Rising Together, the Bay Adapt summit on sea level rise, fills the Exploratorium today, and while the afternoon program is full, the evening reception and the Bay Adapt Awards are still open if you register by 11:00 AM. Thursday brings an open AMA with Recology's sustainability director at 9Zero, where you can ask where your recycling actually ends up, and a reception at Chase Center for the people planting and tending San Francisco's street greenery. The weekend is dense with hands-on work: eight volunteer and native plant sessions from Muir Woods and the Marin Headlands to Palo Alto, Los Altos Hills, San Jose and Los Gatos.
Early this week
- 2026 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit is today at the Exploratorium, free, and registration closes at 11:00 AM, so decide this morning. The afternoon sessions are full with a waitlist; the evening reception and awards have limited availability.
- Yerba Buena Speaker Series: AI for Good: How AI Empowers Circularity, Tuesday at 6:00 PM in SoMa, free and open to all ages, on the Edge AI bin system its makers say lifts disposal accuracy to 91 percent.
- San Francisco Habitat Stewards returns Wednesday at 9:00 AM, free, and registration is required.
- Infrastructure Field Trip: Recology San Francisco on Wednesday morning takes you inside the Tunnel Avenue transfer station and the Pier 96 recycle center; it is free and the waitlist is open, so add your name now rather than Wednesday.
This week in San Francisco
Monday, November 9
2026 Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit — Hosted by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, with the Exploratorium and Greenbelt Alliance · the Exploratorium, Pier 15, Embarcadero at Green Street · 1:00 to 7:30 PM · Free, registration closes Monday at 11:00 AM · The third annual regional gathering on sea level rise adaptation, with panels and talks, a keynote from Los Angeles Times journalist Rosanna Xia, and a closing reception honoring four Bay Adapt Award winners. The afternoon program is sold out with a waitlist; tickets remain for the evening reception and awards.
Tuesday, November 10
Battery and Energy Storage Meetup: From Startup to Brand — Hosted by 9Zero · their calendar, with The Battery Saloon · 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub, 350 California St, 4th floor · 5:00 to 7:00 PM · Free, approval required, with one ticket type for 9Zero members and another for newcomers covering their first three events · Alison Wynn of EKĀ atelier on why a storage company's technical story is not the same as its brand, with practical work on taglines and positioning for audiences beyond engineers.
Yerba Buena Speaker Series: AI for Good: How AI Empowers Circularity — Hosted by Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, with Creative Collective SF · Creativity Museum Theater, 221 4th St · 6:00 to 8:00 PM · Free · The founders of Intuitive AI on Oscar Sort, the waste-sorting system now running at the Moscone Center, the California Academy of Sciences and the Exploratorium, and what measuring disposal accuracy changes about recycling. All ages.
Wednesday, November 11
San Francisco Habitat Stewards — Hosted by Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy · rotating national park lands including Fort Funston, Lands End, Baker Beach and the Presidio, with the meeting point sent in your registration confirmation · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM · Free, registration required · The standing Wednesday morning restoration crew, weeding, planting, watering and mulching, with tools and training provided; volunteers of all ages are welcome, and under 18s need a guardian signature on the volunteer agreement form.
Infrastructure Field Trip: Recology San Francisco — Hosted by the Westside Family Democratic Club · John A. Legnitto Environmental Learning Center, 401 Tunnel Ave · 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM · Free, waitlist open · A behind-the-scenes tour of both the Tunnel Avenue transfer station and the Pier 96 recycle center with Recology staff on what diverting waste from landfill actually takes. Open to adults and supervised children 9 and up, and everyone needs a car or a carpool spot for the leg between the two sites.
What is Happening in the Bay Area Blue Economy? — Hosted by 9Zero · their calendar, with the Bay Area Ocean Cluster and Greenwater Foundation · 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub, 350 California St, 4th floor · 5:00 to 7:00 PM · Free, approval required · Mike Blakeley of the Bay Area Ocean Cluster on the state of the region's ocean economy, then a panel with the Port of San Francisco, Primitives Biodesign, which makes architectural materials from sea urchin shells, and Sofar Ocean, with time for audience questions.
Thursday, November 12
Coffee Meetup — Hosted by Grid Innovation Hub, with 9Zero · their calendar · 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub, 350 California St, 4th floor · 9:00 to 10:00 AM · Free, approval required · An early morning coffee chat for people working on the power grid, from generation and transmission to operations, compliance and project development.
Member Lunch: Friendsgiving Potluck — Hosted by Trellis Coworking and Events · their calendar · Trellis Coworking and Events, 981 Mission St · 12:00 to 1:00 PM · Free, for Trellis members, and you must bring a dish to take part · The annual members' Friendsgiving in the tap lounge, homemade or store bought, Thanksgiving food or not; Trellis brings the pumpkin pie, plates and cutlery.
San Francisco Habitat Stewards — Hosted by Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy · rotating national park lands including Crissy Field and the Presidio, with the meeting point sent in your registration confirmation · 1:00 to 4:00 PM · Free, registration required · The Thursday afternoon version of the same restoration crew, if mornings do not work for you; under 18s need a guardian signature on the volunteer agreement form.
