#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...

On Sept. 17, PG&E customers around the #BayArea received a “Peak Day Event” alert, designed to encourage residents to reduce their #energy usage. Here’s a snapshot of how KneeDeep reporters and community members experienced the heat in different areas. #heatwave 📷: Getty Images 🧵 1/6

As extreme weather destroys crops and disrupts work days, coastal #farmworkers face a new threat: ICE raids. Nonprofit ALAS (Ayudando Latinos A Soñar) is helping farmworkers in #HalfMoonBay navigate these crises with health, immigration, and education services. #ClimateJustice 📷: ALAS 🧵1/3

When federal climate funding got cut, #Alameda didn't give up on its #sealevelrise adaptation projects. Local leaders like #sustainability manager Danielle Mieler are exploring alternative funding opportunities, from public-private partnerships to California’s #Prop4 bonds. 📷: Maurice Ramirez 🧵 1/3

Bay Area #wetlands filter runoff, absorb floodwaters, and shelter #endangeredspecies. A new report from @sfestuaryinstitute.bsky.social identifies 100+ opportunities to boost wetland resilience against #sealevelrise by strategically placing sediment and connecting habitats. 🧵 1/3

Teresa Cheng of @industriouslabs.bsky.social is working to decarbonize California’s manufacturing industry, from electric coffee roasters to industrial heat pumps. She spoke to KneeDeep’s reporting partner at @stateofchange.bsky.social about #decarbonization under the Trump administration. 🧵 1/3

This August, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission approved a public #sealevelrise education program led by @exploratorium.bsky.social. The program will include pop-up exhibits that let people touch 3D models and explore flood scenarios right along the waterfront. 📷: Ariel Okamoto 🧵 1/3

After the 2018 #MendocinoComplexFire burned acres of oak savanna, researchers found that nearly all of the bird species in the area —including California #quail—preferred burned areas over untouched habitat. #Mendocino #nativebirds #wildfire #ecosystem 📷: Dave Harper 🧵 1/3

This month's stories showcase Bay Area resilience in rocky times: local leaders hunt for alternative funding to protect coastlines and cut carbon, communities rally around farmworkers, and sea level rise education reaches new audiences. buff.ly/7vCCf9O 📷: ALAS, Teresa Cheng, Maurice Ramirez 🧵 1/7

At Soul Flower Farm in #ElSobrante, #composting becomes an act of healing and resilience. During a workshop organized by Sankofa Roots, participants constructed a compost pile using the S.P.I.C.E. method, infusing it with microbes and allowing it to ferment for several months. 📷: Otito Obi 🧵 1/3

#SolarEnergy is booming - but before your panels can drink in the light, you need someone who can walk the roof. On July 28, a cohort of eight graduated from GRID Alternatives Bay Area’s training program: 200 hours of climbing ladders, wiring panels, and learning #solarinstallation. 🧵 1/3

Coyote Hills Regional Park has always drawn visitors for its golden hills and sweeping bay views. Now, a 170-acre expansion is boosting the park's #climateresilience, featuring new wetlands, oak savannas, and trails that connect its deep history to a changing shoreline. 📷: Jacoba Charles 🧵1/3

Bianca Shapero, fourth-generation #rancher at Star Creek Land Stewards, uses goats to protect communities from #wildfire. Every summer, Bianca and her crew move 7,000 #goats and sheep across the state, clearing flammable brush around homes, schools, and roads. 📷: Star Creek Land Stewards 🧵 1/3

In this Field Clips video by @lakitalki.bsky.social, the #PickettFire burns near a local vineyard owner's home in a #Napa Valley hot spot near #Calistoga. Video: Lakshmi Sarah #wildfire #fireseason #wildfireprevention

This June, reporter Niba Nirmal interviewed seven graduates of the Resilient Roots #climateleadership program during a community summit in #SuisunCity. Here are their stories: buff.ly/og3CaK1 Resilient Roots is a 10-month climate education program led by Greenbelt Alliance & Sustainable #Solano.

This month’s stories highlight quiet flickers of natural resilience, from goats fighting wildfire to climate-smart restoration and composting lessons. Plus, meet the Bay Area groups tackling local climate action - and learn how to get involved. buff.ly/CCsnu8e 🧵 1/7

Scientists from the #Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are testing textured concrete tiles on San Francisco’s seawall to see if they can provide habitat for marine life while protecting the city from rising seas. #SeaLevelRise #Embarcadero #MarineLife 📷: Ariel Okamoto 🧵 1/3

Climate change is dramatically changing our coastlines through coastal erosion and sea level rise, explains Patrick Barnard, research director for the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience at @ucsantacruz.bsky.social: buff.ly/XDpMa6v #beacherosion #sealevelrise #climatechange

The Redwood Life redevelopment project, which would add 12 multi-story buildings to an existing office park built over a closed landfill, is raising concerns about the environmental impacts of drilling through contaminated soil. #environmentalpollution #sfbay #redwoodcity 📷: Plan Redwood Life 🧵 1/3

July 📷 of the Month: Photojournalist Florence Middleton captures the red cape of a child on a mission to save the MLK Jr. Shoreline in #Oakland from #climatechange and #environmentalinjustice. This community day of action - fueled by fantasy role play - was organized by the Mycelium Youth Network.

Are you part of a climate group in the Bay Area? Please take our survey to help KneeDeep learn about the scope of climate action in our region: buff.ly/IrxSBzi #BayArea #climateaction #ActOnClimate

From Giant Marsh to Puget Sound, scientists are enlisting oysters to defend the coast from rising seas. Oysters can buffer waves, trap sediment, increase #biodiversity, and create living, shifting edges that grow with the coast. #livingshorelines #sealevelrise 📷: Sonya Bennett Brandt 🧵 1/3

In this month’s stories, the shoreline is the center of climate action. Scientists use oysters to build living barriers to #sealevelrise, waterfront developers wrestle with the legacy of old landfills, and youth roleplay #climatesolutions along the MLK Shoreline. buff.ly/QEknj6Q 🧵 1/5

A Mission Rock parking lot has recently metamorphosed into one of San Francisco’s newest urban green spaces: China Basin Park. The project, completed in 2024, was designed by #landscapearchitecture studio SCAPE to be resilient to #sealevelrise and storm events. #SanFrancisco 📷: SCAPE 🧵 1/4

Next year, the Valero refinery in #Benicia will shut down, leaving 400+ employees out of work. When the Marathon Martinez refinery closed in 2020, workers struggled to transition to other sectors, with 26% still unemployed a year later. #ContraCosta 📷: BlueGreen Alliance Foundation 🧵 1/3

Is biomass energy a viable solution for California? Read the full interview from our climate equity reporting partner at UC Berkeley ⬇️

#Suisun mayor Alma Hernandez's journey into climate advocacy began more than a decade ago, when learning about #plasticwaste sparked her environmental awareness. Now leading a city just seven feet above sea level, she's taking action as flooding threats intensify. 📷: Suisun City, USFWS 🧵 1/2

A new UC Santa Cruz study found that horizontal "living levees" - gently sloped, planted barriers - can protect against rising seas and storm surge when added in front of existing levees. @ucscscience.bsky.social #naturebasedsolutions #sanmateo #sealevelrise Illustration: Punto Aparte 🧵 1/3