Earth Day Median planting

On Saturday we will  landscape the median at E 20th and 12th Ave as well as a sidewalk strip on E 19th ST at 11th Ave (in front of 1033 E 19th street). More plantings already are lining up and will be announced in the near future.   Directly following the planting our gracious neighbors, Christina Molcillo and her housemates, will host a potluck at their home at 1044 E. 19th Street around noon. We ask everyone to bring a dish- a casserole, empanadas, dim sum, sandwiches, pizzas, your favorite dessert, side dish, salad, or beverage to share with all. Give me an email or call at510 479-3660 to let me know what dish you plan to bring so we don't have too many of the same dish.   And stop by the intersection of E 20th and 12th Avenue- the incredible 12th Ave neighbors have already installed their Neighborhood Library Box in a portion of the median and it is fun and quirky and something we can call our own. A huge round of applause for Chris Houchin for constructing it, Kelley Lamsens and Goose Manriquez for watering the new plants, and the house full of teachers in the third of these three households who pushed the idea and donated the books.    And a huge thank you to our neighbor Debra Capitan for her generous cash donation to help fund a portion of this weekend's planting as well as providing clipping from her garden as well as to Todd Smith and Michael Clancy for their contribution of clippings from their garden. You guys rock and are an asset to the neighborhood!     If you want to see more neighborhood beautification projects as well as help fund this weekend's planting please make a tax-deductible donation made payable to our neighborhood non-profit, "Oakland's Brooklyn Neighborhood Beautification Project", and mail or drop off at our home at 1218 E 21st Street, Oakland 94606. Invest in our neighborhood- any amount will help so ensure the likelihood that we can continue this going forward.   And I'd like to start talking up the next phase of our beautifications happening this summer. We would like to focus on a block or two at a time and landscape the sidewalk strips of everyone on a block interested in participating. We will use plants that are drought tolerant to ensure that what we put in survives and looks good. Attached is a pic from a recent magazine showing a sidewalk in Berkeley where all the neighbors landscaped their sidewalk strips. Imagine how our blocks will look! SO shoot me an email atskopff@sbcglobal.net or give me a call at  510 479-3660 so we can get this going for your block.   Josh and I have met some incredible neighbors over the last 2 and a half months since we moved in, some who have been carrying the flame for decades. We all thank them for their efforts and hope to reignite their desire to contribute to the neighborhood even some more. You all should come out and meet them this Saturday and each other. You'll be surprised at the wonderful folks right around the corner from you that you've never met. We all are truly lucky to be living in this neighborhood. :)  Hope to see you all Saturday or in upcoming plantings. Steven J. Kopff, CPA