Where Does Your Recycling Really Go? An AMA with Recology — Hosted by 9Zero · their calendar, with Recology · 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub, 350 California St, 4th floor · 5:00 to 7:00 PM · Free, approval required, with one ticket type for 9Zero members and another for newcomers covering their first three events · Julia Mangin, director of sustainability and government affairs at employee-owned Recology, in a fireside chat and then an open AMA on what happens to materials after they leave your bin, with 9Zero member William Neil of EarthSort.
Green Streets Reception at Harmonic Brewing Chase Center — Hosted by the Green Streets Collective, with the Sierra Club SF Group, 3DStreet, Civic Joy Fund and Bancroft Construction Services · Harmonic Brewing Thrive City, 7 Warriors Way, Suite 206 · 6:00 to 8:00 PM · $40 suggested, payment optional, and admission includes two drink tickets with a cash bar after · Drinks and light snacks on the patio overlooking the newly finished Bay Front Park, with a look at street and sidewalk greening projects across the city and the neighbors, city staff, designers and advocates behind them.
Friday, November 13
Sustainable City Living: A Tour of an Urban Eco-Home and Garden — Hosted by SPUR, with Matter of Trust · Matter of Trust Eco-Home and Edible Garden, 728 Cole St · 12:00 to 1:00 PM · For SPUR members only, no price posted · A behind-the-scenes tour of a demonstration home and edible garden built around what renters can change without renovations or a large budget, from reuse and resource conservation to the urban garden itself.
Sunday, November 15
diatribes: VR Film and Collective Sensemaking — Hosted by the Immersive Story Club with artist Veronica Graham, at Gray Area · Gray Area, Grand Theater, 2665 Mission St · 2:30 to 4:30 PM · $16.50 suggested, pay what you want · A poetic virtual reality piece about the internal conflict of facing climate change, watched in pairs so that one person witnesses while the other is inside, then built on together and closed with a group share.
On the Peninsula and South Bay
Tuesday, November 10
Seed Packets Demystified — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County · Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St · 6:30 to 8:00 PM · No price posted · How to read what a seed packet actually tells you, how to choose among varieties and when to plant them, for anyone who has stared at a nursery seed rack and walked away.
Wednesday, November 11
All About Soil — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County · SoFA Pocket Park, 540 S First St, San Jose · 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM · No price posted · A hands-on midday workshop on what soil is made of, the organisms that keep it alive and how to restore depleted ground without synthetic inputs.
Saturday, November 14
Volunteer Outdoors in Palo Alto at Pearson-Arastradero Preserve — Hosted by Grassroots Ecology · Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, 1530 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto · 8:30 to 11:30 AM · Free, registration required · Installing native plants, pulling large invasives with shovels and building brush piles in the oak woodland and grassland of a wildlife corridor; expect lifting, bending and uneven ground, and carpool if you can.
MCP California Native and Succulent Sale — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County · Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave, San Jose · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM · No admission price posted, plants start at $5 and the park charges $6 for parking · Master Gardeners on hand to answer which California natives and succulents suit your yard, patio or balcony, with plants to take home.
Volunteer Outdoors in Palo Alto: Bioretention Area Maintenance at Southgate — Hosted by Grassroots Ecology · Southgate neighborhood, Miramonte Ave and Castilleja Ave, Palo Alto · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM · Free, registration and an approved online waiver required · End of summer pruning and weeding in the street-side basins that filter stormwater runoff. Volunteers under 18 need a guardian to approve the waiver, and under 12s need an adult along.
The Thrifty Table: Creating Beautiful Holiday Centerpieces — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County · Willow Glen Branch Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San Jose · 10:30 to 11:45 AM · No price posted · Laura Westley, Sue Neufeld and Bernie Day demonstrate holiday table arrangements built from what is already in the garden, without a florist or a big budget.
Growing Winter Vegetables in Containers — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County · Gilroy Library, 350 W 6th St, Gilroy · 10:30 AM · No price posted · Watering, soil mix, nutrients and container types for growing vegetables when you are short on space or losing the battle with gophers.
Sunday, November 15
Plant at Byrne Preserve in Los Altos Hills — Hosted by Grassroots Ecology · Byrne Preserve, with parking at the Westwind Community Barn dirt lot, 27210 Altamont Rd, Los Altos Hills · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM · Free, registration and an approved online waiver required · Three hours of installing native plants in grassland, oak woodland and a riparian corridor that holds coyotes, bobcats, quail and checkerspot butterflies; hilly ground and hand tools, with restoration technique taught as you go. Volunteers under 18 need a guardian to approve the waiver, and 12 and unders need an adult along.
Seed and Cutting Exchange and Plant Pickup — Hosted by the California Native Plant Society · Peninsula Conservation Center, 3921 East Bayshore Rd, Palo Alto · 1:00 to 3:00 PM · Free · Take home native plant seeds and cuttings, from easy starters to rare finds, and bring labeled material of your own if you have some to share; envelopes are provided but bring containers for cuttings.
