Bay Area impact events, October 6 to 11
SPUR walks through San Francisco’s November ballot on Tuesday evening, while SF Transit Riders volunteers make calls in support of the regional transit measure. On Thursday, neighbors bring broken belongings to a repair workshop in South San Francisco. Saturday offers a chance to visit electrified homes across the Peninsula and South Bay, watch birds in Alviso or walk the Fremont marsh at twilight.
There are also conversations about clothing reuse, democracy and the human side of AI, plus online gatherings for people looking to get involved. Check the attendance notes as you choose: some events are full or waitlisted, and others are intended for members or Climatebase Fellows.
🗓️ Tonight and tomorrow
- Ballots and Brews: San Francisco, tonight at 6 p.m. at the SPUR Urban Center. Free, doors at 5:30.
- Phonebanking with SF Transit Riders, tonight at 5 p.m. at IBEW Local 6. Free.
- Robopsychology Salon: What AI Safety Forgets About You, tonight at 6 p.m. on Laguna Street. $10, pay what you wish.
- The Future of "New" Luxury, Wednesday at 5 p.m. at 9Zero. Free, approval required.
🌉 This week in San Francisco
Tuesday, October 6
Sustainable AI for Practitioners: A Collaborative Workshop
9Zero Climate Innovation Hub · noon to 1:30 p.m. · Free; currently full. A hands-on session on measuring and reducing the environmental impact of AI.
Hosted by the Software Cluster at 
9Zero with the Green Software Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation · Luma calendar
Phonebanking with SF Transit Riders in San Francisco
IBEW Local 6, 55 Fillmore St · 5 to 8 p.m. · Free. Volunteers call voters in support of the regional transit measure on November’s ballot. Organizers are campaigning to prevent transit service cuts.
Hosted by SF Transit Riders with Connect Bay Area and Stronger Muni for All
Data Centers on Fire. Green Software the Extinguisher
9Zero Climate Innovation Hub · 5 to 7 p.m. · Free; currently full. A panel on cutting data center energy use through software optimization, with Valeriya Azarova of NRGsurf, Nancy Chauhan of Arize AI and Susannah Hill of Cloud Sustainability Watch, moderated by Nolwenn Godard of Carbon 2C.
Hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, the Green Software Foundation Bay Area Chapter and the Software Cluster at 9Zero · Luma calendar
Ballots and Brews: San Francisco
SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission St · 6 to 7:30 p.m., doors at 5:30 · Free, registration required. SPUR staff go through the November ballot, including ten local measures and several proposals to change how city government works. SPUR takes positions on measures and shares them here, so expect recommendations alongside the research.
Hosted by SPUR
Robopsychology Salon: What AI Safety Forgets About You
550 Laguna St · 6 to 8:30 p.m. · $10, pay what you wish. A conversation about how using AI affects people and what that means for AI safety.
Hosted by The SF Commons
Wednesday, October 7
The Future of "New" Luxury: From Remake to a Circular Textiles Economy
9Zero Climate Innovation Hub · 5 to 7 p.m. · Free, approval required. How clothing remake, renewal and textile reuse can become viable businesses, with Shamini Dhana of Dhana Inc.
Hosted by 9Zero with Shamini Dhana of Dhana Inc. · Luma calendar
The New Infrastructure of Biotech Entrepreneurship
MBC BioLabs · 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. · Free. A look at the resources and partnerships available to people building biotech companies.
Hosted by MelanInScience with MBC BioLabs
Thursday, October 8
Bakar Labs for Energy & Materials Office Hours @ 9Zero
9Zero Climate Innovation Hub · 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. · Free, drop-in. Drop in to meet the Bakar Labs team and learn about its energy and materials programs. For people working on renewable energy, materials, manufacturing or planetary health.
Hosted by Bakar Labs with 9Zero · Luma calendar
SF Innovators & Investors for Democracy Forum
UC Law San Francisco, 200 McAllister St · 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. · $50, flexible up to $500 · Approval required. A day bringing together people working on democracy initiatives with innovators and investors.
Hosted by Yes, Democracy!
Strategy as an Emotional Act: An Interactive Practice for Changemakers
550 Laguna St · 6 to 8 p.m. · Pay what you wish. An interactive workshop on how emotions shape strategy and decisions.
Hosted by The SF Commons
Friday, October 9
Litter Pickup on the Presidio Tunnel Tops
Presidio Tunnel Tops · 10 a.m. to noon · Free, registration required. A Fleet Week cleanup on the Tunnel Tops and the Main Post, all ages, tools and training provided. Volunteers under 18 need parental consent. Bring water, sunscreen, long pants and closed-toe shoes.
