East Bay Magazine January 2025 by Weeklys

THE MAGAZINE OF OAKLAND, BERKELEY AND THE WORLD THAT REVOLVES AROUND US

EDUCATION ISSUE

January 2025

Truly American

NATIVE AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER DUGAN AGUILAR DOCUMENTS RESILIENCY

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January 2025

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THE MAGAZINE OF OAKLAND, BERKELEY AND THE WORLD THAT REVOLVES AROUND US

JAZZ CLUB

A letter from our editor 4

Oakland gem Yoshi’s origin story revealed 24

FIRST AMENDMENT

Berkeley journalism law professor forges own path 6 LEARNING TEAM

When is a tutor needed? 12

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Kensington artist combines sound and vision 32 ZERO WASTE

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CULINARY CLASSES

Temescal store offers artisanal food workshops 18

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Karen Klaber

EDITOR Samantha Campos

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MULTIMEDIA PLAYER

COPY EDITOR Suzanne Michel

CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey Edalatpour Jordan Cooper Lou Fancher Janis Hashe Brooke Mohiuddin j. poet

OAKLAND MUSEUM

Dugan Aguilar documents Native American life 38

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ON THE COVER ‘Sarah Keller, Chaw'se Roundhouse,’ Dugan Aguilar, 1995; collection of the Oakland Museum of California. Gift of the family of Dugan Aguilar.

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Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory: Leadership and Service in Action

acred Heart Cathedral’s story is one of innovation and purpose, of serving Bay Area youth since 1852. Today, we continue to welcome the Bay Area’s brightest students to our inclusive community, preparing them for success with a dynamic curriculum, integrated technology and engagement with dedicated and innovative teachers.

Students and their families choose SHC for the strength of our academics, our faith and values, our extensive array of cocurricular opportunities and the warmth of our inclusive and nurturing community. Our students are compassionate, motivated, resourceful, independent, serviceoriented leaders who give life to our motto, Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.

1055 Ellis Street, San Francisco | 415.775.6626 | shcp.edu JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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Serpent

SNAKE WISDOM Although seen by many as menacing, our serpent friends have much to teach us.

Guides

A New Year hope for rebirth and transformation

Jeffrey Edalatpour Jordan Cooper writes about arts, food is a Bay Area-based and culture for SF journalist who covers Weekly, Metro Silicon science and culture Valley, East Bay while she studies Express and KQED at UC Berkeley Arts. Graduate School of Journalism.

achievement awards and is co-founder of the Oakland-based First Amendment Project, a public interest law firm that protects peoples’ First Amendment rights. We’re also introduced to the creative journey of tennis coach Cordell Ho of Kensington. Born and raised in San Francisco, and originally studying medicine, Ho eventually leaned into his love of the arts, gleaning much from his travels with the UC Berkeley tennis team. He now composes theater-inspired mixed-media films and experimental music, exploring mindfulness and expression, culture and the fusion of sound and visuals. Yoshi’s is an iconic jazz club that’s been in operation for over 50 years. Recognized for its high-quality sound system, eclectic performances and beloved sushi restaurant, the legendary music venue is the gem of Oakland’s Jack London Square. We speak with its founder, Yoshie Akiba, on the club’s

Andrew DeAngelo is an Oakland-based creative who writes about the arts, advocacy and plant medicine.

Lou Fancher has been published in Diablo Magazine, Oakland Tribune, InDance, San Francisco Classical Voice, SF Weekly, WIRED.com and elsewhere.

origins and her own fascinating life story of resilience and community. We also chat with the co-founders of another East Bay institution since 1980: Urban Ore in Berkeley. Married for 40 years, Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer are as committed to Zero Waste advocacy as they are to each other; their “salvage yard” is a treasure trove of houseware delights. Speaking of delights, we also feature a story on the artisanal food-craft workshops of Preserved, a culinary shop in Temescal specializing in traditional methods of preserving and fermenting. Plus, we offer advice on how to determine if your child needs a tutor, and tips to find the right one. And we celebrate the Native American photography of Dugan Aguilar. May your ongoing wisdom be ever-agile and transformative in the year ahead! — Samantha Campos, Editor

PHOTO BY BADRUDIN/PIXABAY

ccording to the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake. Symbolically, the snake is known for wisdom and agility. But also, snakes can represent evil or treachery, while the element of wood supposedly strengthens the snake’s growth and versatility. Yep, that all seems about right for the months ahead. And it makes this year’s inaugural issue an auspicious one. We can gain inspiration from the creativity, resilience and values-based choices made by all of our East Bay neighbors featured in these pages. Attorney James Wheaton teaches journalism law at UC Berkeley and Stanford. In a profile of the popular professor known for his renegade style, we learn how Wheaton discovers his true nature by remaining open, self-aware and compassionate. He’s won multiple

Janis Hashe Brooke Mohiuddin j. poet has been regularly contributes is a writer and writing about music to the East Bay photographer for for most of his Express and other portraits, events and adult life and has Bay Area publications. concerts in the Bay interviewed a wide Area. She is currently spectrum of artists, a high school junior. including Leonard Cohen, Merle Haggard and Godzilla.

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12/18/24 3:55 PM

SHU REN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Mandarin is Their Superpower. Shu Ren is Their Start.

magine your child thriving in a school where curiosity is celebrated, questions are encouraged, and learning happens in two languages. At Shu Ren International School in Berkeley, we combine a Mandarin immersion program with the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum to prepare students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. With small class sizes, we ensure your child receives the attention and support they need to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. From PK2 to 5th grade, your child will develop critical thinking skills, a love for learning, and the confidence to tackle life’s challenges. At Shu Ren, our goal is simple: to empower your child to become a lifelong learner who asks meaningful questions and seeks answers beyond the classroom. Let us help lay the foundation for your child’s success. We’d love to show you what makes Shu Ren so special. Contact us today to schedule a personalized tour.

