Creating Fire-Resistant Zones: Protecting Homes in Alameda County

Alameda County is renowned for its stunning landscapes and picturesque communities. However, this region is not immune to the threat of wildfires that can devastate homes and communities. Fires are possible throughout the year in California, but the peak fire season in Northern California usually begins in June or July and runs through late October or November. In light of the increasing risk of wildfires, homeowners in Alameda County must understand the importance of creating fire defensible space and implementing practical measures to safeguard their properties. By adopting proactive measures, residents can significantly reduce the potential impact of wildfires and increase the safety of their homes.

Understanding Fire Defensible Space:
Fire defensible space refers to the designated area around a property that is modified to minimize the risk of fire spreading from nearby vegetation. This space acts as a barrier, offering firefighters a safe area to defend homes and providing homeowners with a higher chance of survival during a wildfire. Creating and maintaining defensible space is crucial for communities in Alameda County to mitigate the impact of wildfires.

Practical Measures for Homeowners:

1. Clear Vegetation: Remove dead vegetation, dry grass, and fallen leaves from within at least 30 feet of your home. Keep this area free from debris, including dead plants, branches, and other combustible materials. Trim trees and shrubs, maintaining a minimum distance of 10 feet between branches and the ground.

2. Prune Trees and Limbs: Regularly prune trees, focusing on lower branches that can act as “ladder fuels,” allowing fire to climb into the tree canopy. Maintain a clearance of at least 10 feet between tree crowns and structures.

3. Manage Landscaping: Select fire-resistant plants and materials for landscaping near your home. Choose low-flammability plants and avoid using highly flammable vegetation. Maintain adequate spacing between plants to minimize the potential spread of fire.

4. Create Defensible Zones: Divide your property into zones to prioritize fire-resistant measures. Zone 1, within 0-30 feet of your home, should be the most meticulously maintained. Zone 2, 30-100 feet from your home, requires careful vegetation management, reducing fuel loads and minimizing fire spread. Zone 3, 100-200 feet from your home, should have strategically spaced trees and reduced fuel loads.

5. Address Access and Safety: Ensure your property has proper access for emergency vehicles, such as wide driveways and clear roadways. Install address signs that are clearly visible for emergency responders. Maintain an emergency supply kit and develop an evacuation plan for your family.

6. Maintain Gutters and Roofs: Clean debris from roofs and gutters regularly, as they can become potential ignition sources during wildfires. Consider using spark-resistant materials for roofing and covering vents with fine mesh to prevent ember intrusion.

7. Firewise Communities: Engage with your neighbors and community to create a Firewise community. Collaborate on implementing fire safety practices, sharing resources, and organizing community events to raise awareness and educate residents.

In Alameda County, the risk of wildfires poses a significant threat to homes and communities. By creating fire defensible space and implementing practical measures, homeowners can play a crucial role in reducing the vulnerability of their properties. Through active involvement and collaboration within their communities, residents can enhance the overall fire resilience of Alameda County. Remember, preparedness and proactive measures are essential for safeguarding lives, homes, and the beautiful landscapes of this region.

To learn more about Defensible Space in California, visit http://www.fire.ca.gov/dspace.

Kairos Moment with Sara Barber

The Green Team will be hosting Sara Barber, an expert in clothing and textiles reuse and recycling, at our church worship service Sunday July 16, 2023. Please see her purpose statement below. She will explain to us in our Kairos Moment some solutions to the dire problem of putting usable clothing & textiles in the landfill.

You can participate by attending worship and a brief Question & Answer period afterwards (before heading off to our usual sumptuous coffee hour.) Bring your items to church to be recycled as she describes below.

Sara Barber is a supply chain professional in the footwear and apparel industry with more than 20 years of experience. She has spent the last 20+ years bringing new products into the world, she would like to spend the rest of her career taking the items back out.

Her current focus is on how to implement reverse logistics flows with a sustainability component. Her work has uncovered more ways for companies of consumer goods to be responsible for the items they can no longer sell at retail and new technology to help develop the needed processes.

Sara lives in Fremont, very close to Niles. She enjoys going on hikes, exploring new places, and engaging with the community.

