Archives

Earth Day began on April 22, 1970, when millions of Americans participated in creative and dramatic public demonstrations to raise awareness about environmental issues, sparking the modern environmental movement and leading to major policy changes.

BAA alum Olya Milenkaya spent the summer of 2003 with Audubon’s Project Puffin on Maine’s islands — banding terns, monitoring puffin burrows, and tracking chick diets — hands-on science shaping her path in conservation.

Bay Area Action’s direct actions in the 1990s ranged from rallies, sit-ins, and tree-sits, to creative tactics like costumed protests, theatrical demonstrations, and giant “human signs,” to confront environmental destruction and corporate power.

A group of past Bay Area Action members brought a human sign at Facebook HQ in 2020 to tell Mark Zuckerberg that “TRUTH MATTERS”.

A year-long commitment to low-paid work in service of an important cause, driven by a passion for preserving its history and sharing what unfolds behind the scenes.

Exploring how the 1990s Bay Area environmental nonprofit’s evolution was closely intertwined with, and shaped by, the rise of Silicon Valley and the internet.

Reviews of “The End of Nature” by Bill McKibben, “The Man Who Planted Trees” by Jean Giono, and “The Earth Speaks” by Steve Van Metre & Bill Weiler

Bay Area Action calls for volunteers to support its environmental work and thanks the many individuals, groups, and businesses whose donations and efforts have sustained the organization in its first eight months.

PDF and list of contributors to the Nove–Dec 1990 edition of the Bay Area Action newsletter.

Brief descriptions and contact info for BAA’s projects in late 1990: Action Team, Alternative Transportation, Campus/SEAC, Earth Teams, Schools and Youth, and Workplace.

Bay Area Action’s leadership, as of late 1990.

Bay Area Action helped organize a highly successful Beat the Back-Up Day on September 18, 1990, boosting public transit use across the Bay Area. Events included a creative alternative transportation parade in Palo Alto and a public challenge from Mayor Mike Cobb to promote eco-friendly commuting.

Bay Area Action opened a new store in Palo Alto offering eco-friendly products like recycled paper goods and biodegradable cleaners. Upcoming events included a book signing with Bill McKibben and a festive Holiday Party with food, music, and Living Christmas Trees for sale.

America’s deep reliance on oil contributed to both global conflict and environmental damage. Bay Area Action urged investment in public transit, cleaner vehicles, and smarter urban planning as key steps toward reducing that dependence.

The Nov–Dec 1990 Action Page covered activism on nuclear disarmament, tree protection, threatened oak woodlands, and outdoor education at Hidden Villa.

Reviews of “Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization” by Christopher Manes, “The Population Explosion” by Paul Erlich, and “The Ohlone Way” by Malcolm Margolin

Value Business Products in Mountain View helped local businesses recycle white office paper and support the environment. Proceeds from the program benefited Bay Area Action.

Despite urban sprawl, the Bay Area still protects natural “open spaces” for public solitude and nature access. Local districts and nonprofits like POST and Greenbelt Alliance work to preserve these lands and expand trails like the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

Support the grassroots organizing of Bay Area Action with a donation. We also need volunteers.

As urban development replaces natural landscapes in the Bay Area, California ReLeaf — with grassroots groups all around the Bay Area and beyond — encourages community action to combat deforestation and climate change by planting and protecting trees locally.

Quick facts on what you can and can’t recycle, from BAA’s Recycling Project (circa 1990).

This 2001 paper explores how Bay Area Action balanced the need for donations with its commitment to environmental integrity, carefully vetting corporate sponsors to avoid greenwashing and maintain independence.

The BAA Archives have already been used by New York magazine, UC Berkeley, the US BLM, filmmakers, and others.

Bay Area Action mobilizes citizens to address environmental challenges through grassroots organizing and local projects, aiming to expand active participation in environmental change.