Call 510.841.8899 or visit shurenschool.com JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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Playing

Within the

UC Berkeley professor and First Amendment lawyer James R. Wheaton followed his own circuitous path BY Jordan Cooper

arely do Stanford and University of California, Berkeley, share things in common. But in the case of James Wheaton, his popularity as the professor of journalism law at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism is unaffected by his work at Stanford.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMES WHEATON

Rules

COMMUNITY COUNSEL James Wheaton is co-founder of the First Amendment Project, a public interest law firm that protects peoples' First Amendment rights.

EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY 2025

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Explore O’Dowd! Middle School Camp Offers Fun & Enriching Experience

eld on O’Dowd’s friendly campus in the foothills of East Oakland, Summer Academy is an opportunity for students entering grades 6-8 to inspire their curiosity.

Offering robust academic and enrichment courses, from Math and Spanish, to Drama and Gardening, students develop social-emotional, creative, and intellectual skills, all while getting to know the O’Dowd campus. “The Middle School Camp was a fantastic experience for my daughter. All the teachers and counselors were so warm. It’s why we ultimately chose O’Dowd for high school.”

O’Dowd’s holistic Summer Academy encourages selfexploration for middle schoolers, with small classes, hands-on learning, and fun group activities. With a flexible morning and afternoon schedule, and free lunch for students who enroll in 3 or more classes, Summer Academy is an awesome way to explore what it means to be a Dragon!

— Parent of a Current 12th Grader

Bishop O’Dowd High School

9500 Stearns Ave, Oakland, CA 94605 510.577.9100 | www.bishopodowd.org/summer JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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RENAISSANCE MAN Wheaton runs his own Burning Man camp.

Wheaton is a First Amendment lawyer, which generally means he works with a lot of activists and journalists. But Wheaton himself doesn’t have a history of journalism past high school. “I entered [high school] as a standard issue jock,” said Wheaton. But this really only lasted through his freshman year. “I was also a kid who read a lot. I was really good at math, and I just sailed over the top of all my classes, which was not a welcomed quality in the football locker room.” At the end of freshman year, he found his new calling. “In the spring of that year, we were in the lunchroom, and there was an announcement about tryouts for a play,” said Wheaton. “It was a student-run play, student-written and student-run, so it was going to be a little more experimental, and I got basically dared to try out.” After cold reading for a part, he was given the role of the narrator, Mr. Franchisesque. Trading in the locker room for a single dressing room and the burly boys for a co-ed group of rebellious teens, he joined the “theater kids”—fitting right in. By senior year, he was editor of the school newspaper, and was about to

graduate and leave the editorials behind. That year, he had only one true instance of First Amendment scuffling in his journalism experience. Prior to CRT (Critical Race Theory), white PTA mothers were still storming into school offices, demanding their child’s education be more aligned with their religious and moral values. When Wheaton’s own aunt took her concerns to his school’s administration, he took pen to paper. What was published was a scathing article about how the new complaint “inspired” him to look for other books that encouraged rebellion. He wrote about one book in particular’s constant use of violence and improprieties and named it at the end: the Bible. Yes, he and his aunt did stop speaking to each other after that. Of the handful of his graduating class members who sought out colleges on the East Coast, he was the one to be admitted to an Ivy—Brown. Unfortunately, he was as unprepared as a suburban kid from rural Minnesota could be at an Ivy League school, and ended up on academic probation. This drove him to be more intentional with planning his schedule. He decided that in order to figure out what he

wanted to do with his life by junior year, he would need to try out everything he was interested in—his college counselor called him “intellectually greedy.” By the end of the two years, he was still at a loss. He had joined the theater season at Brown, taking the only student-paid job of assistant tech director, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue a career in it. Like all students are told to do, though he did so of his own accord, he did his research and spoke to people in the business. “I realized if I want to get into lighting design, for instance, that’s an itinerant life, constantly moving to the next place,” said Wheaton. In 1977, he left behind the typical college experience, as well as his theater job. That one year ended up turning into two. For those next two years, he lived with high school friends, working for Meals on Wheels until his friend needed a ride to an executive meeting for the board of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), an activist-type group run by students, with chapters across campuses. The friend brought Wheaton with him, opening the door he needed to find his next passion. Diving into

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12/17/24 1:57 PM

KSS IMMERSION PRESCHOOLS

Discover KSS Spanish Immersion Preschools: Where Learning Comes to Life

magine your little one thriving in a warm, nurturing environment that inspires curiosity, creativity, and confidence. At KSS Spanish Immersion Preschools, we combine high-quality early childhood education with immersive Spanish language learning, giving your child a strong foundation to succeed and grow. Led by caring, experienced maestras from Spanish-speaking countries, our play-based Reggio Emilia-inspired approach fosters independence, problem-solving, and a love of learning. Whether your child is 2 years old or preparing for Transitional Kindergarten (TK), KSS offers a unique program designed to meet their needs. With four convenient Bay Area locations, we make it easy for your family to join a vibrant community where children flourish. Let us help your child embark on a joyful learning journey that builds lifelong skills and confidence. Schedule a personalized tour today and see why parents love KSS!

