UC Santa Cruz researchers are unraveling the mystery of dry-farmed tomatoes—fruits that thrive through California's summer drought without a single drop of water. The “Dirty Girl” tomato, bred from the popular “Early Girl” variety, actually makes more #tomatoes when dry-farmed. 🧵 1/3

Experts predict that the #BayArea faces $150B in coastal #flood risk this century. A new study modeling hard structures (seawalls) and soft solutions (#wetlandrestoration) found that mixing both strategies can protect communities without significantly raising Bay water levels. 🧵 1/3

Most U.S. communities with refineries in their midst wage a constant battle against toxic air. Essential to mitigating the climate crisis, ending fossil fuel is also crucial to quality of life here and now. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/martinez-res...

About one-third of food produced in the United States is wasted, producing an estimated 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Gleaning is the key to reversing that trend. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/gleaning-pro...

Through Oakland Goes Outdoors, 14 #Oakland High students got their first taste of #kayaking in #BallenaBay, learning teamwork, water safety, and Bay ecology. The program gives local students the opportunity to hike, camp, and connect with nature. #NatureEducation 🧵 1/3

As #atmosphericrivers drench the Bay Area, #SantaClara County agencies and nonprofits are mobilizing to protect unhoused residents from #flooding and cold weather—especially those sheltering along waterways like the Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek. 🧵 1/3

Mission Creek Stormwater Park in #SanFrancisco can capture approximately 694,000 gallons of #stormwater annually. It's just one of many new #greeninfrastructure projects helping the city reach its goal of managing 1 billion gallons by 2050—but can they keep up with increasingly severe storms? 🧵 1/3

Community resilience comes in many forms — from #Oakland high schoolers kayaking for the first time to drought-resistant #tomatoes and innovative #urbandesign that keeps #stormwater out of the Bay. Get the scoop in this month's newsletter: buff.ly/yYmKhtm 🧵 1/7

Volunteers gathered last month to plant a new #pollinatorgarden at Crossroads Church, a small but crucial step as #monarch populations have declined more than 95% since the 1980s. This garden is one of seven habitats the #ContraCosta Resource Conservation District planned this year. 🧵 1/3

At Pepperwood Preserve's "Learn and Burn" workshops in #Sonoma, volunteers from across the Bay Area are learning how to safely use fire to prevent fire. #GoodFire 📷: Amy Moore 🧵 1/3

At a #Newark city council meeting last month, dozens protested the Mowry Village Project planned on a former junkyard bordering critical #wetlands. Developers say it addresses Newark's #housingcrisis, but environmental groups warn it sacrifices the city's best defense against #sealevelrise. 🧵 1/3

After years of #refinery incidents, #Martinez residents are demanding real protection from toxic pollution. Advocacy group Healthy Martinez is pushing for #airquality monitors, reliable alerts, and clean air refuges for frontline communities. #EnvironmentalJustice 🧵 1/3

Californian's are becoming pragmatic about wildfire resilience. After 95% of it burned in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, No. California's Pepperwood Preserve became a place where you can 'Learn and Burn'. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/prescribed-b...

Wildfires are a constant threat to California's wine country. So the Greenbelt Alliance is helping create Interwoven Greenbelt Buffers: irrigated farmland, managed grasslands, and strategically thinned forests that resist wildfires. @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/weaving-fire...

#Wildfire protection doesn't have to start from scratch. Using a pilot site in #Sonoma, a new report from Greenbelt Alliance shows how vineyards, woodlands, and working lands can be woven into a protective buffer. 📷: Greenbelt Alliance 🧵 1/2

Nearly 3 years after a massive release of toxic dust coated Martinez, many residents say the question is no longer what went wrong at the oil refinery, but what it will take to be more resilient the next time something happens #cawater @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social www.kneedeeptimes.org/martinez-res...