Here are the items we can collect:

ACCEPTED TEXTILES (Both reusable and damaged)
Pants, jeans, skirts, dresses, suits, shorts, shirts
Coats, jackets, gloves, hats, scarves
Shoes, boots, heels, sneakers, sandals, socks
Bras, underwear, slips, camisoles, tights
Handbags, belts, ties, headbands
Towels, sheets, comforters, blankets, tablecloths – Wallets, totes, backpacks, stuffed animals

NOT ACCEPTED
Textiles that are wet, moldy, contaminated with chemicals or bio-hazardous waste cannot be recycled and will not be accepted
Mattresses, furniture, or other similar oversized Items will not be accepted
Anything made of foam

Climate Hope Cards Campaign

Niles Discovery Church’s Green Team encourages you and your friends to participate in the Climate Hope Cards Campaign. The Team has 150 postcards, which, once signed, they will collect and send them to the EPA. Blank postcards can be picked up at the table at the back of the sanctuary in the clear plexiglass holder. Completed cards can be returned to the basket next to the blank Climate Hope cards. If there are any questions, please see a Green Team Member; Susie Claxton, Marilyn Singer, Julie Ballard or Bee Newell. All postcards should be returned to church no later than Sunday, July 30th.

The UCC Climate Hope Cards campaign is part of an effort to save thousands of lives, address societal inequities, and get our nation on track to meet its climate goals. The Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of updating a number of protections that could significantly impact our environment and public health. Congregations are now striving to collect as many postcards as possible to urge the strongest possible protections. These postcards will be delivered to decision makers in Washington, D.C. in September. They will also be used to connect people to opportunities to submit comments to the EPA as updates to protections are considered.

It is in action that hope is found. As the Israelites confronted the challenges of their time, the prophet Jeremiah passed along God’s message: Your labor is not in vain. There is hope for your future (Jeremiah 31:17). We saw evidence of this in the past year as hundreds of UCC children and youth drew and painted about climate hope for an art contest. The winning artwork is now on the postcards being collected.

One could argue that all of us have a self-interest in doing everything we can to fight climate change. As Christians, however, we are called beyond our individual lives to love our neighbor and to care for all of God’s creation. To be in right relationship with our neighbors and God’s creation is ultimately at the heart of being in right relationship with God. To put it more succinctly, when we talk about what it means to be in right relationship we are talking about justice. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to put justice into action.

Today, justice takes many different and interconnected forms. We see this especially in the climate crisis. The burdens of pollution do not fall on everyone equally. Climate-related disasters do not affect everyone the same. Race, poverty, and other societal inequities all play a role in who currently suffers the most and who faces the greatest impending dangers. Often those who have contributed the least to climate change are those who are impacted the greatest.

Niles Discovery Church Hosts Safe Parking this month.

Our church will be serving the homeless this July by participating in the Fremont Safe Parking program once again. Currently there are about 12 cars participating and we have 19 volunteers ready and willing! If you’re interested in joining us in serving, please contact Melissa Palleschi at mpall@comcast.net or John Smith at jsmith1152@aol.com.

All participants in the Safe Parking program must be affiliated with Fremont, Newark, or Union City. Newark is often a funding partner in homeless service programs. Union City and Fremont have had a longstanding, reciprocal relationship with referrals into their respective programs. Affiliation to a city can be defined as previous housing, enrollment in school, employment, family connection, or receiving healthcare or mental health services.

Those being referred into the program must fit the above criteria and demonstrate that they are engaged and motivated and working on a plan to transition into stable housing.

Referrals may be made by community-based services providers such as: (Abode, BACS, BACH) who have Housing Navigators, Street Health Outreach Workers, Social Workers, or Care Coordinators working with those being referred, referrals also may be made city human services staff (social workers), police department or other City staff, Host Site Referrals, and Self-Referral.

All program participants go through a screening process to make sure they have a case manager, a valid drivers license, an up-to-date vehicle registration, appropriate insurance, and an operable car that is “street legal.”

The program seeks to be a steppingstone toward stable housing. That said, the transition into stable housing is a very individualized process and often involves overcoming many barriers and challenges. Two common challenges that delay rehousing are an inability to increase income because of age or disability, and a lack of affordable properties willing to accept housing subsidies and vouchers.

It is the expectation that all participants are motivated toward the goal of rehousing, and they are consistently working on a transition plan with a professional service provider. Each participant will be reassessed on a 90-day basis, to confirm that they are still adhering to this expectation. They need to continue to engage with staff and services to participate. Engagement is determined by demonstrated actions and meeting milestones identified in their transition plan.