Call 877-442-2555 or visit ksspreschool.com. JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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He decided that in order to figure out what he wanted to do with his life by junior year, he would need to try out everything he was interested in—his college counselor called him ‘intellectually greedy.’ «

organizing and public activism, Wheaton ran his first press conference for the Minnesota PIRG at age 20, on dangerous toys for kids. One year later, he was elected chair of the board, which that same friend had been next in line for. This provided him with a nice wage and an office. At 21, he was running the organization, supported by a team of professionals who kept him from making wrong turns, and was involved in the creation of the national PIRG, which he also became chair of. At some point in the second year, he made a connection that would change the

FREEDOM FIGHTER Wheaton was given the career achievement award as the second-ever, non-journalism professional by the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal.

course of his life. On an excursion with the disabled boys’ home where he worked, to the wilderness that borders Minnesota and Canada, he found himself accidentally networking. “The guy who was the guide told me who his brother was, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God! Chuck? Chuck D’s your brother?’” said Wheaton. It was the motherload for him, as “Chuck D” was the only environmental lawyer in Minnesota at the time, and Wheaton had been especially appreciative of the work the lawyers at PIRG did for the disabled boys’ home. “[The lawyers at PIRG] were super smart. They could do really clever stuff,” said Wheaton, “and they were always playing [within] the rules. It was really interesting to me.” Wheaton ended up taking the lawyer to lunch, where he asked those cursed questions that college and career counseling informationals always tell one to use—the “What exactly do you do?” and “How do I do that, too?” and “Who else should I ask?” type of questions. So his career goal was officially in focus; he planned to be a public interest lawyer. He put in his last two years at Brown (environmental degree), took the LSATs, went to law school at UC Berkeley’s School of Law for three years, did a clerkship for RDC, then stayed on so he could continue his involvement. He went to the lawyers and asked what they needed a paper on, then chose an aligning law

course that would allow him to do their paper for his final—killing two birds with one stone, which seemed like a simple maneuver for lawyers. When he became a fellow at the RDC’s Public Advocates Office in San Francisco, he started shifting away from environmental law, despite having worked at environmental activism organizations and planning to practice environmental law. He was placed in uncomfortable situations, and had to maintain control. Sent in on a situation that had already been creating issues for years prior, he represented the female San Francisco Police Department officers and officers of color against white police officials at a time when the department’s integration “efforts” were minimal. Yet even in the room with such hot personalities, he kept them in check and easily slid into a role of authority—whether he wanted to or not. “I had all these advantages,” said Wheaton. “Look, I was born as a white male in a stable neighborhood, with good schools, in a stable family, and never wanted for food or shelter. I know how much of my success is luck, most of it, but I [also had] vowed to make a lifestyle choice back then.” The impact he’s had on other people and on the environment is the fruit of his use of authority. Though he rebuked his mother’s religion at a young age, he’s always held onto her teaching that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Now he’s a respected law professor at Berkeley and Stanford (teaching since 1999), whose Indiana Jones-like appeal (and the hat to top it off ) keeps students entertained and better-educated. He’s the founder of a public interest law firm called First Amendment Project. He’s started or been involved in numerous public interest and environmental organizations and recently was given the career achievement award as the second-ever, non-journalism professional by the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal. And to top it off, he runs his own Burning Man camp and welcomes his students at his Sonoma property for river rafting. ❤

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Where Challenge meets Balance.

entley School is an intellectually curious and inclusive community where teachers embrace the strengths of every student to help them rise to their full potential. In a challenging academic environment, we meet students where they are, encouraging them to cultivate their unique talents, skills, and perspectives. At Bentley, we foster a culture where students support and bring out the best in each other. And we prepare every individual for success throughout their lives by balancing intellectual achievement, personal growth, and self-advocacy.

bentleyschool.org

How Do You Say Bilingual Academic Excellence in French and English? “Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley”

cole Bilingue de Berkeley (EB) has been a leader in bilingual education for nearly 50 years. We offer a unique immersive dual curriculum in French and English, from Preschool through 8th grade, with multiple entry points for students with no prior French. EB’s program foregrounds bilingual fluency, STEM integration, critical thinking, experiential

★ Elementary School Campus 1009 Heinz Ave., Berkeley, CA 94710 510 549-3867

learning and individualized student support. Our vibrant community welcomes families from all backgrounds, celebrating the rich traditions of both the Bay Area and global Francophonie. Admissions for 2025-2026 are now open. Schedule your on-campus visit today!

★ Middle School Campus 901 Grayson Street, Berkeley, CA 94710 510 549-2851

admissions@eb.org www.eb.org JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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LEARNING TEAM Benji Kessler tutors a student at the Cafe Raj in Albany.

T PHOTO COURTESY OF JOY TUTORING

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Time Tutor? for a

How to determine if a child needs academic help and where to find it BY Janis Hashe

enji Kessler, founder and executive director of Albanybased Joy Tutoring, has a simple answer to the tutoring question. His advice: “If your child is in a classroom with more than 10 students, they likely would benefit from tutoring.” Kessler went on to explain that there’s a difference between “need” and “benefit.” If a student is obviously struggling, has falling or failing grades, clearly there’s an urgent need for help, he said. But a tutor can also build back a student’s confidence in themself and their ability to learn, increase motivation and address the many learning styles now known to exist.

“If your student has begun saying things like, ‘I’m bad in math,’ or ‘This is so boring,’ or even, ‘I’m too stupid to understand this,’” Kessler said, it’s likely time for tutoring. “It’s less about age, and more about intervening as soon as your child is beginning to struggle.” Ariel Rodriguez, director of college counseling for Oakland-based Study Smarter, noted that the student’s age is important to consider. Younger students, she said, may display distraction, or a lack of interest. “Some are bored, and the one-on-one attention of tutoring can help challenge them,” she noted. Older students, high-school age, may need help

to develop better study skills and hone executive function, both essential for college success. Both Kessler and Rodriguez emphasized that their companies do not provide diagnoses for neurodivergences. But, said Rodriguez, “We have a lot of experience working with students who have IEPs,” or Individualized Education Programs. Kessler noted that parents often contact Joy Tutoring when their student has just gotten a diagnosis that falls under the category of neurodivergency, and that diagnosis factors into getting to know the student.

