About a year ago, the bank and foundation decided that they wanted to officially “go green.” Both had already been practicing many sustainable behaviors since day one, like recycling all paper and plastics, but both wanted to do more to show their commitment to environmental sustainability–and, as recognition for their green practices, to be certified as Bay Area Green Businesses. The bank and foundation submitted their applications to the Bay Area Green Business Program and started on the road to certification. Now, both entities are just a few steps away from receiving the official Green Business certification. While the process hasn’t been very difficult, it has been enlightening. So we thought we would share with you some of the interesting things we have learned along the way.

The Basics

To be certified as a green business by the Bay Area Green Business Program, organizations must complete an application that enumerates the changes they will make to their daily operations to incorporate greener practices.  There are four main categories in which the business must make these changes: Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling; Energy Conservation; Water Conservation; and Pollution Prevention.  Within each of the categories, there are numerous ways to meet these changes.  Some ways are mandatory to receive certification (for example, organizations are required to recycle certain materials, such as cardboard, newspapers, cans, and plastic bottles) and other times there is a list of ways and a given number must be met to comply. 

Putting It in Writing

In addition, organizations must adopt an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy, stating that the organization makes a conscious effort to “go green.”  The Bay Area Green Business Program provides this checklist as part of the application, and can even provide a model Environmental Preferable Purchasing Policy to organizations to help facilitate the application process.

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Come shop with the fabulous artisans of Oakland Unwrapped! on a moonlit October night at Jack London’s Waterfront!  Get cool, re-purposed stuff like hats made out of records and belts made from seatbelts.  Also find clothes, toys, jewelry, bikes, tableware, hats, accessories, fun t-shirts, fine art, photography and lots more – all from Oakland shops and artisans! 

Sample and scoop up produce and artisan foods from the twilight Farmers’ Market, sling down some drinks, grab some grub at Jack London Square’s restaurants.

Let loose and have fun with the strolling musicians, fire dancing, ice skating, and other surprise entertainers from the Full Moon Buy Night line up.

Brought to you by OneCalifornia Foundation, Jack London Square, OAKBOOK, and East Bay Express. 

Thursday, October 1, 5:03-9:30pm
Jack London Square.
Free!

Join us for the fun, support the local economy, and maybe event grab a few early holiday gifts!

Join OneCalifornia Foundation, Northern California Land Trust, Electric Embers, TransFair USA, Global Exchange, Mandela Foods, Inkworks Press,  and many other leading-edge Bay Area organizations as we celebrate and discuss just and sustainable alternatives to our economy at the JASEcon Festival. The festival is Saturday, September 26 from 10am to 4pm at the Humanist Hall at 390 27th Street in Oakland.

We’ll be on the Resources panel, and other panel session topics include Co-op 101 - Introduction to Worker Co-ops, Food Security & Urban Agriculture, and Building the Alternative.

The festival also includes an expo for related non-profits working to build a new economy, and a marketplace of like-minded businesses. A few table spaces are still available (Nonprofit tables are $40-50 and Marketplace tables are $75).  Delicious and healthy foods will be provided through the generous donations of Arizmendi, Cheese Board, and several other food co-ops.

The event is still seeking sponsors ($100-$200), if you’re interested in supporting the cause.

Contact Bernard at info@jasecon.org or 510 872 0930 to get involved.

Please come join us as we share ways to make our society a better place for all! See you there!

September is here, ringing in the new school year.  As popularity of green businesses and environmentally-friendly products continue to grow in the Bay Area, you might be wondering-is it possible to go green at school, too?  Yes!  Oakland Unwrapped has many local businesses that offer environmentally-friendly products for children heading back to school.  One of our most recent additions, One Small Step, is just one of these businesses working to get parents and children to “think and act ‘green,’ one small step at a time.”

One Small Step specializes in providing everything and anything you could possibly need to pack a waste-free lunch for your child or yourself.  A waste-free lunch is just what it sounds like: food and beverage from home packaged in reusable storage containers, bags, or bottles, with reusable napkins and utensils, all packed in a reusable lunch box.  One Small Step offers all these items and more in a variety of creative styles and colors.  You won’t find any un-cool lunch boxes here! 

The beauty of packing a waste-free lunch is that it is healthier and saves you money in the long run.  According to One Small Step, you can save up to one-third of your annual food budget just by sending waste-free lunches with your kids (see their FAQ page for more details).  And homemade food is always healthier-and usually tastier-than store-bought processed foods.  (Why else would college kids keep coming home for a home cooked meal?)  Founder Renata Bodon has also learned this lesson through personal experience.  She discovered that, by avoiding store-bought, pre-packaged food and packing her daughter a waste-free lunch, her daughter was eating healthier and fresher food while learning about the positive environmental impact she was having at such a young age.

One Small Step makes it easy for you, too, to save money on your food budget, eat healthier, and minimize your food-related waste by selling all these products online in one location.  One Small Step also donates 10% of all profits to community organizations, taking one more small step in bettering our communities.

For more information check out One Small Step on Oakland Unwrapped: http://oaklandunwrapped.org/onesmallstep/

On August 7th, the East Bay Express hosted 10,000 people at the Best of the East Bay Party. Held at the Oakland Museum of California, attendees were presented with over thirty bands; fifty international dancers; comedians, graffiti, tattoo and visual artists; sixty indie fashion designers; a Harley-Davidson and tattoo art show; a classic pinball arcade; a kid’s party zone with young rock bands and science projects; and a professional contact sports ring with talent ranging from Pro Wresting to Kung Fu competitions.