July Special Offering: Educating the Future

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” Proverbs 4:13 
For many children who come from families struggling with poverty, getting new school supplies is a luxury beyond their reach. These tools can make all the difference in the world to their future success. How can a child be expected to excel in the classroom without the basic tools to learn? Studies show that when kids have new supplies that belong to them, grades, behavior, and engagement improve. Their self-esteem increases. And, most importantly, their attitude towards school and learning improves. 

Fifty very nice backpacks have already been donated for our school supplies offering. Consequently, we are requesting your help in filling them with school supplies. A list of items and supplies is available in the fellowship hall, on the bulletin board by Room 4, or by requesting a copy by email: MCE@nilesdiscoverychurch.org. If you prefer to donate money for this special offering, go to nilesdiscoverychurch.org/give and select “School Supplies” from the Special Offering options, or mail a check to the church. We need the school supplies no later than July 30. The Ministry of Christian Education Team will use the funds to purchase school supplies. We will be presenting the filled backpacks to the Fremont Resource Center for distribution.

This special offering will be dedicated during worship on Sunday, July 30. Children and teachers in the congregation are invited to bring some or all their school supplies for the new school year with them during the worship service for dedication, too. 

As with all our special offerings, you are welcome to give at any time (always make checks payable to Niles Discovery Church) or online. Niles Discovery Church receives a special offering each month. With so many possibilities for special giving, you may need to choose which ones are most important to you. You can see the schedule of special offerings at bit.ly/NDCSpecialOfferings.

Thanks to your generosity, June’s special offering for Pentecost and Strengthen the Church raised over $275. Your faithful support is greatly appreciated.

Documentary shows young entrepreneurs on their quest for safe, flexible, and low-cost advanced nuclear technologies

THE NEW FIRE tells a provocative and startlingly positive story about a planet in crisis and young entrepreneurs who are trying to save it. Nuclear power has been vilified in popular culture and among much of the environmental community. Yet the next-generation reactors currently in development may actually be key to avoiding global catastrophe. The young entrepreneurs heading this energy revolution realize they’re up against more than the climate clock – they need to convince all of us that the “new nuclear” is safe and achievable.

Join us on Zoom for a special screening of this documentary, followed by a discussion, Saturday, July 8, at 1:30 p.m. You can register for this screening and others by visiting bit.ly/SSDSZoom.

“We are screening this film with which some may have significant issues, as a means of engaging in a critical discussion of certain alternatives to fossil fuels,” John R. Smith said. The post-screening discussion will be led by Ron Adamson. Most recently Ron Adamson has been a materials consultant for many nuclear power utilities throughout the world. Before that he was a manager and materials engineer for 32 years at GE Nuclear Energy. Dr. Adamson has a broad interest in all forms of energy.

Filmed across four continents over the course of twenty-two months, Emmy award-winning director David Schumacher’s film focuses on how the generation facing the most severe impact of climate change is fighting back with ingenuity and hope.

All Church Worship and Picnic

Please join us for the Fourth “Annual” Outdoor Worship and Church Picnic Sunday, July 23rd, at Quarry lakes Recreation Area in the South Ensenada Picnic Area. This is the same place we met last year. The unique worship service in natural surroundings will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Our morning will begin with a worship service. While details are still being put together, it will be part of the “Emerge” worship series that runs through July, and aspects of that series will be integrated into the service. Music will be easy (probably camp-type songs) and the prayers of the people will be simplified. The Ministry of Spiritual life Team hopes to integrate the sacrament of communion into the picnic portion of the festivities. The service will be in-person only (no Zoom service that day). Pastor Jeff said, “I’m hoping to make the sermon somehow experiential though I don’t know what that will take.” He added that the scripture for that day, Exodus 16, is very appropriate for a church picnic.

We have the picnic area reserved all day. After lunch, feel free to stay as long as you like for an afternoon of recreation choices including hiking, biking, walking, fishing {license and permit needed for those over 16), kites, touring the rare fruit tree grove, lawn games and fellowship time with friends,

Main course and drinks will be provided. Please sign up to attend and to bring a potluck dish (side, salad, or desert) to share. Signup sheets are at the church or contact Marilyn or Amy. You may want to bring your own chairs to the picnic site. Since there is a $5 entry fee, carpooling is encouraged. We will be forming carpools in the church parking lot between 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

If you have any questions or to sign up, please contact Marilyn Vermazen (563)609-4931 mjvermazen@gmail.com or Amy Gunnarson (301)693-6397 amygunnarsonrn@gmail.com

Brainstorming Event for Long- and Short-Term Fundraising.

