October 2008
      By Kerry Fleisher

For Many Kids School-Related Activities Continue Into the Late-Afternoon

Getting your child into a suitable after-school program can seem like a daunting task, especially to parents of kindergarteners.  Luckily there is an eclectic mix of afterschool activities available for the five to 12-year-old set.Most parents prefer to get a slot in programs available on their kid’s school campus, like nonprofit Growing and Learning Opportunities (GLO), which is offered at Alice Fong Yu, Alvarado, Fairmount, and West Portal elementary schools. Availability is determined by the size of the exiting fifth grade, according to Alvarado site supervisor Melissa Serrano.  Many of Alvarado-GLO’s 100 spots are filled by younger children; older kids tend to have a wider array of afterschool activities available to them...(more...)

January 10, 2008
By Kerry Fleisher

San Francisco Department of the Environment Considers Carbon Credit Program

The carbon-trading market is fast becoming the next frontier for businesses and citizens who want to offset their carbon emissions, and the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SF Environment) is planning to muscle in on the yet-to-be regulated market.  Tourists and San Franciscans may eventually be able to buy carbon credits from SF Environment to help mitigate the City’s municipal carbon footprint, if the department can iron-out the analytical details...(more...)

October 28, 2007
By Lorraine Sanders

San Franciscans Calling 311 to Get the 411

Since its launch last February, the City and County of San Francisco’s 311 Call Center has made it easier for residents to reach city departments with questions, service requests and complaints...(more...)

July 30, 2007
By Julie Mitchell

State School Lunch Law Finally Catches Up with San Francisco

A few months ago the California Legislature imposed nutrition standards for food and beverages sold at elementary, middle, and high school campuses that the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) adopted four years ago. San Francisco’s schools participate in the National School Lunch Program, a federally-assisted meal program that offers free or reduced-priced lunches to low-income students...(more...)

April 25, 2007
By Neighborhood Newswire

The View on Schools

More than 4,000 San Francisco children attend one of the City's 63 public elementary schools. Last month anxious parents found out whether their child could attend the public school of their choice...(more...)

October 7, 2006
By Robynne Boyd

School Playgrounds Get Mixed Reviews

Amidst the pressure of limited budgets, annual rounds of school closures, and demands to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), playground maintenance has been put on the San Francisco Unified School District's (SFUSD) backburner...(more...)

June 6, 2005
By Daniel Porras

World’s Mayors Sign Urban Environmental Accords

In an elaborate ceremony in the rotunda of San Francisco City Hall, more than 50 mayors from cities around the world signed the Urban Environmental Accords... (more...)

May 15, 2005
By Marjorie Beggs

Greening of City Hall: Government offices struggle to keep up with recycling goals

Juan-Tomas Rehbock, a senior IT business analyst for the S.F. Public Utilities Commission, is a recycling advocate’s dream... (more...)

May 12, 2005
By Daniel Porras

San Francisco the Center of World Environment Day

For some nature lovers, the modern city - a massive, energized complex of steel, stone, glass, and asphalt- is as unnatural as it gets... (more...)

May 3, 2005
By Daniel Porras

City Hones Emergency Plan for Hounds

In the event of a natural disaster, twenty-nine-year-old South-of-Market resident Lynsie isn’t concerned about losing track of her two-year-old brown and white Pekingese, Bailey... (more...)

February 24, 2005
By Daniel Porras

New Tsunami Warning System Installed at Ocean Beach

On an unseasonably warm afternoon at Ocean Beach, surfers ride the waves while kite flyers, lovers, and families enjoy the sun and breeze... (more...)

January 14, 2005
By Matt Isaacs

Growing Pains for City's Environmental Justice Program

At the turn-of-the-century, when the City's Department of Environment took on the monumental task of managing one of the largest environmental justice programs in the country, no one said it would be easy... (more...)