In its second year, the Best of the East Bay Party has quickly become one of the region’s most well-received events. East Bay Express publisher Jody Colley summed up the event by saying, “Our goal was to throw a free community party that truly celebrates what we love most about the East Bay, and that’s its depth of talent, creativity and diversity. This party offers outstanding cultural entertainment value for everyone, all ages and all walks of life.”

The event was broadcast live on the Express’ website and will be featured at a later date on the internet radio site, Pandora.com. The event website has more information as well as photo and video galleries: http://www.eastbayexpress.wordpress.com/.  You can also check out photos of the OneCalifornia bar here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34624260@N02/sets/72157622171067078/.

Thank you to all who made this event a success!  And a BIG thank you to all the volunteers who helped man the event bar with OneCalifornia.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

NCBW-OBAC Community Grants Program is currently accepting applications from Nonprofits!

  The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Oakland-Bay Area Chapter is a volunteer women’s organization that works to provide programs and services to increase the population of African-American women in economic, civic, entrepreneurial, and human service arenas of their respective communities through education, scholarship, and collaboration.

 They are currently accepting applications from a diverse and wide-range of organizations to apply for NCBW community grant. The application deadline is Saturday, October 10, 2009 so please act today.  Applications must be received by October 10^th. 

 The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, through its Community Grant Policy, may elect to award assistance to local organizations.   The objective of the Community Grant Policy is to provide monetary or in-kind assistance to those agencies and organizations from the local community that contribute to the furtherance of the Coalition’s goals and objectives.

 Following are the criteria of qualifying applicants:

• Organization must serve women of color
• Must be located in the surrounding communities of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area
• Formal application must be submitted
• The request must be consistent with and further the goals and objectives of the Coalition’s vision and mission statements.

The following will NOT be considered for funding:

• For-Profit Entities
• Direct Assistance to Individuals
• Religious Organizations
• Existing Debts, Obligations or Deficits
• Political Parties, Candidates or Activities

The application is now accessible at the NCBW website www.onehundredblackwomen.com.  You can also download the Community Grant Policy and Guidelines here.

Please contact Andrea Walker at 510-663-2253 or awalker@onecalfoundation.org for assistance in completing your application or if you have any questions and concerns.

OneCalifornia Bank was awarded the Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) from the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund in Washington, DC.  The maximum amount for the BEA grant this year was $700,000, and the Bank was awarded the full amount.  The bank is honored by this recognition as it further validates the work that OneCalifornia Bank is doing in the areas of lending and community development in the Bay Area.  The grant allows OneCalifornia Bank to continue to lend to those often overlooked by other institutions, such as minority-owned or women-owned small businesses.

The BEA Program, among other things, allows “FDIC-insured banks and thrifts to increase their provisions of loans, such as opening new savings accounts, providing mortgages or investing in local small business.”  The BEA Award reflects growth in specific lending categories that are geared towards community development.

The bank was certified as a Community Development Financial Institution by the national CDFI Fund earlier this year.  Soon after certification, the CDFI fund awarded the bank its first grant in the form of a Technical Assistance (TA) grant for $100,000.  Gaining certification and two awards in less than a year’s time reflects on OneCalifornia Bank’s commitment to community development and its dedication to Oakland and the greater Bay Area.

OneCalifornia Bank continues to be a leading lender to local non-profit organizations with its recent loan to Lighthouse Community Charter School.  This loan, by helping hundreds of Oakland students over the next several years, will have a long-term impact on the community of Oakland.

Founded as a charter school in 2002 with just 92 students in its K-12 school, Lighthouse started out with a goal of preparing a “diverse K-12 student population for college or a career of their choice by equipping each child with the knowledge, skills, and principles to be a self-motivated, lifelong learner.”  Of its current student body of 650, 80% is low-income, 72% is ESL (English as a Second Language), and 90% is from families where no one has gone to college.  But in just seven short years, both the school and its students have come a long way.  Lighthouse Community Charter School is sending all 21 members of its first graduating class–which graduated this past June–off to college in the fall.

As Lighthouse’s student body continued to grow, so did its need for a larger space.  Its K-6 and 7-12 campuses have become too cramped over the past few years.  Moreover, the high rents for these spaces have drained valuable program dollars; Lighthouse is a charter school and a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and charges no tuition, meaning its source of revenue comes from donations. 

Instead of continuing to rent a small place, Lighthouse took on an $11 million renovation of two existing warehouse and office buildings off of Hegenberger Road.  OneCalifornia Bank is providing a $2 million loan to aid Lighthouse Community Charter School in its undertaking.  This loan will help Lighthouse undertake its renovation project, which will provide ample classroom space, as well as science and media labs, art studios, a library, and outdoor recreation space.

Oakland Unwrapped! would like to introduce you to its latest edition to our website:

The Present Body–combines the fun and fitness of martial arts, yoga, and Pilates to offer specialized sessions focusing on weight loss and postural reconditioning for its clients.  One-on-one nutrition consultations are also available online.

http://oaklandunwrapped.org/thepresentbody/

Check it out and give your body a present!

This is just one example of the diverse stores listed on Oakland Unwrapped!  We now have over 130 stores on our e-commerce website and are always adding more.  Keep checking Oakland Unwrapped! to see the newest vendors and see how easy it is to support Oakland’s local economy while shopping online!

Is your school or organization interested in Parent Leadership and Advocacy?  The Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN) hosts a Training of Trainers program, which is an eight-month program designed to build the capacity of Bay Area parent organizations and schools working for education equity.  Come to one of their Information Sessions on October 2nd to find out more.  Make sure to RSVP for the Information Session!  For more information, check out their website: http://www.parentactionnet.org/.