Thanks to all those who submitted the 29 ideas and the over 60 people that attended on June 4. Many additional thanks to the Ministry of Hospitality and Fellowship for organizing our nice lunch that day.

The event was a success because of all the good ideas and our congregation’s desire to address our finances with new approaches. Here are the top ideas that got the greatest interest—but be assured that all the ideas are being retained. We will revisit them next year.

Top long-term income growth ideas, some of which might lead to church growth and awareness (*=the idea has a champion—a person willing to lead):

1. Rental of Brenda’s office to a non-profit. It has been determined it could rent for $2500 each month, with use of internet, copy machine, and use of smaller rooms for meetings if they are available.
2. Rental to another church to share our facilities, including Brenda’s office.
3. *Write grant proposals to cover the cost of our free use of our building to non-profit partnership organizations.
4. Promote rental of our building to non-profits for one- or two-of-a-kind events.
5. *Rent a couple of spaces in the parking lot to Charge Point or EVGo, creating the only Niles charging station.
6. *LGBTQ+ Ministry: could be monthly programs or weekly gatherings for discussions, music, prayer and social elements such as meal or snacks, run by a minister, seminary student, or others.

One additional idea is to have a vegetable/fruit table each Sunday in the Fellowship Hall for those with extra produce, then ask for a donation that will go to the general fund. The Ministry of Hospitality and Fellowship has taken this idea on to begin this summer.

Top short-term income growth ideas: (*=event has a champion)

1. Music and speakers series
2. *Themed Events (concerts, improv night, open mic, dance, comedy night, family movie night, etc.)
3. *Strizzis Day for the church: we get 20% of the profits
4. *Tea with speaker event
5. *Christmas art and craft fair, renting spaces to crafters and selling food and beverages.

We are looking for someone to champion the top ideas that presently do not have champions. That person would organize a meeting with those indicating interest in the project to further investigate the idea. That group would bring the idea back to Cabinet with next steps, and then if appropriate Cabinet will bring the idea back to the congregation with a plan of action. Please contact Melissa Palleschi (mpall@comcast.net) if you are interested in organizing a group that does not have a champion.

Orders of worship for this weekend’s special services available here

In addition to the regular Sunday morning worship service, there will be two special worship services this weekend, June 24 and 25. The orders of worship for our Sunday morning worship services is published each week here, but we don’t have a dedicated page for orders of worship for special services. That’s why they are being published here.

On Saturday morning, June 24, at 10:00, we will have a memorial service celebrating the life of John Wharton. You can download the order of worship for that service here.

On Sunday afternoon, June 25, at 2:00, we will have a special “service of release,” releasing Pastor Brenda from her covenant with Niles Discovery Church so serve as our Associate Pastor. The order of worship for that service is available here.

We hope you can attend these two, special services.

Refugia Worship: Seeking Shelter, Wonder, and the Healing of the Earth

Are you concerned about climate change? Do you long for a community in which to express your sorrow, your anger, your hope? Were you intrigued by Pastor Jeff’s description of his sabbatical exploring the incorporation of nature into worship experiences? Are you looking to express your engagement with our Green Team in an “outside” setting? Are you curious what the word “Refugia” means?  If so, you may want to participate in the Refugia Worship service on Saturday, June 24 at 2:00 p.m. at United Church of Christ Fremont, at 38255 Blacow Road in Fremont.

This interfaith worship service will be a space of refuge and hope, a place to passionately express our anger and grief about human-caused climate change, and a place to create collective action to heal our world. This service is being planned by experienced leaders from the Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Earth-Based Spirituality (Pagan) traditions.  We will pray, sing, and experience the hope that only community can bring when we join together to work for a common vision, a sustainable community. Please join us to welcome the summer season at this first Refugia Worship service.

And, if you are still curious, the word refugia (reh-FUH-jee-ah) is a biological term describing places of shelter where life endures in times of crisis, such as a volcanic eruption, fire, or stressed climate. Ideally, these refugia endure, expand, and connect so that new life emerges from the devastation.

Link to Facebook event: Refugia Worship