Martin Bourque

Berkeley City Council acknowledged sustainability efforts and discussed action plans to address Bay Area homelessness during its regular Tuesday meeting.

The Berkeley City Council Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment and Sustainability Committee met Wednesday to discuss the use of produce bags in grocery stores and promote the use of reusable bags.

Berkeley City Council unanimously passed an ordinance at its meeting Tuesday that requires large food retailers to stock only healthy food and drink options in their checkout aisles, making Berkeley the first city in the nation to pass such a law.

The city of Berkeley's Ecology Center introduced California’s first reusable cup-lending program last Wednesday.

Vessel provides free reusable cups to consumers through an app and allows customers to keep the cups for up to five days before returning them to any participating business. Once implemented, Vessel will be available at at least 10 businesses on and around the UC Berkeley campus.

Members of the public stood up and applauded after Berkeley City Council members voted unanimously to pass what Mayor Jesse Arreguín described on Twitter as “the most ambitious, groundbreaking policy” in the country to reduce the usage of disposable, noncompostable foodware items such as plates and utensils.

Mayor Jesse Arreguín hosted an event Tuesday at Berkeley Recycling Yard to introduce legislation that deters city restaurants and cafés from using single-use plastics and foodware.

Established in 1969 after a devastating oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Earth Day was first officially celebrated in 1970. This year marks the 48th anniversary of the first Earth Day, which was proposed by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wisconsin.

The rally is organized by Rich Black, who was also behind the “March 4 Trump” rally that took place last month and erupted in violence, resulting in seven people being evaluated for injuries and at least 10 arrests.

Dante Kaleo, a 22-year-old youth program assistant at Berkeley’s Ecology Center, received word Tuesday that he was one of five recipients of a $10,000 grant given to young leaders at Bay Area nonprofit organizations.