Hey Oakland, what're you doing this weekend? In addition to all the Earth Day events, there's lots more cool stuff happening in and around Oakland.

Tonight, Oakland Local senior editor Amy Gahran will catch the W. Kamau Bell Curve comedy show at La Peña (3105 Shattuck, Berkeley). Shows at 8 and 10 pm, $22 -- but it's 2 for 1 if you bring a friend of a different race!

Here are a few more things to note from the Oakland Local community calendar...

We know the problems: too much pollution, too much waste and inefficient use of energy, exacerbated by issues related to transportation, food, energy, waste and building systems.

The first day of spring will present a paean to our most precious resource with "Ripple Effects," an evening of music, art and education about water.

In addition to offering music by Justin Ancheta, Strange Angels Blues Band, Koralie "Sugar" Hill and Walter Ogi Johnson, and artwork by Christina Bertea, Design Action Collective, Doug Minkler, Juana Alicia, Matthew Kertesz, Matlena Hourula, Phoebe Ackley, Street Art Workers and Sven Atema, the event is a benefit for multiple organizations.

Straight from the Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology:

How do we close the food gap?

For those into sustainable food and food access--and willing to travel to San Francisco--this talk is a don't miss. Slow Food Bay Area will host a panel on how to make good, clean and fair food accessible to everyone.

I don't count myself as a bike fanatic. I don't even own a single piece of fancy specialized bike apparel. I don't subscribe to Walking, Running, or Biking Magazines.   However, I am an avid pedal-pusher and devoted walker.  Call me strange, but I also enjoy enjoying the world a little slower pace sometimes.  And of course I appreciate smooth, marked bike lanes, safe cross walks, and not being run down by vehicles.  I also like bike racks outside of the stores, cafes, and offices I frequent. 

Last night, January 28, the biking and walking advocacy group Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland (WOBO) introduced its volunteer base to their new Executive Director Kassie Rohrbach and shared a glimpse of their ambitious 2010 plans. OL was at the meeting and shares this account with you.

Paul Canales, the executive chef at Oliveto’s in Oakland wants there to be fish left in the oceans for his kids when they grow up.

Now that food activist, forager ad artist Asiya Wadud is back in North Oakland, the web site and forager's group she started, Forage Oakland, is thriving once again.  Back from a semester in Rome as an art fellow,  Wadud's returned to her concept of  building neighborhood community and sustainability through a local fruit exchange.  Some forty-odd people gathered at Scott Wh