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If your student has begun saying things like, ‘I’m bad in math,’ or ‘This is so boring,’ or even, ‘I’m too stupid to understand this,’ it’s likely time for tutoring. — BENJI KESSLER Founder and Executive Director of Albany-based Joy Tutoring

The Right Tutor The National Tutoring Association’s advice on finding the best tutor match for each student involves careful evaluation. “The goal for every tutor should be overall progress for the student which is measured in academic success, improved self-esteem, and increased independence as a learner,” its website states. “Hiring a tutor should be approached in the same manner as hiring any other professional. Ask questions, look carefully at references, and use your instinct as to whether this tutor is a good fit for your student.” This approach is supported and supplemented by both Kessler and Rodriguez. Kessler utilizes an extensive conversation with parents and students prior to selecting a tutor. Then a first meeting is set up. Post-pandemic, almost all meetings, including the tutoring sessions when they begin, are in-person, but in some cases, due to distance, virtual meetings are possible. Said Rodriguez, “We have multiple conversations about the student’s needs.” The student’s personality, introvert or

extrovert, is considered. A tutor will then meet with the student for a few exploratory sessions, and then the student is asked what their experiences have been. Concurs the NTA: “The student is 50% of the learning team, and as such, needs to be involved from the onset.”

Process, and Measuring Success Most students will stay with a tutor for at least a full academic year, said Rodriguez, and some much longer. “We work with some students when they start high school, and continue all the way through graduation,” she explained. Although declining or failing grades are often the spur for parents to seek tutoring help, both Kessler and Rodriguez emphasized that giving the student confidence to enjoy learning again, to appreciate the process of learning and its lifelong benefits, is at least as important as improving GPAs. Kessler and his tutors look to see changes in confidence and mood. “Parents will say, ‘My kid likes math, and they never did before,’” he said. “They may

now be helping their friends with their homework.” Rodriguez told of similar situations. She’s heard parent feedback such as, “My student was looking forward to seeing you this week.” Another sign of progress: She sees that the student will have already completed all their assignments for the week. “Our goal,” she said, “is to make ourselves obsolete.”

Where Do Tutors Come From? Joy Tutoring and Study Smarter both utilize their proximity to UC Berkeley to recruit top-quality tutors. “Many of them are Berkeley Ph.D. students, and many of them I know personally,” Kessler said. He interviews them by “having them teach me something.” A good tutor needs emotional intelligence and the right attitude as well as teaching skills, he noted. “And they need to love learning themself.” Said Rodriguez, “Some of our tutors are former students. Ninety-five percent come from Cal.” There is a rigorous

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The Child Unique Montessori School and Montessori Elementary Intermediate School of Alameda

he Child Unique Montessori School and Montessori Elementary Intermediate School of Alameda serve children at three campuses from 18 months through 8th grade. Renowned for its adherence to Montessori philosophy and social justice emphasis, we offer a sensorial, living experience to learn and honor the people within the world around us. We create a student-centered

environment which fosters curiosity, love of learning, critical thinking, and an understanding of identity, belonging, diversity, inclusion, and justice. The arts (music, performing and creative arts) and culture (second language lessons and inclusion) are bookends to our curriculum. And although our school seeks continual diversity, we recognize that diversity alone is not inclusion. With carefully crafted scaffolding, we help children learn in real time how to care for living things, including those who are different from them.

• Award winning school • Award winning students • Award winning principal • Small classes/tight ratios • 2 bilingual immersion classrooms: Mandarin/Spanish 2226 Encinal Ave., Alameda 510-521-9227 thechildunique.org

JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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PHOTO COURTESY OF INDYPENDENZ@SHUTTERSTOCK

ACADEMIC POWER Tutoring can boost a student’s self-esteem, reduce stress and improve their attitude towards learning.

« set of interviews, and once hired, tutors receive “extensive training on the ‘soft skills’ of tutoring.”

Success Stories

Other Options If private tutoring services aren’t an option, libraries and school systems offer free tutoring help. Check websites for availability. Joy Tutoring, 510.309.8098, joytutoring.com. Study Smarter, 510.350.8444, studysmarter.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SRIDEESTUDIO@SHUTTERSTOCK

Rodriguez shared a classic success story, saying, “We had a student who was skating by. His relationship with his parents was rocky…they felt he could do better. We worked with him for two-anda-half years, digging into the whys and hows of learning, his organization and motivation. “He’s now finishing his first semester of college, and his relationship with

his parents got so much better,” she continued. Kessler shared a somewhat mischievous, but funny, success story. “I had a student failing math and science,” he said. The student began doing so much better, “he got into trouble because a friend was copying off his test.” Kessler hastened to add that of course neither he nor his tutors condone cheating, but are enthusiastic about success. On Joy Tutoring’s website, 7th-grader Marilyn writes: “I never knew that math could be kinda cool. I did math, and I never thought I could.”

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12/18/24 3:55 PM

EXCEEDING THE STANDARDS Serving Grades TK-8th

SCHEDULE A TOUR TODAY!

EBM is an award winning authentic Montessori community nestled in the hills of El Cerrito. We offer a thoughtfully designed mixed-age curriculum for TK-8th grades. Our highly trained Montessori teachers provide students with life-long academic skills and growth toward independence. 100% of our graduates are accepted to their first choice high school!

510-236-8802 | eastbaymontessori.org JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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NICHE FOR ALL Core classes at Preserved are taught by store owner Elizabeth Vecchiarelli.

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12/17/24 2:02 PM

From

Scratch BY Jeffrey Edalatpour

lizabeth Vecchiarelli teaches all of the core classes at Preserved, her Temescal culinary store. These “hands-on workshop experiences” explore a wide range of topics, such as fermented pickling, canning fundamentals and sourdough bread making. The workshops began in 2015 when the first iteration of Preserved was housed in a little shed on Piedmont Avenue. They quickly became popular.