Hosted by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy · Event calendar
🌿 On the Peninsula and South Bay
Thursday, October 8
Happy Hour at Fieldwork San Mateo, for Climatebase Fellows
Fieldwork San Mateo, 3030 S Delaware St · 4:30 to 7 p.m. · Free. Bay Area and visiting Climatebase Fellows meet for an informal happy hour in San Mateo.
Hosted by Climatebase
Repair Advice Workshop with Fixit Clinic, South San Francisco Public Library
South San Francisco Public Library, 901 Civic Campus Way · 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. · Free. Bring something broken and troubleshoot it alongside neighbors; sewing machines are on hand for fabric and textile mending.
Hosted by San Mateo County Sustainability · Event calendar
Saturday, October 10
Benefits of Birding Walk, Alviso
Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge Environmental Education Center, 1751 Grand Blvd · 9:30 to 11 a.m. · Free. An introductory birding walk marking Urban Wildlife Conservation Day and the start of National Wildlife Refuge Week. Best suited to high school-aged participants and adults.
Hosted by the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society · Event calendar
Peninsula and South Bay Green@Home Tour 2026
Homes across San Mateo and Santa Clara counties · 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. · Free. Visit homes renovated with sustainability in mind on this self-paced tour. See completed electrification projects in the homes where people use them.
Hosted by Acterra · Event calendar
🌅 East Bay
Wednesday, October 7
Miriam Pawel on the history of the University of California
Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 6 to 7:30 p.m. · Free, currently full with a waitlist. Miriam Pawel discusses the history of the University of California and its influence on the state.
Hosted by Local Economy
Thursday, October 8
KPFA Co-Presents Dave Zirin on The People's Historian, Howard Zinn
Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 6 to 7:30 p.m. · Free, currently full with a waitlist. Dave Zirin discusses his book about Howard Zinn and the historian’s influence on how Americans understand their past.
Hosted by Local Economy with KPFA
Saturday, October 10
Twilight Marsh Walk, Fremont
Meet outside the Visitor Contact Station, 2 Marshlands Road · 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. · Free. An easy 0.6-mile stroll along the refuge trails at twilight, led by a longtime refuge volunteer.
Hosted by the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society · Event calendar
Sunday, October 11
Motherhood and Interspecies Solidarity in a Time of Climate Crisis
Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 2 to 3:30 p.m. · $5 suggested donation, pay what you want. A conversation about motherhood, care and our relationships with other species during the climate crisis.
Hosted by Local Economy
💻 Virtual
Tuesday, October 6
Virtual Film Screening: VS. GOLIATH: Port Arthur
Online · 5 to 7 p.m. · Free. A documentary about a community living alongside oil and petrochemical facilities and fighting their expansion.
Hosted by 350 Bay Area
350BA Youth-Led Mobilizing Team weekly meeting
Online · 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. · Price not listed. A weekly meeting for young people interested in climate organizing.
Hosted by 350 Bay Area
350Marin Monthly Meeting
Online · 6 to 7:15 p.m. · Price not listed. The North Bay chapter's monthly meeting, open on Zoom.
Hosted by 350Marin · Event calendar
Wednesday, October 7
LWVSF training to observe government meetings
Zoom · noon to 12:30 p.m. · Free. Learn how to follow city meetings and take useful notes in this half-hour introduction to observing local government.
Hosted by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco
Small Group Networking with CCL & SDCW
Zoom · noon to 1 p.m. · Free. Small-group video networking over lunch, co-hosted with San Diego Climate Week.
Hosted by Climate Conscious Leaders with Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · Luma calendar
Friday, October 9
Monthly Virtual Networking
Zoom · 9 to 10 a.m. · Free, members only. WCS members' standing Friday-morning catch-up.
Hosted by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · Luma calendar
🔭 Looking ahead
Ballots & Brews: San José
Tuesday, October 13, 6 to 7:30 p.m. · CreaTV San José, 38 S Second St, and on Zoom · Free. The South Bay edition, covering state measures, with SPUR's own positions shared alongside the research.
Hosted by SPUR
The Thrift Flip: Resale Panel & Sashiko Workshop
Wednesday, October 14, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. · Ferry Building, Port Room · $20 to $35. A resale panel plus a hands-on mending workshop.
Hosted by Rethink The Runway with Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · Luma calendar
Breathing Room: a regional summit on health, indoor air quality and residential stoves
Friday, October 23, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. · Cardinal Hall, Stanford University Redwood City Campus, 505 Broadway · Price not listed. A summit on indoor air quality, health and residential stoves, running through early afternoon.
Hosted by 350 Bay Area with the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health, Westlight Energy and Induction Rocks