Planning and Planting a Little Fruit Orchard — Hosted by UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County, with the Palo Alto Library · Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Rd, Palo Alto · 1:30 to 2:30 PM · Free · Don Bollinger, who leads the orchard team at the Master Gardener demonstration garden at Martial Cottle Park, on choosing varieties, chill hours, dwarf and multi-graft trees and how to plant one, ahead of bare root season in December.
Volunteer Outside at Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve — Hosted by Grassroots Ecology, at a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserve · Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve, Los Gatos, meeting at the Summit Road and Bear Creek Road intersection · 1:30 to 4:30 PM · Free, registration and an approved online waiver required · Pulling invasive French broom with weed wrenches in the Santa Cruz Mountains to cut fire fuel loads; expect to carry a 10 to 12 pound tool up to a mile on exposed, hilly ground. Volunteers under 18 need a guardian to approve the waiver, and 12 and unders need an adult along.
East Bay and North Bay
Tuesday, November 10
Contamination and Cocktail Hour — Hosted by Remedy Scientific · Remedy's lab in Oakland, reachable from West Oakland BART, with parking onsite · 4:30 to 7:00 PM · Free, approval required · A lab tour and an evening with people from policy, development, law, engineering and community advocacy who want vacant lots turned into housing, parks and businesses and the contaminants taken out of the soil, water and air first.
SPUR Housing Advocacy 101: Understanding Policy and Making Your Voice Heard — Hosted by SPUR, with Local Economy · Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 5:30 to 7:00 PM · Free · A short grounding in how local housing and governance decisions get made, then a choice between hands-on advocacy training and a deeper look at the policy fights in front of the region, with Berkeley city councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra and SPUR's housing and planning staff. SPUR takes its own positions on housing policy and shares them at its events.
Thursday, November 12
CATALYST — Hosted by Build It Green · the Brower Center, Berkeley · 3:00 to 6:30 PM · $65 · Two panels on regenerative community development and regenerative finance, with people from housing, community development, finance and government, followed by a facilitated workshop on applying the ideas to your own projects over light refreshments.
Saturday, November 14
Women's Fall Trail Day — Hosted by Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, with the National Park Service trail crew · Muir Woods Visitor Center, 1 Muir Woods Rd, Mill Valley · 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM · No price posted; for female-identifying, nonbinary and gender non-conforming volunteers; registration required · Working alongside the Muir Woods trail crew with deck flossers, clearing debris from the boardwalk that carries visitors through the redwood groves, work that lengthens the boardwalk's life. Parking vouchers are provided and volunteers under 15 need a guardian along.
Marin Headlands Nursery — Hosted by Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy · Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery, 1301 Kirkpatrick St, Mill Valley · 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM · Free, ages 10 and up, registration required · Transplanting seedlings, pruning and processing seed for next season at the nursery above Rodeo Lagoon, rain or shine, with tools and training provided.
Puzzle Swap — Hosted by Local Economy · Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 2:00 to 3:30 PM · Free · Bring a finished puzzle, take home a different one, with everything sorted by piece count; all ages, and the only rule is that nothing is missing pieces.
Sunday, November 15
Soup Swap — Hosted by Local Economy · Local Economy, 6028 College Ave, Oakland · 2:00 to 3:30 PM · Free, waitlist open · Bring four quarts of one soup in labeled containers, hear why everyone brought theirs, then draft in turns and leave with four different quarts.
Virtual
Tuesday, November 10
Be a Part of Hollywood Using Your Cleantech and Sustainability Expertise — Hosted by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · their calendar · Zoom · 4:30 to 5:30 PM · Free, for WCS members · A WCS member and film industry veteran shares the screenplay of a climate action feature and asks climate and sustainability experts to check the science before it goes further. The session is recorded.
Wednesday, November 11
AI Literacy to AI Fluency: Confidence, Voice and Optionality — Hosted by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · their calendar · Online · 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM · $15, free for WCS members · SuiLin Yap of Microsoft and others on moving from knowing what AI is to using it well, with live demonstrations and guided exercises on skill building and describing your own work more clearly.
Friday, November 13
Monthly Virtual Networking — Hosted by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability · their calendar · Zoom · 9:00 to 10:00 AM · Free, for WCS individual and corporate members and Access Pass holders · An hour of introductions and small breakout rooms with optional prompts, for people working in cleantech and sustainability who want to meet peers across industries.
Looking ahead
- Repair Advice Workshop with Fixit Clinic at John Daly Library, Wednesday November 18, 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the John Daly branch of the Daly City Public Library, 134 Hillsdale Blvd. Hosted by San Mateo County Sustainability · their calendar, in partnership with the Daly City Library. Carry-in items only, drop-ins welcome, and registering what you are bringing helps.
- Sip and Swap #3, Thursday November 19 at 5:00 PM. Hosted by Trellis Coworking and Events · their calendar.
- Twilight Marsh Walk, Saturday November 21 at 4:00 PM, meeting outside the visitor center at 2 Marshlands Rd, Fremont. Hosted by San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society, free, and led by US Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer Mary Bobik. Two of their free programs this weekend filled before this roundup went out, so register early.