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PHOTO BY FELICIA KIESELHORST

Temescal culinary store Preserved hosts workshops rooted in the community

12/17/24 2:02 PM

ORAMASAMA DUMPLINGS Chef Henry Hsu, formerly of Hodo Foods, is teaching a dumpling making workshop on Jan. 14, followed by tofu making on Jan. 22.

they made butternut squash miso in the autumn miso class. “They usually use beans from Rancho Gordo and ferment it with koji, which is the traditional Japanese ferment,” she explained. Chef Henry Hsu’s Oramasama has been popping up around the Bay Area but returns regularly to serve a Chinese brunch at Joodooboo. Hsu, who was previously employed at Hodo Foods in Oakland, is teaching two January

workshops. Dumpling Making (Jan. 14) will be followed by Tofu Making (Jan. 22). In that class, students will learn how to make Chinese-style tofu/doufu from scratch—from silken, medium and firm textures to tofu skin or yuba. During the pandemic, Vecchiarelli had to change the in-person workshop model. She began teaching virtual classes. But, she said, at a certain point, people got sick of them. The online courses

PHOTO BY NAOMI PHAM-QUANG

“It was just very clear that the concept had a broad level of interest,” Vecchiarelli explained. “Individually, the culinary techniques are niche, but together there’s actually a niche for everyone.” Every potential student might not be interested in the science behind fermentation, but they might have sentimental feelings about a grandparent who made a habit out of canning. The little “shed shop” was outdoors. Limited in winter by the cold and wet weather, Vecchiarelli wanted to expand and diversify the offerings for her growing customer base. A year after opening, she moved Preserved into its current address on Telegraph Avenue. As the business enters its 10th anniversary year, the workshops now host a variety of guest teachers. Rachel Saunders, author of The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, is Preserved’s marmalade and jam teacher. Vecchiarelli refers to her as “the jam queen.” When stone fruits and berries are in season, she turns the students’ attention towards summer jam making. On Jan. 7, Saunders will be leading a class through “the art of making the best marmalade with winter citrus.” On Jan. 9, Shared Cultures founders Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo will be teaching the popular workshop Modern Miso Making. Each participating student will receive a quart of miso “to take home and ferment.” Vecchiarelli told me that

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FERMENTATION STORE Preserved sometimes holds community events like a ‘fall culture swap’ for home cooks and canners to trade their edible goods.

she was working at the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia. “I always like to say that the restaurant is to Philadelphia as Chez Panisse is to Berkeley,” she said. Vecchiarelli also recalled that when she helped friends of hers open another Philadelphia restaurant, Café Estelle, they made everything from scratch, from canning tomatoes in summer to making their own pickles, ketchup and jam. The time she spent traveling and working through WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, also reinforced the idea that there was an alternative to eating processed and fast food. But when she came across Wild Fermentation (2003), by Sandor Katz,

the book was a revelation. “I read about fermented foods from all over the world—everything from sourdough and kimchi and sauerkraut to injera,” she said. “That changed the game for me, where I got obsessed with fermentation.” Vecchiarelli started Preserved because, “I created the business that I wish had existed in 2007 when I was dabbling and learning, on my own,” she said. “That’s really the reason the workshops and education are so paramount—you can read a recipe, but you can’t really troubleshoot.” Preserved, open Mon to Sat 11am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm, 5032 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 510.922.8434. A full list of this month’s workshops is now online at preservedgoods.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRESERVED

have since been discontinued. Although there are four “Virtual Workshops,” or video recordings, that are available to sign up for on the Preserved site for a registration fee. Vecchiarelli explained that the spirit and ethos of Preserved was rooted in being a community-based business. “You can’t get this kind of information and customer service online,” she said. But during the pandemic pivot, she created an online store. People from around the country can now order fermentation kits, starter cultures, pantry staples and all sorts of culinary supplies. The inspiration for Preserved came out of Vecchiarelli’s previous career in the restaurant industry. In the early 2000s,

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The Light of Jack London The birth of Oakland’s legendary music venue and Japanese restaurant, Yoshi’s

oshi’s is one of the premier jazz clubs in the country, internationally known for the quality of its sound system, the diversity of the music they present and the delicious menu. The club’s current location in Oakland’s Jack London Square is its third home, a far cry from the 20-seat establishment that opened on Euclid and Hearst in Berkeley in 1972.

BY j. poet

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PHOTO COURTESY OF YOSHI’S

SOULFUL LEGACY Five-time Grammy Awardwinning singer-songwriter Lalah Hathaway performs at Yoshi’s Jan. 24-26.

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‘I started Yoshi’s so I could eat Japanese food.’ —YOSHIE AKIBA

PHOTO COURTESY OF YOSHI’S

ORIGIN STORY Founder Yoshie Akiba’s long journey to peace and harmony started in an orphanage in Zushi, Japan.

PHOTO BY STEVE JENNINGS

“I started Yoshi’s so I could eat Japanese food,” Yoshie Akiba, the restaurant’s namesake, said. “I was a student at UC Berkeley, working at a dress shop. I borrowed money from people I knew. My friend, Hiroyuki [Hori], was a good cook; Kaz [Kajimura] did carpentry and maintenance; and I was the waitress, along with another Japanese woman I hired.” Yoshi’s slowly got bigger and moved to Claremont Avenue in Oakland. Akiba grew up in an orphanage in Zushi, Japan. “There were three women taking care of us,” she recalled. “They’d all graduated from college and instructed us in music and dance, so we could entertain the people visiting the orphanage. I learned Japanese folk songs and how to play the koto. There was an American naval base near us. We’d go there to sing and dance in the officers’ club. They had people like Benny Goodman and other jazz bands come in. It was interesting music and made me very happy.”

» MEYER SOUND Yoshi’s is known internationally for the quality of its sound system and the diversity of music presented.

