The Voice of East Bay Living

This University of California garden was formally established in 1890 in Strawberry Canyon. Within two years the collection of native trees shrubs and plants had 600 species.  The original garden was located near Haviland hall on the north side of the Berkeley campus and was centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London crystal palace. One viewer describes the gardens "It was gorgeous up here I mean straight up beautiful - it was freezing and on and off drizzling but the greenery was just breathtaking." In the following decade, it grew to 1500 species and began to expand its scope in collections to have plants from all continents and about 10,000 species. Check it out - it's worth the visit.

Berkeley Botanical Gardens ,  located i n Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley  :  This University of California garden was formally established in 1890.  The original garden was located near Haviland Hall on the north side of the Berkeley campus and was centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London crystal palace. Within two years the collection of native trees shrubs and plants had 600 species.  In the following decade it grow to 1500 species  but then bega n to expand its scope in collections to have plants from all continents and about 10,000 species. One viewer describes the gardens: "It was gorgeous up here I mean straight up beautiful - it was freezing and on and off drizzling but the greenery was just breathtaking." Check it out - it's worth the visit. UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at BERKELEY 200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 Open Daily 9 am – 5 pm (No admission after 4:30 pm) Closed 1st T...

Did you know that nearly one half of the world's population cook on an open fire? Did you know that the smoke exposure to people that cook three meals a day over an open fire is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes per day. In fact, smoke inhalation actually kills 4.3 million people across the world per year. An energetic team called  Potential Energy , led by director Michelle Kreger, decided to help this situation. In 2005, they went to Zam Zam refugee camp in Darpor, Africa and began to do research in conjunction with U.C. Berkeley. They came up with a a small cook stove called the five minute stove - It is made out of steel and burns fifty per cent less fuel and has much less smoke.The stoves were originally distributed for free and now cost about $20.00. So far, 37,676 Stoves are being used in Darfur. Our American lifestyle could not handle hauling wood 7 hours a day for cooking. Don't take anything for granted, let's be grateful for what w...

At Berkeley Rotary today, the guest speaker was from The Greater Good Science Center located at the University of California. The topic was Gratitude and the important role it plays in all of our lives. People crave positive emotions. Gratitude in the workplace makes people feel that their work is valuable. When was the last time you expressed gratitude to your friends, family or co-workers? Try it.. it just might improve the quality of your life and those around you as well.