This Sunday is Earth Day, and we're feeling extra green. We scouted out a few ways to enjoy the Bay Area's natural treasures without even getting in a car. Go green!
The N Judah, the 1 California, the 76 Marin Headlands…come again? Let Muni give you a different perspective as it takes you and your picnic treats across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands. Any Sunday, catch the 76 in the city, and before you can say "fast-pass" you'll be dipping your toes in the sand. The bus drops you off at Rodeo Beach, a local surfing spot for ripping shortboarders (who have a penchant for dropping in on big, mean waves just minutes before sundown). From here, the adventure is yours to create: Should you hike up the Coastal Trail to Hill 88 for scenic headland coastal views? Take a short walk around Rodeo Lagoon with an eye out for egrets and herons? Or just lay a blanket on the beach and enjoy your spread in the salt-tinged Pacific air? Whatever you choose, at the end of the day you get to just sit back and snooze – the beach bus is your hassle-free ticket home.
The 76 Marin Headlands runs only on Sundays; the first bus departs the city at 9:30 a.m., and the last bus leaves Rodeo Beach/Fort Cronkhite at 6:30 p.m. Buses run every hour, and the fare is $2. Marin Headlands Visitor Center: 415-331-1540.
In the spirit of public transportation, we've picked a mellow bike ride through the rolling green hills of the East Bay. Jump on BART with your bike and get off at the Lafayette Station. Pedal along back roads (directions below) until you hit the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail—seven mostly car-free miles of smart urban planning. You'll be riding alongside the ghosts of railroads past: The path used to be the steam train track from Oakland to Sacramento; now it's a paved multiuse trail park that gives bikers, runners, and walkers a place to stretch their legs. Bring a few bucks so you can break midway for eggs, bacon, and potatoes at the Ranch House Café. The outdoor picnic tables are nice spots for kicking back and enjoying the warm East Bay spring. After tanking up, bike and BART back the way you came.
Directions: From Lafayette BART Station, exit toward City Center. Walk down the stairs, turn left, and look for a short bike trail. Cross Mt. Diablo Blvd. to Lafayette Circle. Continue on Lafayette Circle, turn right on Hough Ave. and turn left onto Brook St. Take Brook St. to Moraga Rd. and turn right, then immediately left onto School St. Follow School St. for about a 1/4 mile. The entrance to the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail is on the left, across from Stanley Middle School. Go right on the trail to get to Moraga and the Ranch House Café.
Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail: 925-687-3419.
Ranch House Café, 1012 School St., Moraga: 925-376-5127.
You say you have a hankering to help Mother Earth but don't know where to start? This spring the Bay Area is blooming with opportunities. Golden Gate National Recreation Area offers plenty of volunteer projects: restoring Land's End; nursery planting at Fort Funston; native plant revegetation in the Presidio; and even salmon habitat enhancement at Muir Woods. You can also help protect endangered species like the peregrine falcon, tend baby trees, or assist with trail maintenance. Mother will be proud.
EXTRA CREDIT: Another way to stay in touch with the land is to employ your green thumb at a community garden. Wherever you live in the city—the Mission, the Sunset, Nob Hill, or Potrero Hill—there's a garden that needs a little help. Sometimes you get your own plot, sometimes you share one, and the gardeners usually share tools (and compost). And when you taste your first fresh-from-the-vine tomato? Juicy!
Volunteer at the GGNRA: 415-561-4755.
San Francisco community gardens: 415-581-2541.
That's right. Patagonia wants 'em. The company has launched the Common Threads Recycling Program to expand recycling from aluminum cans and newspapers to your underwear. And by underwear they mean any Capilene base layers, any Patagonia cotton tee shirts, and any Polartec-branded garments. It doesn't matter which company made it, as long as it's Polartec. Patagonia's goal is to become the first global company in the world to recycle competitors' garments in order to lower the environmental impact of making fleeces and polyester clothes from virgin materials. Help them get there. Drop off your stuff at their San Francisco store at 770 North Pt. or their Santa Cruz outlet store at 415 River St., Suite C.
Get a map to the Patagonia stores.