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LIVING LEGEND Stanley Clarke, a jazz-fusion bassist awarded four Grammys and multiple other honors, plays Yoshi’s Feb. 14-16.

dance at UC Berkeley and opened Yoshi’s. “I always wanted to have music in the restaurant, and the new place in Oakland had two floors,” Akiba said. “I trained eight waitresses to sing and dance, and we started putting on performances. We had local jazz bands on weeknights and Latin jazz on the weekends, so everyone could dance.” The restaurant/venue started drawing crowds, but Akiba wasn’t surprised. “Oakland needed it,” she said. Yoshi’s slowly expanded to the building next door, adding a proper space for performances. When Chuck LaPaglia, a jazz club booker from Milwaukee, visited the club, he was impressed and offered to help bring in national acts. Performers like Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Pharoah Sanders and other headliners began

selling out shows. “I was all over the place,” Akiba said. “I was the hostess, and I performed and danced with some of the people who came in to play at the club. Al Di Meola asked me to dance with him, and I improvised on the spot. Improvisation is very natural for me. I hear music, and I move. In the beginning, it was jazz, but I like all kinds of music—R&B, blues, Latin jazz. Right now, Latin jazz is my favorite.” As their audiences grew, they began looking for a larger space. With help from the City of Oakland, they built a new place in Jack London Square in 1997, designed from the start to be a live music venue. With the help of Berkeley’s Meyer Sound, they installed a state-of-the-art sound system.

PHOTO COURTESY OF YOSHI’S

A woman who worked at the base introduced Akiba to her brother, a naval officer. He taught her English, and she taught him how to dance. “He told me, ‘If you stay here, you’ll be nothing. If you come to America, you can study dance.’ We got married, and I came to Baltimore, with the naval fleet.” Eventually, the couple parted ways. “I’d seen movies of the hippies in Berkeley and decided I wanted to go to California. I flew to San Francisco,” Akiba said. When she landed at the airport, Akiba met two students from Berkeley. “I was sitting on my trunk,” she remembered. “They asked me if I was lost and invited me to stay with them.” Akiba moved into a room a friend of the students had just vacated. She got a job, started studying

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BLAST FROM PAST Taiko drum celebrations occurred in Yoshi’s old parking lot.

restaurant, Ozuma. He crafted innovative Japanese dishes that complemented the sounds being created on Yoshi’s stage. Thanks to his help, the San Francisco Chronicle put Yoshi’s on their Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list for four years running. The current chefs, Victor Reyes and Lolo Gonzales, worked with Kamio and carry on his tradition of innovation, with a fusion of Japanese and other flavors. In 2007, Yoshi’s briefly opened a San Francisco location in the Fillmore District. It began operating during an unexpected economic recession and failed after seven years. Around that time, Akiba turned over the day-to-day operations to Hal Campos, the current company CEO. “I’m still the owner, but I got interested

in other things,” Akiba said. “I help run the Oakland Zen Center. My husband, Gengo Akiba, is one of the top Zen practitioners in the world. He’s helping many American women to become Zen priests, with financial help from the SotoZen organization in Japan. “With my friends Shelia E, Lynn Mabry [one of the original Brides of Funkenstein] and Jason Hofman, I started a non-profit organization called Elevate Oakland,” she continued. “We send musicians and artists into more than 30 Oakland public schools, to give music and art classes to young people and provide places for them to perform, like the Fox Theater and Yoshi’s.” Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland; 510.238.9200; yoshis.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF YOSHI’S

“Before we came in, the neighborhood was dark,” Akiba said. “Yoshi’s helped bring a light to it. The city even created parking spaces for us. We built it from the ground up.” “The new club was made to be an intimate performance space,” said Daniel Grujic, the club’s artistic director. “It’s a place for artists to showcase their talent in the best possible environment for the audience and the artist. This means having a capable and professional crew, and taking the sometimes large steps of consistently upgrading the equipment in the space. We did one such overhaul in 2022. It has some of the best acoustics and equipment in the nation.” They also brought in chef Shotaro “Sho” Kamio, known for his San Francisco

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Experimental Explorat i Multidisciplinary artist Cordell Ho blends musical expertise with a passion for visual art

omposer, artist and tennis coach Cordell Ho is a Bay Area native, creating theater-inspired mixed-media films and experimental music, exploring mindfulness and expression, culture and the fusion of sound and visuals. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Ho is a 4th generation Chinese-American, now living in Kensington. Initially pursuing medicine, he fell in love with art while taking high school and college electives. “If you want to be a dentist, you have to be good with your hands and appreciate beautiful things,” says Ho. These qualities led him to try jewelry and sculpture. From the University of Oregon, he

transferred to the University of Vienna to pursue his passion for painting. Although piano had always been a part of Ho’s life, it was only when he discovered his passion for visual arts that he truly began to appreciate its beauty. So, he then went to UC Berkeley to study music composition and electronic sound generation. Since then, Ho has not only composed and performed several operas, symphonic pieces and film scores—such as Celestial Search (Italy, 1992), Hui Jia (New York, 1982) and iPH (San Francisco, 2006)—but he’s also held coaching positions at UC Berkeley and prestigious tennis clubs across the country. Travel, made possible especially through tennis, has been a major influence on Ho’s explorative style. Besides travel,

being open-minded towards other cultures has been key—“That’s part of the experiment,” he explains. During his time as the associate head tennis coach for UC Berkeley, Ho traveled to Japan with his team, where he was introduced to Noh theater. Unlike Western narrative drama, Noh theater combines music, movement and visuals to tell a story, with a slow pace and focus on subtle gestures. While Ho has extensive music training, the magic for him lies in blending his musical expertise with his passion for visual art, which drew him to Noh theater. He sees it as a universal and humanist art form and incorporated it into his recent films, iPh and Myth @ Work, where he both composed the music and created the visuals.

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BAY BORN Cordell Ho is a 4th generation ChineseAmerican, born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

t ions BY Brooke Mohiuddin

BEYOND BERKELEY As a tennis coach, Ho traveled extensively, which has been a major influence on his explorative style.

