Play: "The World in a Woman's Hands" - Shotgun Player's
A wonderful show sung in cool jazz about Rosie the River gals during the war in Richmond. Anyone who buys a ticket before this September 27 for any performance until the closing date will get a $5 discount on their ticket.
Now - October 11
Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
View coupon at ecometro.com

Play, Eat: Rockridge Out & About
This is the third year of the Rockridge District Association's annual street festival. On top of its usual delights, College Avenue becomes the stage for musicians, clowns, street performers, fashion shows, cooking demos, in-store workshops, and wellness activities. Come visit us at the EcoMetro Guide booth: pick up your 2010 edition, support a fundraiser, and enter to win great prizes!
September 27, 11am - 6pm
College Avenue from Manila to Claremont, Rockridge, Oakland More...

Live: Master Gardeners Garden Walk 
Contra Costa Master Gardeners are offering a garden Walk which showcases stylish ways to landscape without lawns. View 6 Master Gardener owned neighborhood gardens located in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Martinez. Nearly all of the gardens selected for this year's Garden Walk demonstrate how to have a vibrant and useful garden without extensive turf. $15/person. 
September 12, 10am - 4pm 
Various locations in Contra Costa County 

Eat, Play: Webster Street Jam
Join us in September for the annual Webster Street Jam, a special weekend of music, wine, international food and art, plus a fun-filled area for the kids! Stop by the EcoMetro table on Saturday. 
September 12, 10am - 6pm and September 13, 10am - 5pm 
Webster Street, Alameda More...

Play, Eat: Art & Soul
Art & Soul Oakland is moving the popular downtown festival from the crowded Labor Day weekend to our very own weekend in mid-August. Visit the website for more information.
August 15 - 16, Noon - 6pm
Downtown Oakland adjacent to the 12th Street/City Center BART station.

Live: Landscape Watering
Join The Urban Farmer Store for a survey and introduction to innovative water-saving sprinkler and drip irrigation solutions. Learn about system automation with valves, timers, rain sensors, and the new smart self-adjusting controllers. This FREE class will teach you how to plan your own efficient irrigation system. Reserve seating by calling the 510-524-1604 or by e-mail to richmondclasses@urbanfarmerstore.com, or registering on-line.
August 16, 10:30am
Urban Farmer Store, 2121 San Joaquin Street, Richmond
Look for coupon in the 2010 EcoMetro Guide


Image Credit: Creative Commons/by photofarmer More...

Walking into The Crucible’s Fire Arts Festival is like stepping into a carnival from a previous era. Men in stilts parade about and crouch down from their 15-foot stance to whisper “hello”, while ornate shadow puppets dance across an outdoor stage to live music, and enormous and intricate mouse-traps snap and fly. More...

Eat: Laurel Farmer's Market Every Saturday
The Oakland Community Farmers' Market is held in the Laurel District on Saturdays YEAR ROUND. Sponsored and maintained by Oakland Food Connection, a nonprofit that strives to promote nutritional awareness, access to healthy foods and the connections between people and our planet. The market includes certified organic produce from J&P Organic Farm based out of Salinas, CA and a youth-led prepared food booth called the Purple Lawn Cafe.
May 9, 10am-2pm
4173 MacArthur Blvd, (near Maybelle St) in the parking lot of the Laurel Office Center/Trattoria Laurellinos, Oakland

Image: Flickr/CreativeCommons View more in our Berkeley/Oakland Sustainable City Pool. More...

Eat: Vegetarian Cooking Class: Hearty Homestyle Italian
Join Compassionate Cooks’ founder Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of the Joy of Vegan Baking, in her monthly fun-filled Vegetarian Cooking Classes that celebrate healthful and humane eating! Designed to fill you up and warm you up, these hearty Italian dishes will satisfy anyone and everyone you feed! Cook up Italian-style Hummus; Polenta Squares with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce; Pizza Marinara; Spring Vegetable Risotto; and Chocolate Cheesecake. $55 (in advance), plus $5 food/materials fee due on day of class (Discounts for registering for class packages.) Register online or mail a check to Compassionate Cooks P.O. Box 18512, Oakland, CA 94619.
April 25, 10am-1pm
First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St, at Castro
View Coupon at ecometro.com

Live: UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Spring Plant Sale
The UC Berkeley Botanical Garden has an incredible number of beautiful and unusual plants that are sure to make a spectacular addition to your garden. Check out their website for a list of practical workshops.
April 25, 10am-2pm
UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
View Coupon at ecometro.com

Eat: All about Tomatoes Workshop
Peggy Kass from Kassenoff Growers will be describing some of the varieties of locally-grown tomatoes Ploughshares is selling this spring. Peggy will also teach us how to help these tomatoes succeed in your back yard.
April 11, 10am-12pm
Ploughshares Nursery, 2701 Main St, Alameda
View at ecometro.com

