess it’s not a public street.

National Night Out is all about bringing neighbors together. Celebrate with free food, live performances, carnival games, giant jumpers, and community resources at the Stop the Violence National Night Out Block Party. 📅 Aug. 4, 3–7 pm

National Night Out Block Party | City of Berkeley

Join us for an annual block party with performances, kid's activities, free food, and connection to City staff and resources. In collaboration with McGee Avenue Baptist Church, the City of Berkeley Recreation Division’s Teen Program is hosting the Stop the Violence National Night Out Block Party.This block party features:

berkeleyca.gov

70+ postcards in support of a protected bikeway on Hopkins in N Berkeley were mailed out to the Mayor & City Council yesterday, including these great ones from area kids who want to get around on their own 2 wheels. Visit BikeEastBay.org/Hopkins to show your support too, before the July 28 vote!

The City of Richmond got a grant to plan for a new bridge on the Richmond bike path. This would fix a critical gap in access. I can't wait to see it finished. richmondstandard.com/community/20...

Richmond receives $700K state grant to plan Greenway Bridge

The City of Richmond has received a $700,000 grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to continue planning a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that would close a long-standing gap...

richmondstandard.com

Car Free HAPPY HOUR this Tuesday! Drake's Dealership Tuesday, July 21, 5:30pm 2325 Broadway, Oakland AC Transit lines: too many to list! BART: 19th St. @bikeeastbay.bsky.social @walkoakbikeoak.bsky.social @tvrr.bsky.social @walkbikeberk.bsky.social @transpoakland.sfba.social.ap.brid.gy

🚨Hopkins Call to Action🚨 Berkeley Council will vote on July 28 about whether to pave Hopkins with ped, bike, and transit improvements. Send them a letter - let’s make the street safe for all! actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

Make Hopkins smooth and safe for all!

The bottom line: On July 28, Berkeley City Council will vote on whether to repave Hopkins Street with pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements (including protected bike lanes). Please send them ...

actionnetwork.org

Some efforts to lower building costs are just driving up living costs for future households. The latest is a bill to roll back EV charging in new apartment buildings, locking tenants into gas cars as the state moves to electric. @buffywicks.bsky.social lompocrecord.com/news/calmatt...

To lower building costs, California wrongly takes aim at EV chargers for new apartments

CalMatters Commentary: A laudable bill seeking to reduce building costs for affordable housing would reduce access to EV chargers for those who need them most.

lompocrecord.com

If this isn't for your family, it might be for someone you know. Free summer lunches and snacks are available for every child 18 and under in Berkeley. Sharing this could help someone.

Free summer lunches for Berkeley kids | City of Berkeley

Children 18 and younger can get free lunches and snacks in Berkeley this summer. No registration or income check is required. Kids 18 and under can get free lunches and snacks across Berkeley this summer at parks, a community center, the pool, and the Central Library.You don’t need to apply, show proof of income, or sign up. Children just need to go to any participating spot during mealtimes and eat the meals there.Free summer lunches make sure kids still get healthy food even when school is out.

berkeleyca.gov

Illustrated summary of the fourteen California Propositions on this year's ballot, which cover topics such as housing, elections, taxes, education, and healthcare! Individual slides at tinyurl.com/2026caprops and in the thread! 1/ 🧵✅

The Golden State Rebates program is ending this month. You can get a point-of-sale discount of $400-$700 for a heat pump water heater, on top of other incentives or discounts. Reserve a retail coupon by July 23 and redeem it by July 31. goldenstaterebates.com/goldenstater...

Heat pump water heaters | Golden State Rebates

*/

goldenstaterebates.com

After a long and wildly productive career, Scott Haggerty passed away this week. Among many other things, he was the founding board chair of @avaenergy.org , bringing clean public power to Alameda County. flip.it/KeeEKt

Former Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty Dies At 68

The longtime District 1 representative helped shape transportation projects across the Bay Area during nearly 25 years in office.

flip.it

Dear @governor.ca.gov, we taxpayers/ratepayers would rather have energy efficient schools than save 20¢ a month on our PG&E bills. @jessearreguin.bsky.social @buffywicks.bsky.social @calenergy.bsky.social

Canary Media Inc.@canarymedia.com · last mo.

A $194 million fund could unlock cleaner air in California schools. But if legislators don’t act soon, it’ll be returned to utilities.

The US Forest Service is seeking to identify long-distance biking trails that make use of existing trails and roads on federal land. Nominate trails at the following link: experience.arcgis.com/experience/7... Nominations will be accepted through August 3, 2026.

The 9th Circuit just upheld the zero-NOx rule for appliances in southern California. The Bay Area Air District has a similar rule. (Technically not a “ban” just a standard that gas appliances can’t meet.) share.google/ntAaJoGslsie...

Los Angeles-area gas appliance ban upheld by US appeals court

A divided federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ban covering four Los Angeles-area ​counties on the manufacture, sale and installation of various appliances that ‌emit nitrous oxides, rejecting c...

share.google

#Berkeley area folks: If you have a Carla Cargo, Bikes At Work, or Surly Bill bike trailer to lend, a friend is hoping to borrow (or rent?) one to help someone move sailboat spars, booms, etc. Could be fun if you're looking for a bike adventure. Photo for ideas.

Berkeley families: here's one less thing to think about this summer. Children 18 and under can get free lunches and snacks. Kids should just show up during meal times. There's no paperwork or registration. Find locations: berkeleyca.gov/commu... #berkelypov

Free summer lunches for Berkeley kids | City of Berkeley

Children 18 and younger can get free lunches and snacks in Berkeley this summer. No registration or income check is required. Kids 18 and under can get free lunches and snacks across Berkeley this summer at parks, a community center, the pool, and the Central Library.You don’t need to apply, show proof of income, or sign up. Children just need to go to any participating spot during mealtimes and eat the meals there.Free summer lunches make sure kids still get healthy food even when school is out.

berkeleyca.gov

E-motos vs e-bikes, an explainer. (from Facebook)

June brought major milestones in our renewable energy portfolio, from local solar to record-breaking wind and battery storage projects. Read all about it—plus upcoming community events and incentives for home batteries and EV chargers—in our Direct Current newsletter ⚡ AvaEnergy.org/direct-current

The new bicycle city ratings from @peopleforbikes.bsky.social is out. Unfortunately, Berkeley has slipped this year, down to #14 in California, and #200 in America. What can we do to get that number up? #hopkins cityratings.peopleforbikes.org

PeopleForBikes 2026 City Ratings | Every ride. Every rider. Join us.

The Best Cities for Biking in 2026. We're ranking the best places for biking. See how your city rates.

cityratings.peopleforbikes.org

Kids 18 and under can get free lunches and snacks across Berkeley this summer at parks, a community center, the pool, and the Central Library. You don’t need to apply, show proof of income, or sign up.

Free summer lunches for Berkeley kids | City of Berkeley

Children 18 and younger can get free lunches and snacks in Berkeley this summer. No registration or income check is required. Kids 18 and under can get free lunches and snacks across Berkeley this summer at parks, a community center, the pool, and the Central Library.You don’t need to apply, show proof of income, or sign up. Children just need to go to any participating spot during mealtimes and eat the meals there.Free summer lunches make sure kids still get healthy food even when school is out.

berkeleyca.gov