PHOTO BY BROOKE MOHIUDDIN

music and sound design. Regarding the score for his recent film, he explains, “If you had heard anything like that before, I would have failed at my job.” He enjoys using computers to craft new sounds that precisely capture his ideas, following the tradition of untraditional California composers known for designing their own instruments. Currently, Ho is a board member at Berkeley Tennis Club, where he showcases his films. His love for Berkeley, coaching, the club and his family is as deep as his passion for art. “Having both tennis and art in my life is just one of those lucky things that seemed to fall into place,” he says. “I have a built-in audience of friends. And why not write music for people you kind of know? It’s unique in that way.

“Most places, people stick you in a box,” adds Ho. “Berkeley’s not like that.” At his recent showcase, where he presented his film, iPH, Ho shared that much of the film was inspired by the accomplished women in his life—his adopted daughters, wife and tennis team—and his deep admiration and empathy for them. He may score a documentary next, continuing to blend visuals and sound, but mostly just enjoys going with the flow, without certainty of his next project. Though, he assures us he is always writing. It’s in his nature, and there’s always more to come from him. Above all, Ho expresses endless gratitude for the community that supports and inspires him, both personally and creatively. ❤ JANUARY 2025 | EASTBAYMAG.COM | EAST BAY MAGAZINE

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORDELL HO

The deliberate pacing of Noh theater holds meaning for Ho, both in his art and in his approach to it. “It opens the door for you [the audience] to think—a lot of people don’t like that, by the way—but I think people just need space to be themselves,” he says. “That’s also kind of the role of an artist. We are just looking at the world as we see it, and we’re expressing that.” Both of Ho’s films depict war and the pandemic, where slow-moving visuals and meandering sounds allow viewers to process such tragedies mindfully. Ho views his art not as a direct message, but as a reflection of his worldview, inviting individual interpretation. The unique impact of Ho’s films is deeply tied to his expertise in electronic

DANCE DRAMA Ho traveled to Japan with his UC Berkeley tennis team, where he was introduced to Noh theater.

12/17/24 2:14 PM

Love

A Recycling

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Urban Ore founders combine a happy marriage and zero-waste business in their quest to save the planet

Story

BY Lou Fancher

12/18/24 3:56 PM

HOME IMPROVEMENT Urban Ore’s building materials department accepts doors, windows, lumber, toilets, sinks, fencing and more.

environmental journalist with a career prior to Urban Ore, where she now manages special projects. Together, they are leaders and active participants in the Northern California Recycling Association, Zero Waste Action Committee, the annual National Zero Waste Conference, and other regional and national activist and advocacy endeavors. They are parents of two adult daughters. In an interview, Knapp said, “We met in Sacramento. Mary Lou came to the brown bag lunch where I was the speaker. I was talking about the revolutionary

niche recycling business of scavenging in a landfill. More importantly, because I was hitchhiking to get home, she told me about a bus I could take. When I got to the station, she was there. She took two tiny steps in my direction, but when we got on the bus, I sat down alone. She then came to sit next to me, and we spent the whole trip talking. Those two steps, because I was so lonely, I’ll never forget.” Van Deventer picked up the story, describing her work as a bureaucrat at an “avant garde” recycling agency who decided after hearing Knapp’s

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PHOTOS BY SAMANTHA CAMPOS

wo tiny steps and a 15-minute kiss launched the 40-year marriage of Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer. The couple lives close to the Richmond border in Contra Costa County and are co-founders of Berkeley-based Urban Ore, a material recovery enterprise in operation since 1980. Knapp, 84, is a sociologist most noted in the professional reuse, recycling and composting field for establishing his 12 Master Categories of Discarded Resources. Van Deventer, 80, is an

12/18/24 3:56 PM

REVOLUTIONARY LOVE Daniel Knapp and Mary Lou Van Deventer met decades ago in Sacramento at Knapp’s talk on landfill scavenging.

« presentation he should be enlisted

Deventer. “You’re going to be in close quarters. Dan and I share perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. We give each other respect and intellectual room. You can’t bully the other one into complying. In a partnership where you solve problems well, the pair of you will be more than either of you can be alone.” Knapp said the alchemy works in their case because he’s a sociologist and she’s what he calls “an engineer, someone who relies on facts to make complicated systems work.” When he arrived from Oregon in the Bay Area, determined to save the planet and with only $40 in his pocket, his business acumen was close to nil. “I had no business training except for a paper route as a kid. Nothing like what was required to run Urban Ore,” he remembered. Nimbleness and knowledge—scientific, legislative, financial, cultural, political and more—to operate the for-profit company is mind-boggling. Knapp recalled the first of many challenges was convincing the City of Berkeley that valuable resources could be gleaned from landfill items others deemed as garbage. “I started with selling non-ferrous metals. Now, Urban Ore recognizes about 240 categories. A friend of mine calls us ‘the back-end of the GNP,’ the Gross National Product.” One of their largest early initiatives

PHOTO COURTESY OF URBAN ORE

to write a think piece. “I was his project manager. We discovered we worked well together, so we went to a movie for a date. When he took me home, he kissed me. The world just disappeared. It was earth-shaking. It went on for 15 minutes. I had roommates and left the front door open the whole time, and the entire house cooled. Nothing else mattered at that moment,” she recalled. Asked to describe what eventually became Knapp’s third and Van Deventer’s second marriage, Knapp said “it’s sexy.” Lightly cajoled by his spouse, he explained that their union is an “intellectual merging” and used a term he favors for Van Deventer: “victorious battle maiden.” She, in turn, said the marriage is rooted in “convivial equality,” always fun and often described by people who know them as “gracious.” A healthy dose of effort, compromise, debate, patience, space and problemsolving are vital ingredients in the mix. Especially when a relationship is both a romantic and a business partnership, the stakes are enormous, and the risk of ruptures multiplies. “What I know about marriage and business interacting is that you have to get along in all dimensions,” said Van

