Louise O’Connor’s house burned down. Three weeks later she lost the lease to her longtime auto repair shop. Catch up on this and other Berkeley retail and small business news.
Ecology Center
Posted inNosh
Workers unionize in 3 Peet’s Coffee shops in Berkeley and Oakland
Workers voted for a union at the Southside Berkeley, Temescal and Piedmont Avenue locations on Wednesday.
Posted inBusiness
Workers at Berkeley’s Ecology Center have voted to unionize
Twelve workers at the 54-year-old Ecology Center, which runs Berkeley’s three farmers markets and a store on San Pablo Avenue, have voted to join the IWW.
Posted inBusiness
Workers at Berkeley’s Ecology Center aim to unionize
Administrative employees at the 53-year-old Ecology Center, which operates Berkeley’s three farmers markets and a store on San Pablo Avenue, are seeking to form a union.
Posted inCommunity
California’s greywater recycling systems owe a debt to rogue Berkeley activists
Reusing water from washing machines and showers can help homeowners save water and money. An illegal system built at Berkeley’s EcoHouse helped bring increased acceptance for the drought-friendly irrigation method.
Posted inCommunity
How to get rid of your Christmas tree in Berkeley. Hint: You can’t leave it on the curb
Trees must be cut up and put in green plant debris carts or taken whole to the city’s transfer station.
Posted inCity
The push to raise Berkeley’s utility tax to fund a climate fund appears to be losing
Supporters said Measure HH losing is a missed opportunity to put resources toward climate justice.
Posted inNosh
Unhealthy air quality, damaged crops, flames: How recent wildfires have affected Berkeley farmers market vendors
The LNU and CZU Lightning complex fires have caused hazardous working conditions, endangered structures and prevented harvesting on farms that sell at Berkeley’s three weekly markets.
Posted inNosh
COVID-19 has put sustainability in the food industry on hold, but advocates say it’s not a lost cause
Zero-waste supporters believe this time of tumultuous change can be an opportunity for growth.
Posted inNosh
COVID-19 creates new challenges for local growers and farmers markets
Growers and operators grapple with public health concerns, the loss of restaurant partners and a finicky customer base.
Posted inCity
Berkeley says good riddance (mostly) to disposable plastic foodware
First, Berkeley banned Styrofoam. Then it joined in the wave to ditch plastic bags. Tuesday night, city leaders voted to jettison, in large part, disposable plastic foodware.
Posted inCity
Berkeley will pick up your Christmas tree — but wants it inside your compost cart
Recycling entire trees can damage the city’s collection trucks, and the new policy requiring they be cut up and put in the compost bin is an attempt to avoid sidelining the broken trucks for weeks.
