Uprooted, an eco/travel blog

A look back at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse

What a year, what a year! Last January, I was riding bikes around Oakland in search of delicious leftovers. Now that I’ve learned to dumpster dive, I’ll never be scared of it again. Here’s my report, from 1/18/09.

611 street view

Yep, it’s possible, and 611 EcoVillage is the proof: you can live sustainably, and artfully, and even happily, all in the middle of a city.
Of course, it helps if you’ve got founder/builder Dan Antonioli’s temperament: love for life and a passion for creative construction. And it helps even more that he’s done it [...]

Culture of waste? Not at the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, where teachers and artists gather to give cast-off treasures a new life.

I’m back here for just a little minute, cooling my heels while I wait to see how the trip to LA will pan out.
Upon my return, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Oakland kids have started dumpster diving in earnest! The freezer is full of ground turkey; there’s produce and fresh bread; and [...]

Hey, I know this is totally off-topic, but it’s got to be said: America has a new president, and I couldn’t be happier.

click to enlarge

In honor of the occasion, we had us a party. It started with a mock election: everyone voted via secret ballot. After two rounds of voting, candidates from the Slumber Party, [...]

This is what I found in Oakland dumpsters this morning. Well, this and a croissant which I burned already in the toaster oven.
Today’s grocery run took about an hour and cost me $0, plus I got a workout biking across town. I came home with 3 loaves of artisan bread (sour, sweet, rye) and half [...]