was preventing the City of Berkeley from building an incinerator. “We led the opposition,” he said. “We had no grants or other funds, so we supported all the advocacy through the business. Getting the word out was essential, and eventually, the voters turned the proposed burn plant down by 63%. I’d say my biggest contribution is developing those 12 categories that, if the things in them were not thrown away, it would result in zero waste.” Urban Ore’s building materials department accepts doors, windows, lumber, toilets, sinks, fencing and more. The General Store receives and handles items including clothing, furniture, electronics, art and other goods. The operation serves as an environmentally sound disposal resource for unwanted but still-usable merchandise and a retail outlet open daily for finding and purchasing hard-to-find and/or low-cost items. The company also consults and advises Zero Waste resource-recovery facilities domestically and worldwide. Most urgent on their minds continues to be “saving the planet.” Their concern has gained momentum as human beings and the climate crisis reach a fulcrum. Knapp says the climate crisis and waste management are at a tipping point few people understand. He is primarily concerned with the antiquated, decaying facilities used for processing discarded materials. “All over the country, these transfer stations need to be rethought and redone. If we don’t do it, we’ll miss the golden ring on the merry-go-round,” he noted. Van Deventer is less poetic, but not less passionate. “Landfills are the largest single human-created source of methane.

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It’s 100 times worse than carbon dioxide,” she said. “Methane is the worst climate-warming gas that spins to the poles. If we don’t stop dumping things in landfills, if we don’t have legislation and funding to support preventing it, people will continue to throw away things that result in more methane. We will miss saving the planet.” Their tone is serious, and their energy equally earnest—and frequently interrupted by laughter as they complete each other’s thoughts and sentences. The key to a good marriage, as it is in a successful business, Van Deventer said, is not formulaic, but designed to fit each couple. “For us, it’s renting a house on the coast, jumping in the car and starting to talk—and never stopping—and not forgetting to have fun,” said Van Deventer. “You solve problems mutually with time, love, psychic space, respect, and act graciously to each other.” Knapp, given the invitation to summarize, said, “Say thank you whenever anything happens that takes effort. I say it 100 times a day, and the lubrication value is huge. Work as if you’re both editors, and accept changes the other person makes in the story. Find someone who fills the places where you are less. You expect downs. Problemsolve to get through them, and you find the ups come later. It helps to get in a hot tub, talk and have a good meal, too.” ❤

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Tribal Truths

‘Born of the Bear Dance’ celebrates Native American photographer Dugan Aguilar BY Andrew DeAngelo

of the more than 25,000 photographs and artifacts in the collection that the Aguilar family recently donated to the museum. In addition to photography, there are weaving arts and basket pieces to discover. A documentary film about Aguilar, his family and his subjects is also included. What struck me most about the exhibit was not only the immense talent of Aguilar but his commitment to intentionality in his work. Not one photo was taken without careful consideration of the people in it and the way in which they were represented. Aguilar’s commitment to authenticity comes through in each photo. I found this particularly true with the photos taken during ceremonial practices.

His work covers the period of the early 1970s right up until his death in 2018. It’s an expansive period of time to document the remaining tribes of Northern California. Dugan Aguilar himself was a mix of several tribes and even a little Irish (hence the name Dugan). This informed his mission to stay in Northern California and Nevada for the bulk of his documentarian work as a photographer (as opposed to going national, which was the trend in the 1970s). Aguilar’s mother’s family was Maidu from the Green River Rancheria and Achomawi living on Hat Creek. His father was Northern Paiute from the Walker River Indian Reservation in Nevada. Aguilar credits his tribal upbringing with his commitment to documenting the resiliency of the community in the face of 400 years of oppression. These photos movingly show a community of people still practicing their traditions despite genocide and dislocation. ‘Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California,’ now through June 22, 2025 at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St.; museumca.org.

PHOTO BY DUGAN AGUILAR

ost of the East Bay is considered Ohlone land that was stolen from the tribe by Spanish and American forces. That may be a hard truth for many of us to face and accept. Feelings of guilt and shame can cause us to freeze and deny that bloody past. That’s where art comes to the rescue. Photography is a powerful way to look at this history through the eyes of those who lived it. We can then deepen our empathy for this brutal past and face it with an open heart. Born of the Bear Dance, now at the Oakland Museum, celebrates the photography of Native American artist Dugan Aguilar. This exhibition covers just a small portion

GRINDING ROCK Dugan Aguilar’s ‘Untitled (Chaw'se), 1995,’ a gift of the family of Dugan Aguilar, is one of many photos featured at Oakland Museum.

38 EAST BAY MAGAZINE | EASTBAYMAG.COM | JANUARY 2025

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DANGER!

CLIMATE CHANGER Garbage is a manufactured product, created when otherwise recoverable resources are mixed and mashed together. Most rooms in every building in the whole country have a basket where this manufacturing begins. Discarded resources are put in one by one, then dumped into a larger bin, and then into a truck with a more modern body based on this one. A hydraulic piston smashes everything together. The objective is to pack in more cargo before the truck has to be driven to where it can dump onto the land, to be covered in a “sanitary“ way. Liquids leach out and make their way into the planet's NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day from February 12, 2002, colored the methane in the Earth's atmosphere green, and an animation showed how it spins to the poles. NASA said, “Methane (CH4) is second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in creating a warming greenhouse effect …. The largest abundance released by the US … is created when anaerobic bacteria break down carbon-based garbage in landfills.” [Emphasis added.]

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water — eventually. These “sanitary” methods of filling the land (hence “sanitary landfills”) also provide for anaerobic decomposition of organic materials – which makes methane. Landfills are the largest human-created source of methane. In the short term methane is 80-100 times more powerful than carbon dioxide to warm the planet.

Making garbage changes the climate! If you're not for Zero Waste, how much waste are you for?

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