11/25/08: Jack LaLanne, Teens and the YMCA

I was hit immediately by the whimsical but strong glint that shone through those blue zebra rimmed sunglasses. Behind those glasses were hidden the eyes of one of the world's most integral creators of modern day fitness. With an obscurely cracked joke and a punch to the shoulder I finally met the infamous Jack LaLanne along with his wife Elaine. Seeing as health is one of the YMCA's most important goals it was definitely appropriate to invite Jack to the Berkeley-Albany YMCA's Annual Celebration.

Along with the LaLannes the YMCA also honored radio host and parent educator Rona Renner and Pumpsie Green, the first African American player for the Boston Red Sox.
The Task Force was invited to the event for a number of reasons. We covered a wide array of jobs at the reception and dinner. Several of us were pretty much there to greet, mingle, and guide Jack and Elaine and other honorees and guests around. In our journeys we met and conversed with many people integral to our project: YMCA Board Members, donors and community leaders. We had an exhibit set up where two teens were explaining the Teen Center to a nothing less than captivated audience. Two other teens were also lucky enough to present an award to our friend Joerg Heidrich the Senior Vice President and Berkeley Site Head from Bayer HealthCare. Bayer has been such a help to the project and was honored as the YMCA’s Corporate Partner of the Year at the event.

In addition to all our great interactions we actually learned a thing or two and had some great food. This night showed us a new side to the Teen Center project. It gave us insight into how important the Teen Center actually is to the YMCA. No pressure though…we just have the weighty expectations of a whole lot of people not to mention a whole lot of money riding on our shoulders. I know we can pull through. Of course it helps seeing the YMCA pull together such a fabulous, well-crafted event. With skills like that on the team as well as this remarkable group I know we can make the Teen Center a marvelous reality.

If you missed the YMCA’s Annual Celebration you can still check out the slideshow of the event by clicking here.

11/24/08: What does LEED Look Like?

On Saturday November 8th, three teens from the Task Force traveled with Tracy to the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to learn more about the sustainable design aspects of the building. Diana Meckfessel, a professional counselor and mentor who is on the Task Force has a friend who is a docent there, and specializes in giving tours about sustainability. With her connection, we were able to get an “insider’s look” at what earned this building a LEED Platinum standing.
Being able to understand what the LEED program is is important to the Task Force because our goal is to create a LEED Gold Teen Center. Going on the tour illustrated to me how LEED actually looks in a building instead of just seeing it as a set of theoretical criteria written on piece of paper.

Our docent started by giving us some history on the architecture of the Academy, and then we got to the fun part. For me, the highlight of the tour was going up to the roof, which is entirely green. There, our docent explained the structural components of the building that were able to hold such an expansive roof that is entirely covered with shrubbery. Even though it was a cloudy morning, the roof offered picturesque views of the Golden Gate Park landscape. Observing the roof made me start thinking about how the Task Force could possibly design a green roof as well.
Going on field trips like this is especially interesting because it takes what we’re learning about in our weekly meetings out into the “real world” and shows how programs such as LEED are actually implemented in buildings.

To see the amazing rooftop garden at the California Academy of Sciences click here.


To find out what LEED stands for and for more information on LEED Certification click here.

11/19/08: Rotarians, Teens and the Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Rotary Club – a key supporter of The Teen Task Force – invited us to a special evening at Berkeley Rep to see the play “Yellow Jackets” written by BHS graduate, Itamar Moses. I think they wanted us to get an idea of how Berkeley was back in the early 90’s – when the play takes place – so we could compare it to how things are today.

We’ve been working so hard on Teen Center project and it’s been quite a journey but we’re still not finished yet. I thought a field trip with some “down time” was just the thing we needed to keep positive and focused.

Our night began with a reception in the Rep’s courtyard, where we had refreshments and socialized with the Rotarians. The teens attacked the food: how could you not guess? The building was modern and beautiful and the courtyard open and welcoming. Greenery made it feel fresh and relaxing. (More new ideas to think about in terms of adding to our Teen Center.)

Anyways we took our seats and I browsed through the program to get a better feel for the play. Then it started with the flickering of lights and kids fighting. “Even back in the 90’s kids were fighting” I whispered to my neighbor.

I laughed from beginning to end because there really wasn’t that much of a difference from when I was in high school: same old fights, students talking back to the teachers, and complaints of the Jacket (the school paper) not meeting everyone’s needs.

I learned that there wasn’t much of a difference in Berkeley from then to now. Being a 2008 BHS graduate I’ve seen a lot happen over my 4 years there and most of the things I’ve seen in school I saw again in the play. It was like a flashback from when I was at Berkeley High.

For more information on the Berkeley Rotary Club click here.


For more information on Yellowjackets and Berkeley Repertory click here.

11/19/08: What does GREEN mean?

Last Friday, we visited the Stopwaste.org building in Downtown Oakland to learn what a LEED Platinum building looks like. Outside, what I first noticed was a GREEN building – yes, the building itself was the color green! When we entered, the first thing we saw was a touch screen machine. “What is it?” Everybody asked. The machine showed how much energy the building saved per year, what percent of the electricity was coming from solar panels, and much more.

Then we were ready to continue the tour but before that, chocolate on the front desk was waiting for each one of us. With chocolate in our hands, we entered the largest and tallest room, similar to the main room from our Teen Center. There was a lot of space, light, and fresh air. Walking around the building, we saw their kitchen, which featured lights that turned on with a movement. The bathrooms were Antonia’s favorite. She liked how pretty they were, and the automatic faucets with their own solar sensors to generate power.

We were also impressed with the gallery of recycled art pieces. One that stood out to me was a shirt made of pictures from a magazine. Very pretty! Later we went to the second floor where the offices were located – similar to how our building will be. Everywhere there were desks with brochures and guides of how to be green and how to recycle.

Overall visiting this building was a great experience. It gave us new ideas for our building, a better understanding of what it is to be green, and made us wonder if we were able to do similar things in our building and if we had the budget to do them.

See what we saw - check out the virtual tour of Stopwaste.org for yourself