In brief: Enjoy winter holiday activities at Berkeley’s Tilden park

BERKELEY

The winter holidays are a great time to get into nature and spend time with family and friends.

Winter Wonderland at the Tilden Merry-go-Round at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley is a beloved East Bay holiday tradition. Ride the carousel, visit with Santa or Olaf, view the lights and decorations and enjoy holiday treats. Also at Tilden park, Winterfest at the Tilden Steam Train offers a spectacular ride through the park on the Redwood Valley Railway with lights and holiday decorations.

Elsewhere in the East Bay, Christmas at the Patterson House at Fremont’s Ardenwood Historic Farm celebrates a turn-of-the-20th-century holiday at a beautifully restored Queen Anne mansion fully decorated for the holidays. Tickets are available for purchase in advance online or at the door, as space allows. For more information, visit the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) webpage at ebparks.org/holidays-parks.

— EBRPD

Know which holiday trees can be composted, which can’t

When selecting your tree this holiday season, consider a plan that reduces waste and fits the city’s disposal rules for when the season is over. Living trees can be rented for the season or planted in your yard after the holidays to avoid waste altogether.

If you decide to buy a cut tree or have other ideas for your holiday tree experience, know which trees can be composted and which go into the trash and landfills. If you’re considering a cut tree, know that the city only composts the tree itself. Avoid trees that have been “flocked” — covered with chemicals mimicking snow — as they cannot be composted.

When disposing of a compostable tree, you’ll have to remove all lights, decorations, tinsel, plastic bags and plastic tree stands. You’ll also have to cut the tree to fit in your green compost cart with the lid closed. If you don’t have the tools to cut your tree, free tool rental is available through the Berkeley Tool Lending Library at 1901 Russell St.

Trees left on curbs won’t get picked up, as they can damage city side-loader collection trucks. You may prefer dropping off discarded trees at the city of Berkeley’s Transfer Station at 1201 Second St. (off Gilman Avenue) anytime from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays (closed Christmas and New Year’s days).

For compostable trees in January, drop-off is free at the Transfer Station. Starting Feb. 1, drop-off will be $27.75 plus a $3.50 environmental compliance fee. For flocked or plastic trees at any time, the drop-off fee is $38.50 plus the $3.50 environmental compliance fee. For details online, visit berkeleyca.gov/reduce-your-holiday-tree-waste-season-2023.

— city of Berkeley

Prisoner support group to receive $200K grant, training

The Berkeley-based Insight Garden Program (IGP) has recently been named a Bank of America 2023 Neighborhood Builders awardee to help further its work in connecting incarcerated individuals to nature. As a Neighborhood Builder, IGP will receive a $200,000 multiyear grant and extensive leadership training.

IGP’s staff and volunteers support individuals in nine California prisons — including San Quentin State Prison — through their on-site classes aimed at “inner gardening” — via meditation, emotional processing and eco-therapy. The program also focuses on ”outer gardening,” in which participants learn about permaculture, organic gardening and other skills.

Led by former prisoners, the IGP group plan to use their Neighborhood Builders funding for workforce development and financial literacy training. The nationwide Neighborhood Builders invitation-only program is highly competitive. In San Francisco and the East Bay, 57 nonprofits have been selected as Neighborhood Builders since 2004.

“Insight Garden Program really bridges the gap between prison and re-entry. This Bank of America Neighborhood Builder grant creates a pathway for us to be seen and heard,” said Andrew Winn, IGP’s executive director.

— Bank of America

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