Environmental Forum of Marin

Environmental Forum of Marin EFM has been reshaping the environment of Marin since our founding in 1972. We recently graduated our 46th Master Class. We are all in this together!

We are focused on providing Marin residents : teaching about complex environmental issues and training them in the skills to take effective action. Our Mission: Environmental Forum of Marin Promotes a Sustainable World through Environmental Education
EFM has been reshaping the environment of Marin since our founding in 1972. Our more than a thousand graduates have made significant

impacts and include luminaries such as Barbara Boxer. This fall we will be offering Forum 2020, a comprehensive set of classes delivered virtually. We invite you to select the classes that most interest you to customize your own . Through educating and training effective global citizens, EFM seeks to develop inclusive communication and multicultural skills. We strive to encourage sensitivity through promoting open dialogue and active listening, through creating an inclusive environment where people thrive and feel a sense of belonging, and through making an atmosphere that demonstrates respect and appreciation for the diversity of all people.

On October 1 of 2024 we will be closing the EFM page.The Environmental Forum of Marin itself was officially dis...
08/20/2024

On October 1 of 2024 we will be closing the EFM page.
The Environmental Forum of Marin itself was officially dissolved in May of 2023. For 50 years, EFM offered a master class that provided a deep dive into the ecology of Marin along with training in environmental advocacy. Many Master Class graduates subsequently moved into public office or took leadership positions in environmental non-profit organizations.

We hope you will continue to support the local environmental movement by following the activities and information offered by the Marin Monarch Working Group, Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, Audubon Canyon Ranch, Marin Conservation League, or other groups working to promote biodiversity in Marin County.

The rain keeps coming and the creeks are flowing along at full force, sparking concerns about flooding throughout the co...
03/14/2023

The rain keeps coming and the creeks are flowing along at full force, sparking concerns about flooding throughout the county. In the latest Notebook, we take a look at recent approaches to the natural restoration of creeks. Not only are they more effective than older attempts to contain and subdue water, but they are also better at creating a supportive habitat for native plants and animals.
Read it here --> https://marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/13119617

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” Register at: h...
03/08/2023

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” Register at: https://marinefm.org/event-5159243

This event will feature California Native Plant Society member Marcia Basalla!

It often takes the energy and vision of one person to get things moving in the right direction; California Native Plant Society member Marcia Basalla is just that sort of woman! Over the last several years, she has adopted several traffic islands in Novato, re-landscaping these areas with California native plants together with her energetic volunteers. Her work has been instrumental in regenerating biodiversity in Novato’s Pacheco Valley and other landscaped areas.

Marcia’s concept is to convert these traffic islands to habitat corridors, allowing more safe passages with needed resources between natural open spaces. Home Ground Habitat’s volunteers are growing many of the native plants needed for her projects. And the plant society has donated over the years to help Marcia’s team create these resource-rich passageways.

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” Link in bio!Th...
03/08/2023

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” Link in bio!

This event will feature California Native Plant Society member Marcia Basalla!

It often takes the energy and vision of one person to get things moving in the right direction; California Native Plant Society member Marcia Basalla is just that sort of woman! Over the last several years, she has adopted several traffic islands in Novato, re-landscaping these areas with California native plants together with her energetic volunteers. Her work has been instrumental in regenerating biodiversity in Novato’s Pacheco Valley and other landscaped areas.

Marcia’s concept is to convert these traffic islands to habitat corridors, allowing more safe passages with needed resources between natural open spaces. Home Ground Habitat’s volunteers are growing many of the native plants needed for her projects. And the plant society has donated over the years to help Marcia’s team create these resource-rich passageways.

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” https://marine...
03/04/2023

Join EFM on Thursday, March 16th at 7pm for our next event, “Biodiversity, ReWilding, & Local Solutions.” https://marinefm.org/event-5159243

This event will feature Dr. Paul DeSilva, biologist and ecologist.

Paul was fortunate to grow up surrounded by diversity. Although his childhood house was in the City, marine diversity was nearby in the ocean, and terrestrial diversity was close at hand in a small garden. Furthermore, his family was a diverse mix of people of different colors, shapes and sizes, speaking an assortment of different languages.

