On Saturday April 20, Oakland Public Works (OPW) will celebrate its 30th annual Oakland Earth Day with dozens of volunteer events across the city. Community members can take action to protect and enhance Oakland’s natural environment by participating in a neighborhood clean-up, tending a community garden, planting trees, or learning more about environmental stewardship and sustainability practices.
People of all ages and abilities can participate by visiting www.oaklandca.gov/earthday to view an interactive map of event sites and register to volunteer. Oakland Public Works encourages community members to join us at one of the seven City-sponsored sites below, which can accommodate large groups of volunteers.
Site name | Address | Time |
Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project | 83rd Avenue and E Street | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm |
Jingletown | 300 Derby Avenue | 9:30 am - 12:30 pm |
Arroyo Viejo Park and Recreation Center | 7701 Krause Avenue | 9 am - 12 pm |
Jack London Aquatic Center | 115 Embarcadero | 10 am - 1:15 pm |
Dimond Park | 1809 Wellington Street | 9 am - 12 pm |
Lake Merritt | 568 Bellevue Ave | 9 am - 1 pm |
Rockridge Temescal Greenbelt/Frog Park | 485 Hardy Street | 9 am - 12 pm |
Oakland Earth Day is an annual tradition, but this year’s event also marks the successful completion of Oakland Fresh: a pilot program that strategically deploys City services to refresh and improve sites in historically disinvested communities.
"Clean and healthy neighborhoods are safer neighborhoods, and I am proud that our administration is delivering with the Oakland Fresh pilot," Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said. "This initiative brings together multiple city departments to tow abandoned cars, paint curbs, fix signs, clean up illegal dumping, and deploy inspectors looking for blighted properties in coordinated operations. We're prioritizing our communities most affected by blight, safety, and systemic equity disparities and making a real impact. As we celebrate what our City staff and crews can deliver, we look forward to honoring the leadership of our communities who make a difference year round with Adopt a Spot and major milestones like Earth Day. This partnership between the City and the community we serve is essential to maintaining the clean, safe city all Oaklanders deserve."
The 90-day pilot period, which kicked off on MLK Day of Service in January and culminates in Oakland Earth Day on April 20th, delivered a blitz of cleaning and maintenance services in three neighborhoods —one each in West, Central and East Oakland—paired with long-term strategies to maintain neighborhood cleanliness through enhanced prevention and enforcement activities. A joint effort of OPW, OakDOT, the Neighborhood Services Division, Planning & Building, Economic and Workforce Development, OPD, OFD, and Emergency Services, Oakland Fresh provided stepped-up:
- Illegal dumping patrols
- Graffiti abatement
- Landscape and tree maintenance
- Abandoned auto removal
- Repair of traffic signs, crosswalk and curb markings, and potholes
- Noticing and enforcement of business garbage service enrollment
- Promotion of tree planting efforts, the Adopt-a-Spot/Drain program, and OAK311
In just the first two months of the program, OPW staff cleared more than 140 piles of illegally dumped debris in these neighborhoods, painted over graffiti at 34 sites, and enrolled 75 local businesses in garbage service to curtail illegal dumping. OPW’s Environmental Stewardship team helped engage 725 volunteers in Oakland Fresh neighborhoods by:
- Supporting 32 community-led clean ups
- Facilitating the “adoption” of 7 new public spaces, through the Adopt-a-Spot and Adopt-a-Drain volunteer programs, and
- Registering 11 Citywide clean-up events for MLK Day of Service and Earth Day.
Thanks to the work of OakDOT crews, Oakland Fresh neighborhoods saw:
- 174 abandoned vehicles towed
- 706 abandoned vehicle service requests investigated and closed
- 1,449 traffic signs and poles repaired, replaced, or scrubbed of graffiti
- 1,794 curbs, crosswalks, and other traffic striping repainted
- 51 streetlights repaired or replaced
The Neighborhood Services Division distributed information to over 7500 households and businesses about how to access City Services and get involved.
More information about Oakland Earth Day is available at www.oaklandca.gov/EarthDay.
Oaklanders can visit www.oaklandca.gov/AdoptASpot to adopt and maintain a public space in the city. The program supports volunteers in the upkeep of parks, creeks, shorelines, storm drains, streets, and trails. OPW provides tool loans, debris collection services, and technical assistance to participants.
Infrastructure maintenance and repair needs can be reported 24/7 to OAK311 online at www.oaklandca.gov/services/oak311 or by dialing 3-1-1 or 510-615-5566.
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About Oakland Public Works
Oakland Public Works is charged with building, maintaining, and improving the City’s infrastructure including public buildings, sanitary and storm sewers, lighting, and City-owned vehicles and equipment. Public Works provides or administers essential environmental services including solid waste and recycling services; illegal dumping abatement; street sweeping; maintenance of parks, trees, and medians; and watershed management.
Our Mission Statement: Oakland Public Works is dedicated to you! We strive to maintain, improve and preserve Oakland’s infrastructure and environment for the residents, businesses, visitors and future generations of every neighborhood in our diverse city.