East Bay Green Tours

East Bay Green Tours was up in Mendocino recently, visiting our friends up at the Stanford Inn, a breathtaking, four-diamond hideaway nestled by the ocean.. which also happens to be a model institution of sustainability.

The Stanford Inn walks its talk when it comes to green; with everything from vegetables from their kitchen garden (part of a larger, 10-acre landscaped masterpiece on the property) served in breakfast, to towels in the bathrooms made from bamboo.

Our visit to Stanford Inn is part of the preparations for our upcoming Northern California Eco-Tours, which will be geared for visitors from outside the region and involve stays at a few of the most sustainably run hotels in the country.

We were particularly blown away by the food, an unforgettable culinary delight from their vegetarian restaurant on the property called 'The Ravens'. My favorite was a tomato salad featuring heirloom tomatoes and basil from their garden, a balsamic vinaigrette sorbet and grilled watermelon.

We are delighted to be joining forces with them in showcasing the best and brightest education and sustainable experiences that our region has to offer!

East Bay Green Tours is partnering with BetterWorld Telecom and the Sustainable Business Alliance to sponsor a space in the Sustainable Enterprise Cluster at the brand new David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley, CA. The grand opening event this past Sunday had hundreds of locals and nonprofit professionals exploring this inspiring new facility, named in honor of the legendary environmentalist David Brower.

A LEED certified and architecturally stunning building, the Brower Center was ten years in the making and is designed to create a vibrant community of like-minded individuals and organizations committed to a just and ecologically sustainable society. The building itself has several state-of-the-art conference rooms, a terrace, and an intimate 180 seat theater. On the first floor there is also a beautiful gallery devoted to art and photography that inspires activism and ecological awareness. A wide assortment of non-profits and mission driven businesses now call the Brower Center their home including: Earth Island Institute, Center for EcoLiteracy, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Equity Community Builders, International Rivers and many others.

We're excited to join this landmark community of world changing non-profits and for the opportunity we have to support the vision of the Brower Center, to foster collaborations between like-minded organizations and individuals, engage new people in advocacy and facilitate cross-sector communication and partnerships.

You can find us in just a few weeks on the second floor of the Brower Center in the Sustainable Enterprise Cluster along with others like Green Jobs Network, Survival International, Green Wave Strategies, and our partners BetterWorld Telecom and the Sustainable Business Alliance.

Check out the Brower Center at www.browercenter.org

We are happy to announce that the East Bay Green Tours are now a supporting member of the Local Clean Energy Alliance, LCEA.  Alliance is working to build support for clean energy and green jobs in the East Bay. We are particularly interested in policies that enable communities to invest in local renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. We want to make renewable energy and energy efficiency more accessible, affordable, and rewarding.

For several months lead coordinator David Room has used the morning segment of our Green Tours to share the inspiring developments of the LCEA with attendees.  We look forward to this reciprocal partnership to further advocate the core message of a sustainable, self-sufficient and vibrant local economy.

Here are some of the energy goals that the EBGT will work to advocate throughout the Bay Area.

"Marissa LaMagna's green tours, educational outreach programs and persistent networking are fueling a renaissance of clean energy in the Bay Area and beyond.

Through her upbeat, diligent and consistent efforts, Marissa is helping to re-establish California as a clean tech leader. Marissa provides a much needed forum for the cross-pollination of research, business and policy groups.

Marissa catalyzes the vital exchange of ideas that is the future of renewable energy. All of Marissa's visionary work will have real and tangible local results such as: a broader community understanding and dialog about green policy issues, more local green business, commerce and jobs, and a better quality of life for all."  

Sincerely,
Larry Giustino A1 Sun, Inc.