Calendar

Conservation photographer Bryant Austin is the only photographer in the world producing high-resolution, life-size photography of whales. A chance encounter with a humpback calf and its mother helped Austin develop a technique to create detailed, intimate portraits of his subjects. Spending days at a time submerged with groups of whales, he remains motionless, allowing humpback, sperm, and minke whales that are sometimes forty-five feet in length and weigh as much as fifty tons to come within six feet. In this presentation, Austin will describe his fearless process and reveal images from his breathtaking new book Beautiful Whale, which was recently published in April 2013 by Abrams. Hear the story behind these images that inspire people to take the future of whales-endangered throughout the oceans-into their hearts. Book signing to follow.

This is a California Academy of Sciences and Stegner Environmental Center Program.

Reservations: This is a free event but seating is limited so please RSVP online as ticketed guests will be seated first. To reserve a place today, reserve a ticket online or over the phone at 1-877-227-1831

http://www.calacademy.org/lectures

Join us at the 3rd San Francisco Green Film Festival for this special free event!

This year, attendees will learn about the threats of plastic pollution to animals and humans, and talk with experts in this area.

Film line-up:

-  Winners from the 2013 Breathe California student video contest (8 mins) - sponsored by SF Green Film Festival.

-  “Scars of Freedom” (6 mins) - A moving film about a whale’s struggle for survival off the coast of Chile’s Juan Fernandez Archipelago, from filmmaker Celine Cousteau.

-  “Coastguards” (4 mins) - A short film about humanity’s obsession and mixture of fear and fascination for sharks.

-  “Plastic Paradise” (57 mins) - Travel with filmmaker Angela Sun to Midway Atoll, a remote island in the Pacific, as she seeks to uncover the mystery behind the island of garbage that everyone has heard of but no one truly understands. What she discovers is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an island littered with plastics, causing great harm not only to our beaches, oceans, and sea life, but to ourselves. Midway sees 20 tons of plastic trash wash ashore each year and as we watch her sift through ordinary household items among the debris – reusable coffee mugs, flip flops, lighters, even a computer monitor – we find ourselves uncomfortably complicit. This film tackles a seriously daunting problem with high energy and humor, archival footage, and animation as it tracks down the who, what, where and why of this phenomena. Along the way Sun speaks to scientists, environmental activists, the plastic bag guy, marine researchers, plastics industry representatives, even Jack Johnson, to get a sense of how our obsession with plastic began, where it all went wrong and how we can fix it.   Discussion following films.

All are welcome to attend this free festival program. Further Information: http://sfgreenfilmfest.org  

 This is a Stegner Environmental Center, San Francisco Green Film Festival and Green Stacks Program.

Our homes are sacred places that should be safe and free of contaminants but they're typically one of the most polluted places we encounter.  One of the easiest ways to rid your home of these contaminants is to switch to natural and safe home cleaning products, but why spend ten dollars for a fancy brand-name bottle when you can make your own for pennies on the dollar?  

Learn how to save money and "green your cleaning" by making your own safe and natural home cleaning supplies!  From dishwasher to laundry soap, glass cleaner to wood polish, we de-mystify natural cleaning and free you from expensive brand name cleaners.  You'll leave with  some cheat sheets and recipes to make your products at home.

Presented by Nicole Easterday who is an Oakland resident, urban farmer and founder of FARMcurious, an organization dedicated to educating, inspiring and equipping urban homesteaders in the Bay Area. 

Author and photographer, James Martin, presents a slide show of over 220 photographs from his coffee table-sized book. The Islands of San Francisco Bay chronicles the Bay’s 48 islands, and aims to capture the wildness of these Island habitats. Learn more about Island ecology, the birds, animals, plants and Island topography.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.

Explore the world of sharks, skates and rays!  Participants will also discover the importance of sharks in marine environments, the threats they face, and what Aquarium of the Bay is doing to help protect them. For ages 6-11.

Want to pick up a new skill and have tons of fun in the process? Come join us in this hands-on workshop and learn how to fold paper into just about anything. Origami artist Shinta Arifin will show you how! All materials provided. For ages 4-12.

Origami artist  Shinta Arifin will get you folding some wonderful things! For ages 6-up.

Have you always been disappointed by your efforts to grow your own vegetable starts from seed? Do your seeds turn out long-necked and weak looking? Do they fall over dead before you can even put them in the ground? If you’ve ever frustrated by growing seeds out, or have never tried and want to, this class will teach you the basics you need to know to get growing. The class will also introduce the SFPL seed library at Potrero Hill so attendees can take advantage of the free seeds on offer! Attendees will leave with one container, planted (correctly!) with their choice of vegetable.

Glenn R. Stewart of the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group and Nick Dunlop, photographer, will discuss falcons in a changing world.  Their presentation will be accompanied by Dunlop's extraordinary photographs and video of wild peregrine falcons in the Bay Area, and a live falcon.  Falcons that once nested in remote cliffs are now nesting in cities on man-made structures such as buildings and bridges.  In 1970 there were only two known nesting pairs of peregrines in California; today the population has recovered to over 250 known nesting pairs, including several in the Bay Area. 

Sponsored by the the Wallace Stegner Environmental Center.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice with a perfect introduction to the joys of gardening. In this hands-on workshop, Jonathan Silverman, Founder and Managing Director of Feel the Earth, will offer LEARN the ART of SEEDING for children and their families. You will learn how seeds work, best ways to plant seeds, how to care for your seedlings, and begin to cultivate fresh produce or blossoms. Research shows that gardening improves children’s learning, self-confidence, health & feeling of community spirit. For ages 2 and older.

In this hands-on workship with Jonathan Silverman children will learn how seeds work, best ways to plant seeds, how to care for their seedlings, and begin to cultivate their own fresh produce or blossoms! For ages 5 and up.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.

Perrin and Cluzaud clearly aim to discourage pollution and encourage conservation, but their movie mostly serves as a treat for the eyes and ears As narrator Pierce Brosnan states, "The Ocean is alive," and the crew spent four years crossing the globe to capture its most intriguing sights, from the salt-encrusted marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands to the silky fur seals of South Africa.

Green Saturdays@ Bernal takes place the second Saturday of every month. The program features hands-on activities and useful information for sustainable living.  This program is for all ages and we encourage family participation.