Adam Livingston is the Director of Planning and Policy at the Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT). SRT is part of the Groundwater Collaborative, a group of non-governmental organizations, tribes and individuals that share information and resources to aid NGO participation in the development and implementation of groundwater sustainability plans around the state. Clean Water Action's Communication's Manager, Nina Foushee, interviewed Adam about the role of land trusts in sustainable groundwater management.
We are proud that, with the Ocean Protection Council, we have successfully wrapped a two-year project to unpackage the city of Alameda. For two years, our team pounded the pavement in Alameda, talking to business owners about our project, meeting with local government, and recruiting student volunteers and community ambassadors for the project. We invested in understanding the rhythms of day-to-day life in this vibrant, interconnected city.
Visit South Platte River Park in Littleton, Colorado (a suburb a few miles south of Denver) on a summer weekend and you’ll likely see dozens of people paddling, wading, fishing, or tubing on the river. A few weeks ago I was one of those tubers enjoying higher than normal flows on the South Platte, thanks to the high snowpack this past winter. As we floated on riffles and gentle rapids, families of ducks grazed at the river’s edge and trout swam beneath us. Occasionally we got caught on someone’s fishing line or bumped tubes in crowded sections of the river.
Imagine a world without plastic waste. For Plastic Free July, millions of people around the globe are working to make this vision a reality by stopping the use of single-use disposable plastics for one month.
In May, I finished my third semester teaching a college dual enrollment Healthy Communities course at Madison Park Academy in the Sobrante Park District of East Oakland. Sobrante Park is an environmental justice community burdened with heavy traffic. The majority of households pay over 50% of their income for housing, and the community has some of the highest asthma rates in the country. Most of the environmental injustices faced by residents are due to air pollution from vehicles including the diesel trucks that run on the 880 freeway directly adjacent to the school.
On May 13th, with the symbolic press of a green button, Comite Lost Hills En Accion (Committee Lost Hills in Action), successfully launched the SNAPS (Study of Neighborhood Air near Petroleum Sources) air pollution monitors at the California Air Resources Board SNAPS Kickoff in Lost Hills. Over 25 community members joined the launch and celebration.
Earlier this month, Honolulu BBQ, a ReThink Disposable certified business, won a StopWaste Business Efficiency Award for Excellence in Disposable Foodware Reduction. Honolulu BBQ’s journey to ReThink Disposable certification and county-wide recognition is an inspiration.
“In a time of ecological collapse, we can only do our best to be alive and contribute what is ours to contribute.”--Fenix Grace
The Phone Canvass plays a vital role at the Oakland Clean Water Action office. One of the people on this incredible team is Fēnix. They are currently in development to be a Phone Manager. Although they have been at Clean Water Action for a relatively short period, their work has had a positive impact both on their personal and professional life.
Many Clean Water Action/Clean Water Fun colleagues gathered recently for a conference in Maryland to train up, reinvigorate, share strategies and stories, and look to the future of Clean Water Action.
Angelina Cook is an environmental activist based in Siskiyou county. She advocates for including the City of Weed in the Shasta Valley Groundwater Sustainability Plan and working to protect the city’s groundwater from expanded pumping by private bottling companies. Clean Water Action's communications manager interviewed Angelina about her involvement in local water politics.
What basin/basins are you currently working in/involved with?
Shasta Valley Groundwater Basin