Sustainability
by John M. Zukoski on August 28, 2011 | 
No Comments | Topics: Announcements · City Hall · Sustainability · Things To Do
As part of Coastal Clean-up Day, the City of Dublin, CA will be sponsoring a Creek Clean-up day on Saturday, September 17, 2011. Creek Cleanup Day registration will begin at 9 am at Alamo Creek Park, located at 7601 Shady Creek Road. The All-America City will provide a small coffee, orange juice and muffin breakfast. As soon as everyone is checked in and ready to go, volunteer groups will head out to clean the creeks until about noon with a small pizza lunch to follow at Alamo Creek Park.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 14, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Sustainability
StopWaste.Org is pleased to announce the grand prize winners of the Ready, Set, Recycle contest, a three-month-long recycling initiative that gave Alameda County residents a chance to win cash prizes for having the least amount of recyclable and compostable materials in their trash bins. The three finalists selected from Oakland, Hayward and Livermore participated in a recycling “sort-off” competition this morning to determine the grand prize winner, Alameda County’s Best Recycler, to receive $500. As a testament to the contest’s success and participants’ recycling skills, the “sort-off” resulted in a tie, with both Kristen Kinzel of Livermore, CA and Amy Lee of Hayward, CA winning $500. The runner-up was Aurell Cater of Oakland, CA who was awarded $250.
From April through June, StopWaste.Org’s prize crew randomly selected garbage bins on regular garbage collection days and rewarded those residents who correctly separated their recyclables, compostables and trash. Alameda County residents demonstrated widespread enthusiasm for the contest with 20 percent of the county participating, a total of 61 winners and of these winners, over 50 percent demonstrated perfect results (0% recyclables and compostables in their garbage bin). “We already knew that Alameda County residents are some of the best recyclers in the country, with 63 percent reporting that they recycle regularly,” says Jeff Becerra, Senior Communications Manager at StopWaste.Org, “But the results of the contest proved that more and more residents are eager and efficient recyclers.”
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by Jimmy Huang on August 10, 2011 | 12 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Sustainability
An artisanal grocery store similar to Oakland’s Rockridge Market Hall may be coming to Dublin, CA. True Marketplace will be home to roughly 10 individual purveyors offering a variety of local artisanal products under one roof, including organic produce, green grocery, fresh baked goods, premium meat, high-quality seafood, dairy products, savory coffee, hearty wine, prepared food, and more. As confirmed by Diablo Magazine, Terra Bella Family Farm owner Shawn Seufert is behind the True Marketplace project and has his eyes set on Grafton Station. The deal is currently under active negotiation and may fall through if Grafton Station owner Charter Properties and Seufert cannot reach an agreement. If everything goes according to plan, True Marketplace will open Summer 2012.
The concept of a local marketplace where multiple purveyors co-exist under one roof is not a new one. Mature cities around the world have adopted this age-old business model for countless years. The new artisanal grocery store plans to create a community marketplace where Tri-Valley residents can come to shop, socialize, and enjoy everything the Bay Area’s local food community has to offer. Over the years, demand for locally-grown organic food has steadily increased in the Tri-Valley. The time may be ripe for a central space that provides a holistic and upscale grocery shopping experience like the one at Oakland’s Rockridge Market Hall. Thanks to the expensive sewer hookup fees associated with some of the newer retail spaces in East Dublin, having multiple purveyors to share the higher leasing cost seems like a brilliant strategic move that is good for both the business owners and property owners.
According to details provided by Seufert to Diablo Magazine, a small plates-style eatery, a cozy wine bar, a deli, and a full-service bakery with full barista service may be among the purveyors at True Marketplace. True Marketplace may also have tentative commitments from Baron’s Meat and Poultry and Feel Good Bakery to join the exciting project. Both Baron’s Meat and Poultry and Feel Good Bakery operate out of the highly successful Alameda Marketplace. In fact, Donna Layburn, the founder of Alameda Marketplace, is among Seufert’s impressive list of advisers and executives, all of whom come with extensive background in the grocery business and food industry.
