The Solano Group of the Sierra Club was my catalyst to volunteering at VALCORE Recycling. The mantra "Think Globally, Act Locally" suited me well.

Sierra Club was founded in 1892 and last week it held its first convention. I hopped on a ferry and trekked over to Moscone Center as a delegate. San Francisco was a great choice from an environmental viewpoint as it was named the most sustainable city in the United States in June. I had to laugh when the delegates complained that the air-conditioning (AC) was too cold. There was no AC on. They had left the vents open and our foggy AC was flowing in. This north wing of the Moscone Center has solar panels to power the buillding.

Over 700 delegates from around the country came to help shape the future of the Sierra Club. My group consisted of people from Ann Arbor, Michigan; Rapid City, South Dakota; Cincinnati; Salt Lake City; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Baton Rouge. I listened to former Vice-president Al Gore on Friday who came when the Insurance Convention in New Orleans was cancelled. Other speakers included San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Arianna Huffington, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and from the Sierra Club: President Lisa Renstrom and Executive Director Carl Pope.

I was fortunate to hear three of my favorite environmentalists: Mindy Pennybacker from the Green Guide, Berkeley's Chef Alice Waters with her Edible School Yard program, and Eco-architect Bill McDonough, the author of Cradle to Cradle. He is currently designing 4 cities in China that are to house 2 million people each. McDonough was asked about a new New Orleans. His answer was simple, "Preserve the heritage that is there and seriously consider if that is a good place to rebuild the city."

As with all conventions, there was an exhibition hall. Hybrid and fuel cell cars were featured alongside solar and alternate energy companies. Organic food and natural clothing found a place between green building and ecotourism. Local Sierra Club groups from around the county brought displays showing the good and not so good issues in their areas. I'll list a few of the vendors that I found interesting. The Sierra Club made it easy for you to contact all the exhibitors. Go to www.sierraclub.org and click on the Sierra Summit. Reports of all sessions and speakers are also available.

Heifer International (www.heifer.org, 800 422-0474) is determined to end world hunger by providing livestock, trees, and training to struggling families. These families then "pass the gift" to others in their community. Solar Household Energy (www.she-inc.org) promoted cooking with solar ovens. I picked up the new Sierra Club DVD called The True Costs of Food. I hope to air it on our new cable access channel. Green building booths offered free advice through Ask An Expert (www.BuildItGreen.org, 888 40-GREEN), www.SaferRemodel.com (510-501-6923), and www.GreenHomeGuide.com. A new store is opening in Berkeley in November called Eco Home Improvement (www.EcoHomeImprovement.com). The next Build It Green Home Tour will take place on Sunday, September 25 with17 homes in Marin and Sonoma open for viewing.

For those interested in a MBA in Sustainable Management, contact the Presidio School of Management (www.presidiomba.org, 415 561-6590). A new Sierra Nevada license plate may soon be available. They need 7500 pre-registrants to qualify (www.Sierralicenseplate.org). To finish this green party; biodegradable plates, cups and cutlery were available and food waste composting containers were used. As a side note, those plates are currently slipping through Vallejo on their way to Jepson Prairie composting facility in Vacaville.
If you want to get virtually involved, an environmentally correct march on Washington is shaping up. Organizers want a million people to log on www.stopglobalwarming.org to help protect our planet.