Play: Montclair Lion's Club Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Firefighters from the Shepherd Canyon Fire Station will blast a horn at 9am to start the annual Easter Egg Hunt in Montclair Park. Kids can exchange their found plastic eggs for candy and other treats, so the Lions Club can reuse the eggs next year. Don't be late.
April 12, 9am Sharp
Montclair Park, near Montclair Recreation Center, 6300 Moraga Ave

Live: City of Oakland 15th EarthEXPO
Join the EcoMetro Guide crew and other green exhibitors in Downtown Oakland this Wednesday. Learn more about local green businesses, environmental groups, artists, agencies, and products. Get how-to-tips on all things Green. Make a commitment to take one new green action and receive a pledge pin, reusable bag, special edition poster, or other items! Exchange your mercury thermometers for a digital thermometer and recycle used household batteries and cell phones. Includes a Farmers’ Market and Prizes. Free. Stop by the EcoMetro Guide table to get your EcoMetro Guide and sign up to win a fabulous prize.
April 15, 10am–2pm
Frank Ogawa Plaza (14th & Broadway), Oakland More...

Your number one green building resource is Build It Green, which offers a Green Product Directory. But we know that these times call for cash, so we've gathered your top money back options to aid your green remodel.


4 Areas to Check
Have you used our Personal Energy Analyzer yet? If you don't own an EcoMetro Guide, you can download it right here. Reducing your water heater temperature, lowering your thermostat (or raising it this summer), and eliminating phantom power suckers can save you money with zero cost up front.

Cash and Tax Incentives
The City of Berkeley gathers all your top East Bay resources on Greening Your Remodel. We found these PG&E rebates:

• Up to $0.2 off each sq ft of reflective cool roof
• Up to $150 per 1000sq ft of attic and wall insulation (Use Energy Star's DIY guide to insulation and sealing)
• Up to $400 for duct sealing
• Up to $75 for clothes washers

If you need help navigating the solar incentives, call the non-profit Community Energy Services Corporation at 510-981-7750 or visit Go Solar California! website.

Home improvements may qualify for up to $1,500 in federal tax rebates, check here.

For rebates by city covering all of the East Bay, look here.

Get a Professional Audit
Call Rising Sun Energy now at 510-665-1501 x10 to reserve a free audit by leaving your name and number. They'll call back in June to schedule a summer appointment where trained youth will install energy and water saving devices for you, and install a clothesline if you have a yard, all for free. Call soon, they fill up quickly! More...

Play: Persian New Year at Habitot Children's Museum
Golden Thread productions will present an interactive performance about Norooz history as part of Habitot’s Persian New Year celebration. Families can celebrate the coming of spring with Norooz customs like painting 'tokhme-morgh' eggs and planting 'sabzeh' wheatgrass.  In the Art Studio, children will use flower petals, seeds, and other natural materials to make spring collages. Golden Thread’s performance is from 11:00 am to 11:30 am.  Iranian children’s stories will be told at 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, & 3:30 pm in the Multicultural Reading Tent. Regular hours (9:30 am - 4:30 pm) and admission rates (Children $8, Adults $7) apply.
March 21, beginning at 11am
Habitot Children's Museum, 2065 Kittredge, Berkeley
View coupon at Ecometro.com

Live: Lakeshore Neighborhood Free Plant Exchange
Recycle, trade, and save. Have plants you must prune or divide? Bring your excess to this great free plant exchange and take home new plants for your yard just in time for spring planting. All types of plants are welcome: from cuttings up to full size. Create an instant new garden on a shoestring budget. Garden accessories and accents are also welcome- umbrellas, clippers, books on gardening, pots, stepping stones, and even goldfish.
March 21, Noon-4pm
3811 Lakeshore Avenue

Image: Flickr/CreativeCommons More...

Happy weekend, EcoMetropolitans!

This week on the site:

• March free online coupons are up!
• EcoMetro Green Events through March 19
• Sarah Gilbert on Hacking Life With Kids, But Without a Car
• Hunting for Rare Bike Racks in 'Wild Creatures of North America' and how to request a rack from the city
• Exchange Business Cards Without Using Paper Using Contxts

From our Twitter:

• Who we're following: @HD_EcoDave a green building and eco home fan over at Home Depot, the largest retailer of FSC wood in the USA
• Twollars for charity? RT @CascadiaCommons How many of you know about Twollars? Check it out because I would like some. http://twollars.com
• Who we're following: @eatsustainable, home of The Sustainable Table and The Meatrix. Good daily tips for eating better with less impact.
• Yummy Chipotle Hummus from one of our favorite cooking blogs (mostly vegan, and they do beer reviews), Hot Knives http://budurl.com/c759

Image: Flickr/Powerhouse Museum Collection More...