Big Soda Advertising and Educational Interventions in the Virtual Space

Big Soda Advertising and Educational Interventions in the Virtual Space
Over the past four years, Ecology Center has been reinvesting grant funding from soda tax dollars into initiatives aimed at raising awareness at Berkeley High School about health equity and the growing cases of type 2 diabetes among young people, with an outsized impact on Latinx and African-American youth.  By partnering with teachers, administrators, and… Read more »

No Time to Despair. Let’s Get Busy Creating the Future!

No Time to Despair. Let's Get Busy Creating the Future!
Dear Ecology Center Supporters, The Trump victory has shaken us to the core. It’s a complete repudiation of the values we hold dear. We are awakening to a different view of the work ahead, marked by grave uncertainties. What will happen to US commitments to address climate change? The food stamp program? Immigrants? Basic civil… Read more »

Berkeley High Freshmen Start School Year with Free Water Bottles Thanks to Soda Tax

Berkeley High Freshmen Start School Year with Free Water Bottles Thanks to Soda Tax
[Press Release]  As classes start this week, 700 students entering Berkeley High are going to school with free, stainless steel, reusable water bottles. Made by the Chico-based company Klean Kanteen, the water bottles were distributed at freshman orientation by Youth Scholars from the Ecology Center’s Youth Environmental Academy. This water bottle giveaway was funded by… Read more »

New Local Soda Taxes Poised to Go to Voters in SF, Oakland, and Albany

New Local Soda Taxes Poised to Go to Voters in SF, Oakland, and Albany
You probably remember the successful soda tax in Berkeley during the 2014 election. That same election year, there was a proposed San Francisco soda tax that failed to pass. Now, two years later, that could change as Berkeley’s neighboring cities are taking steps to increase health awareness by proposing their own taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages… Read more »

Watch New Short Film: Berkeley Vs. Big Soda

Watch New Short Film: Berkeley Vs. Big Soda
On March 28th, 2016 the Ecology Center released “Berkeley vs. Big Soda,” a short film that tells the story of how a community fought the powerful beverage industry to pass a tax on the distribution of sugary beverages. The movie features campaign footage and is told by the diverse coalition members that coalesced to support… Read more »