In this issue, we celebrate stories written or illustrated by KneeDeep's community reporting fellows with funding from the CO2 Foundation. From pollinator gardens to controlled burns and refinery pollution, these journalists-in-training bring fresh perspectives. buff.ly/s5ZzVUf 🧵 1/6

Hands-on experiences with nature aren't just educational—they're essential to cultivating the next generation of #climateleaders. In the newest square on our Climate Quilt, Sydney Quan shares how tending her #schoolgarden was the beginning of her journey to climate action. 📷: Sydney Quan 🧵 1/3

With communities from East Palo Alto to Stockton facing significant #flooding by 2050, the @sfestuary.bsky.social Estuary Youth Council is bringing together young people to learn about #sealevelrise and take action for their future. #Delta #Estuary 📷: Juan Pablo Pérez Burgos 🧵 1/3

For six weeks each autumn, biologist Julie Woodruff leads a team of #citizenscientists catching, banding, and releasing northern saw-whet #owls in the #BayArea. The data they collect helps scientists understand how development and climate change are affecting these tiny raptors. 📷: Amy Moore 🧵 1/3

Data centers powering #AI tools use 10 to 20 times more #energy than traditional servers—and could account for up to 12% of U.S. electricity by 2028. The environmental impact of the AI boom could depend on whether communities act now to regulate the industry. 📷: Afsoon Razavi 🧵 1/3

The San Francisco Estuary's latest health checkup shows mixed results. The 2025 State of Our Estuary assessment, released this fall, reveals that #wetlandrestoration efforts are paying off and some #tidalmarsh birds are returning. @sfestuaryinstitute.bsky.social @sfestuary.bsky.social 🧵 1/2

You can explore the assessment at the Our Estuary website, developed by @sfestuary.bsky.social and us! www.ourestuary.org

Since 2018, #Pleasanton has battled #PFAS contamination in its #groundwater, taking wells offline and switching entirely to treated water from Zone 7 Water Agency. Comic by Rain Hepting. #ForeverChemicals #BayArea #EastBay 🧵 1/2

#Antioch’s new #desalination plant treats brackish water from the #Delta to produce six million gallons of drinking #water daily. As climate change worsens #drought, #California is planning a dozen more brackish plants by 2040 to diversify the state's water supply. 📷: Magali Gauthier 🧵 1/3

This fall, the city of Antioch's new brackish desalination plant started treating water from the Delta. I wrote about the new facility along with the role brackish desalination is playing in the state's water supply strategy for @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social. www.kneedeeptimes.org/antioch-desa...

As the warming world shrinks California's water supply, every drop spoiled, spent, or saved counts. This month's stories dive into #AI's water crisis, a new #desalination plant for the #Delta, #PFAS contamination in the #TriValley area, and more. buff.ly/WIFcyqj #CaliforniaWater #DataCenters 🧵 1/7

#Oakland artist Courtney Griffith walks local #beaches collecting discarded plastics, burnt wood, and tangled ropes—then turns them into installations that spark reflection on our impact on local ecosystems. #EcoArt #RecycledArt 📷: Courtney Griffith 🧵 1/3

This September, lightning sparked a #wildfire in #ChineseCamp. Photographer Tristan Moore documented the aftermath in this historic #GoldRush town, where residents lost nearly everything but are finding ways forward. #PhotoEssay 🧵 1/3

In southwest #SantaRosa, Latinx youth are measuring #extremeheat disparities in their own neighborhoods. Organized by Greenbelt Alliance and Latino Service Providers, this new youth advisory team is documenting how the area’s sparse tree canopy creates #urbanheatislands. 📷: Amy Moore 🧵 1/3

In #LosAngeles, shade is a rare luxury. Three-quarters of bus stops have no shelter, leaving vulnerable residents exposed to #extremeheat. Journalist Sam Bloch’s new book Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource digs deeper into shade inequity. @samkbloch.bsky.social 📷: Sam Bloch 🧵 1/3

This Saturday, join Everyday Climate Champions & Trellis for an afternoon of hope, connection, and climate action in #SanFrancisco. Enjoy live music & happy hour. Free childcare & activities for kids. Tickets: $5-$25 sliding scale. November 8, 1 - 4 pm, 981 Mission St. Register: buff.ly/aE7CAZL

Climate resilience is happening in our own neighborhoods every day—but these stories rarely get told. KneeDeep Times is building a #communityreporting network to amplify these stories. Read the first dispatches from our new Community Reporting Fellows: buff.ly/GFnelDo 🧵 1/4

The second installment of KneeDeep’s quarterly column “The Practice” spotlights innovative #environmentaldesign projects in progress from #PaloAlto to Ashland, including a #levee that filters wastewater and a commercial lot transformed into a #communitypark. #IndiaBasin 📷: Aaron Ackerman 🧵 1/3