Perhaps this was why he was attracted to the study of biology and ecology, and particularly the way human beings interact with their environment. He pursued his studies in several stages, eventually earning a BA in biology, an MS in resource management, and a PhD in entomology, all at UC Berkeley. Research in California, Hawaii, and Latin America helped him to diversify his experiences with people and other species. His investigations have focused on natural ecological communities and the way these can serve as models for sustainable agricultural and horticultural systems.

He taught biology, natural history and environmental science at the College of Marin from 1997 to 2020, all the while participating in many local environmental and community groups, including EFM. One of his special interests then and now has been community science. In 2020, he was elected to the College of Marin Board of Trustees, where he continues to serve at present.

EFM Notebook Update | Gas Stoves: Latest Weapon in the National Culture Wars!https://www.marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/12642...
03/02/2023

EFM Notebook Update | Gas Stoves: Latest Weapon in the National Culture Wars!
https://www.marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/12642015

Last month Florida governor Ron DeSantis released his "Framework for Freedom" budget, which includes $7 million for a sales tax exemption on the purchase of gas stoves. Why? To keep these appliances “free from federal overreach.”

But are gas stoves so beloved in Florida? In fact, only 9% of households in Florida use a gas stove compared with roughly 60% in California!

And Floridians are benefitting from this consumer choice. Recent research found that only 3% of childhood asthma in Florida is attributable to gas stove use compared to 20% in California.

So if Californians were to stop using gas stoves, we could prevent 1 in 5 children from developing childhood asthma. And asthma is just one of the dangers to health and wellbeing that can be directly linked to household use of natural gas.

Check out this earlier Notebook post to learn why it’s critically important to discourage – not incentivize – the use of gas appliances in our homes.
https://www.marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/12642015

Gas Stoves: Latest Weapon in the National Culture WarsLast month Florida governor Ron DeSantis released his "Framework f...
02/27/2023

Gas Stoves: Latest Weapon in the National Culture Wars

Last month Florida governor Ron DeSantis released his "Framework for Freedom" budget, which includes $7 million for a sales tax exemption on the purchase of gas stoves. Why? To keep these appliances “free from federal overreach.”

But are gas stoves so beloved in Florida? In fact, only 9% of households in Florida use a gas stove compared with roughly 60% in California!

And Floridians are benefitting from this consumer choice. Recent research found that only 3% of childhood asthma in Florida is attributable to gas stove use compared to 20% in California.

So if Californians were to stop using gas stoves, we could prevent 1 in 5 children from developing childhood asthma. And asthma is just one of the dangers to health and well-being that can be directly linked to household use of natural gas.

Check out this earlier Notebook post to learn why it’s critically important to discourage – not incentivize – the use of gas appliances in our homes. https://marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/12642015

Wetlands Need Restoration? Beavers to the Rescue!Read more in the newest EFM Notebook: https://www.marinefm.org/EFM-Note...
02/06/2023

Wetlands Need Restoration? Beavers to the Rescue!
Read more in the newest EFM Notebook: https://www.marinefm.org/EFM-Notebook/13072571

As we were reminded this past month, management of rivers and streams is an essential aspect of flood prevention. And yet, many modifications made to the riparian environment in previous decades, such as encasing riverways in concrete channels, have contributed to the risk of flooding rather than mitigating it. But experts are now realizing that restoring rivers and streams to their original forms is an effective way to manage flood risk.

Housing and commercial development make creek restoration quite difficult in urban and suburban communities. But what about areas where there is still enough open space to find more radical solutions to restore watersheds? Scientists, advocates, and government officials are beginning to realize that there is a very inexpensive and highly effective solution not only to flooding but also to the effects of drought and wildfires…bring in a couple of beavers!

IN MEMORIAM: Phyllis Faber, 1927-2023It is with great sadness that we inform you that Phyllis Faber passed away January ...
01/18/2023

IN MEMORIAM: Phyllis Faber, 1927-2023

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Phyllis Faber passed away January 15, 2023. Phyllis was an environmental icon who was not only one of the founding teachers of Environmental Forum of Marin, but also co-founded Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). A botanist, Phyllis was a fellow of the California Native Plant Society; she also served on the California Coastal Commission, the Boards of the Planning and Marin Conservation League, the League for Coastal Protection, and MALT. A memorial celebration of Phyllis’s life is being planned for a future date.

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P. O. Box 151546
San Rafael, CA
94915

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+14154848336

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