If True Marketplace opens at Grafton Station in East Dublin, it will join the already highly competitive grocery business landscape along the Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor. The Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor includes Trader Joe’s, 99 Ranch, Fresh & Easy, and two Safeway stores. By the end of 2011, Target will join the fray with the new East Dublin store just off the Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor at the Fallon Gateway. If Walmart has its way in Pleasanton, it will set up a new Neighborhood Market at the retail space formerly occupied by Nob Hill Foods. Perhaps True Marketplace is exactly what the withering Grafton Station needs to bring in the much needed foot traffic.
by John M. Zukoski on June 7, 2011 | 2 Comments | Topics: Local Issues · Sustainability
In two weeks, most PG&E customers in Dublin and the rest of California can expect to see a 10% increase in their gas and electricity bills. PG&E uses a complex electrical rate plan with four tiers of billing. The plan charges progressively higher rates for each tier. Effective June 20th, PG&E will reduce rates for high-usage Tier 4 customers by 17.6%. For the typical customers in Dublin, CA, the more electricity you use, the higher the rate you pay. A recent ruling by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seeks to narrow the gap between the low-usage and high-usage customers. To offset the reduction for the high-usage users, according to ABC Channel 7, PG&E will be raising rates on most customers by roughly 10%.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 27, 2011 | 3 Comments | Topics: Schools · Sustainability
Do you have a bunch of unused electronics that you want to throw away but don’t want to fill up your trash bin or can’t dispose of them safely? Here is a chance to get rid of your electronic junk and help Dublin’s students at the same time. Valley High School, located at 6901 York Drive in Dublin, CA will be hosting an eWaste fundraiser this Saturday, May 28th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM to raise money for a variety of programs. The programs to be benefited by this fundraiser include Valley High’s after school sports program, tobacco use prevention education, field trips and hikes, student leadership activities, graduation activities, the senior breakfast, the Friday morning breakfast club, and physical education activities.
As a continuation high school, Valley High School provides a lifeline for mostly at-risk students who are in jeopardy of not graduating from high school due to academic, social, or other challenges. Many of Valley High’s students come from difficult home environments that have made classroom learning a challenge. Fundraisers like the May 28th eWaste collection event support programs that help get the lives of these kids back on track, so they can have the same chance to succeed in life as students attending traditional public high schools.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 22, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Sustainability
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation awarded Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) $150K to conduct a feasibility study regarding expansion of an existing recycled water distribution system and treatment facilities. Completion of a feasibility study is the first step in the process of obtaining $6M in federal funds, 25 percent of the total cost of planning, designing and constructing this project.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 20, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Sustainability
Cyclists visiting the Bike to the Market Booth at the May 19 Dublin Farmer’s Market register for the National Bike Month raffle.
The City of Dublin and Dublin Cyclery co-hosted a “Bike to the Market” booth at the Farmers’ Market on Thursday, May 19th in Dublin, CA. Thirty-one cyclists traveled to the market on bike and received a $5 “Carrot Cash” voucher as well as an entry in the National Bike Month raffle, with prizes donated by local businesses. Other attendees were encouraged to consider biking to future Farmers’ Markets with a demonstration on bicycle “hauling” equipment, such as front baskets and rear wheel racks, provided by Dublin Cyclery.
On Friday, May 20, the City of Dublin, Mayor Sbranti, and the Dublin High School Leadership Class hosted the first “Bike to School” station at Dublin High School. Multiple forms of media were used to encourage students and teachers to travel to school via bicycle, where they were greeted with giveaways, refreshments, a ticket for a free BBQ lunch, and an entry in the raffle. Students who arrived without a helmet were provided with a free helmet by the City of Dublin, funded through a Valley Spokesmen Cycling Club donation. An estimated 40 students participated in the event.
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by John M. Zukoski on May 18, 2011 | 4 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Issues · Opinions · Sustainability
According the Final Downtown Dublin Specific Plan that was approved earlier this year, the City of Dublin is proposing 1,300 residential units in its historic big-box shopping district. Earlier versions of this plan called for only 717 residential units. Many readers have been curious about the types of high-density housing that will eventually get built. While the plan does assume “an average 1,200 square feet per residential unit,” the City of Dublin has not specified a minimum square footage.
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by Around Dublin Team on May 12, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Sustainability
Nearly 400 cyclists from Dublin and Pleasanton, CA participated in the Bay Area’s 17th Annual Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 12, including several local officials. “Energizer Stations” were set up at both the BART stations in Dublin to distribute refreshments, T-shirts, and bags of giveaways to bicyclists participating in the Bar Area event. Station hosts included the Cities of Dublin & Pleasanton, Hacienda Business Park, Dublin Cyclery, Alameda County Public Works, and Workday. Contributing sponsors of the event include: Amici’s Pizza, Athen’s Burgers, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl, Erik’s DeliCafe of Dublin, Frankie Johnnie & Luigi Too, Half Price Books, Livermore Cyclery, New York Pizza, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Panera Bread, Red Smoke Grill, Trader Joe’s, Valley Spokesmen, World of Shoes, & Yougurtland.
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