New California legislation exempts many housing projects from #CEQA review to fast-track development. Environmental advocates warn the rushed process could enable unsafe housing in #flood and #fire zones and allow industrial facilities to be built near neighborhoods. Map: MTC/ABAG 🧵 1/3

Thousands more cars on the road. Entire rail lines shut down. No free #transit for youth, low-income families, and seniors. That's the reality heading to the #BayArea in 2027 unless voters pass a ballot measure in November 2026 to fund #publictransit. #SB63 @bart.gov 📷: Joey Kotfica, MTC 🧵 1/3

In #SantaClara backyards, fruit is rotting—releasing #methane and adding to the county's 677,167 tons of annual organic waste. Now, #Cupertino's backyard harvesting program is rescuing that bounty and donating it to families experiencing #foodinsecurity. #FoodWaste 📷: Stephanie Lam 🧵 1/3

This September, the #SouthBay shoreline #levee project reached a major milestone, completing Phase 1 after 20 years of planning and construction. Two miles of 15-foot-tall barrier now protect #Alviso and parts of #SanJose. 📷: Paola Reyes/Valley Water 🧵 1/3

On October 25, as part of the @litquake.org festival’s #LitCrawl event, four KneeDeep writers will present literary pieces on the theme of journeys back to our own terrain at Grand Coffee Too in #SanFrancisco. Register for free: buff.ly/lRWElN1 #LiteraryFestival #MissionDistrict #NatureWriting

Last month, hundreds of climate activists, planners, and scientists descended on the #Exploratorium in #SanFrancisco for the Bay Adapt Summit. New to the Bay Area, KneeDeep Assistant Editor Duncan Agnew asked the experts for a crash course on #sealevelrise. 📷: Ida Høyrup/Exploratorium 🧵 1/2

This month's stories explore the Bay Area's struggle to balance affordability, efficiency, and #climateresilience. New #housing and #transit policies spark debate, while #grassroots activists find inspiration in their own backyards. buff.ly/6ky3MpQ 🧵 1/9

New research reveals that #flooding events send massive loads of sand to eroding #beaches, giving them a natural boost against rising seas. San Lorenzo River delivers enough sediment during wet years to elevate Santa Cruz's Main Beach for 3-4 years. #SeaLevelRise 📷: Peter Pearsall 🧵 1/3

As fires and floods scare insurance companies away from high-risk areas, some communities are experimenting with innovative solutions. #Truckee, CA just scored the first US #wildfireinsurance policy that rewards communities for smart #forestmanagement. #WildfirePreparedness 📷: Steve Kuehl 🧵 1/3

California's #forests can't outrun #climatechange, so scientists are helping them adapt. The new strategy: plant seeds from warmer, lower elevations at higher altitudes, using climate-smart tools to predict which trees will thrive under future conditions. #Reforestation 📷: CAL FIRE 🧵 1/3

After five #wildfires in eight years, a #Napa Valley vintner has learned what it really takes to survive in fire country. Steve Rasmussen has retrofitted buildings, built fire breaks, navigated federal grant bureaucracy, and learned to work alongside PG&E and CAL FIRE. 📷: Afsoon Razavi 🧵 1/3

Check out our recently updated ReaderBoard for #environmental events and announcements in the #BayArea. This month, we feature events in #SanFrancisco and #Oakland, opportunities for #teachers and #youngprofessionals, and much more! buff.ly/pi7A4bn

How two rivers could rescue sinking beaches and marshes #cawater @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social mavensnotebook.com/2025/09/29/k...

More cities, NGOs, even HOAs are getting disaster insurance. 'Parametric' plans pay out at key triggers: hurricane hits cat 5, wildfire crosses line, etc. Now, some of those plans are rewarding climate adaptation with big discounts. with @jojofoshosho.bsky.social for @kneedeeptimes.bsky.social !

This month’s stories spotlight innovation in the aftermath of #climatedisasters. A California town pilots a new community #wildfireinsurance model, scientists replant forests with #climateresilient seeds, and a #NapaValley resident shares wisdom from surviving five fires. buff.ly/0DMjvEG 🧵 1/6

You can explore maps for your own part of the Bay Area for free! www.sfei.org/documents/sa...