Dear Friends, This weekend marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, our opportunity to pause and reflect

about how we can reduce our impact on the Earth and increase the health and beauty of our natural landscape. In District 5, there are numerous festivals, celebrations, workshops and clean-ups to help you connect with your neighbors and contribute to Earth Day. This year, my staff and I have committed to eating a vegetarian diet for Oakland/Alameda County Veg Week (April 15 21, 2012). You can learn about events taking place this week and the benefits of a plant-based diet for your health and for the Earth at http://oaklandveg.com/. Please see below for a listing of Earth Day events in District 5, other community events taking place this week, and resources and news from around the district. Yours Truly, Supervisor Carson

Earth Day in District 5

Please see below for a selection of events in District 5: Berkeley Berkeley Earth Day Saturday April 21, 2012, 12 PM - 5 PM Civic Center Park, MLK Jr Way & Allston http://www.hesternet.net/events Earth Day Shoreline Cleanup Saturday, April 21, 2012, 9 AM - 12 PM Shorebird Park Nature Center, 160 University Avenue @ Seawall Drive http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=11815 Earth Day Open Garden Saturday, April 21, 2012, 9 AM - 12 PM Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Center, 1730 Oregon Street http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/CalendarEventMain.aspx?calendarEventID=11814 Emeryville

Earth Day Celebration and Festival Saturday, April 21, 11 AM 3 PM Doyle Hollis Park (between Hollis/Doyle and 61st/62nd Streets) Earth Day Shoreline Clean Up Saturday, April 21, 9 AM 12 PM Shorebird Park / Chevy's Parking Lot (on the I-80 frontage road by the Watergate Office Towers http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=192&PREVIEW=YES Please contact Kevin Laven, Administrative Analyst, at klaven@emeryville.org or 510-450-7813 if you have any questions or are interested in being a part of Emeryville's Earth Day Celebrations. Oakland Featured Events Saturday, April 21, 9 AM 12 PM Frog Park at the end of Hardy St. (Rockridge) Morcom Rose Garden, 700 Jean Street (Grand/Lake) DeFremery Park, DeFremery Recreation Center, 1651 Adeline St. (West Oakland) Lake Merritt Sailboat House, 568 Bellevue Ave. (Lake Merritt) Dimond Park, Dimond Recreation Center, 3860 Hanly Road (Dimond District) Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Avenue (Fruitvale) For the full list, please visit: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/pwa/documents/webcontent/oak033128.pdf If you have questions about the events, please contact the Earth Day Coordinator by calling (510)238-7611 or emailing oaklandadoptaspot@oaklandnet.com.

You are invited to the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, Chaos or Community: Where Do We Go From Here? with Congressman John Lewis. The event will take place on Saturday, April 21 at 7 pm at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland. Click here for more information: http://keithcarson.org/Congressman_JohnLewis.pdf

Enjoy an Oakland As game and support an East Bay after-school program, Project Touchdown, on Saturday, April 21 at 6:05 pm. For tickets, please call Sabine Fischer at (925) 705-2643. For more information, click here: http://keithcarson.org/Project_Touchdown.jpg SAVE THE DATE: The East Bay AIDS Walk will take place on Saturday, June 16th, 2012 at Lake Merritt in Oakland. For information about participation and sponsorship, click here: http://www.eastbayaidswalk.org/

Attend a Workshop on Translation and Interpretation for the Business Community with Francine Kuipers of the Berkeley Language Institute on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Click here for more information: http://bit.ly/I0mKrJ

A Berkeley couple was recently featured on the PBS News Hour for developing a solar suitcase that provides a portable light source for hospitals that often experience power outages in developing countries. Their invention helps save lives by allowing doctors, surgeons and nurses to complete vital operations. Read more about Laura Stachel, Hal Aronson and their nonprofit We Care Solar on Berkeleside.com: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2012/04/16/from-a-berkeley-garage-a-solar-initiative-thatsaves-lives/