Acknowledge a pioneer in the Sustainable Practices our former mayor and now Lieutenant Governor gavin newsom. [applause] a couple years ago then mayor newsom forged a partner with San Francisco and president clinton and the Clinton Global Initiative to transform the civic city into the first of its kind sustainable resource district. Since then we have built 525 golden gate, our puc building, one of the greenest in north america and on track to receive lead platinum certification. Yes. We have installed electric charging stations here at civic center. We have free wifi. We have installations at the urban gardens and led lights in the plaza and we continue to do even more. I am proud to announce here that we have applied for lead certification of eight of the existing buildings in the San FranciscoHistoric Civic Center district. [applause] that will represent more than 2. 2 million square feet of civic real estate, including buildings such as city hall, the symphony, the library, the art museum and more. Its challenging to retrofit some of the buildings for Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation but we have done it. Once lead certified the civic center retrofit strategies and technology can serve as a model to other cities and i would like to take this opportunity to recognize leaders from all the country and our world that have made Great Strides in environmental stewardships themselves and have joined in this conference including mayor fong from oakland, mayor Kevin Johnson from sacramento, mayor cory booker from new ark and hif a applause and support his city with. [applause] i would also like to welcome former governor from new york patacky and thank you for your leadership. Over the next days you will learn about Sustainable Practices. You will network with the greatest minds in the industry and enjoy your time here. Be thoughtful. Be creative and go out and lead the befl energy and green policies for the rest of the country. Congratulations and thanks for being here in San Francisco. [applause] hello, i am with the San FranciscoParks Department serious we are featuring some wonderful locations in your and very own backyard. This is your chance to find your heart in San Francisco with someone special. We are here at the lovely and historic palace of fine arts, located in the bustling marina district. Originally built for the 1950s exposition, the palace is situated along San Franciscos waterfront. It is ada accessible and is reached by the 28, 30, and 91 bus lines. With its rotunda, columns, uncut the reflecting waters against the eucalyptus trees, it is one of the most romantic settings for special dates, and memorable proposals. It is also a perfect spot where you can relax with that special someone while listening to the water and fountain in the lagoon. Beautiful to view from many locations, and inside is an ideal place to walk around with your loved ones. The palace is the most popular wedding location in the city park system. Reservations for weddings and other events are available at strecpark. Org. Shakespeares guard and refers has plants referred to in shakespeares plays and poems. Located near the museum and the California Academy of sciences, shakespeares garden was designed in 1928 by the California Spring blossom association. Flowers and plants played an important part in shakespeares literary masterpieces. Here is an enchanting and tranquil garden tucked away along a path behind a charming gate. This garden is the spot to woo your date. Appreciate the beauty of its unique setting. The cherry tree, the brick walkways, the enchanting stones, the rustic sundial. Chaired the bardsw ro share the bards words. The garden is a gem to share with someone special. Pack a picnic, find a bench, enjoy the sunshine and let the whimsical words of William Shakespeare float you and your loved one away. This is one of the most popular wedding locations and is available for reservations. Shakespeares garden is 8ada accessible. This park is located at the bottom of a hill. It is a secret garden with an infinite and captivating appeal. Carefully tucked away, one block from the bottom of lombard street, it makes the top of our list for the most intimate picnic settings. Avoid all tourist cars and parking hassles by hopping on the cable car. Or the 30, 45, 41, or 91 bus. This garden was designed by a the Landscape ArchitectThomas Church in 19 to 1957. Grow old with me, the best is yet to be is inscribed at this gem of a park. A lush oasis anchored by gazebosanchoreddekcs, gazebos, anchored by decks. This is the place to tell your family the love you share. Reservations are available for this hidden gem. I am jamie hopper. Until next time, dont forget to get out and play. For more information about reserving one of these romantic locations, or any other location, call 8315500. This number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and the county fair building. For any athletic fields and neighborhood parks, 8315510. You can also write us. 501 San Francisco, calif. 94117. Or just walk in and say hello. And of course you can find more information and reach us at sfrecpark. Org. Feel like it really is a community. They are not the same thing, but it really does feel like theres that kind of a five. Everybody is there to enjoy a literary reading. The best lit in San Francisco. Friendly, free, and you might get fed. [applause] this San Francisco ryther created the radar reading series in 2003. She was inspired when she first moved to this city in the early 1990s and discover the wild west atmosphere of open mi its ic in the mission. Although there were these open mics every night of the week, they were super macho. People writing poems about being jerks. Beatty their chest onstage. She was energized by the scene and proved up with other girls who wanted their voices to be heard. Touring the country and sharing genx 7 as a. Her mainstream reputation grew with her novel. Theses San FranciscoPublic Library took notice and asked her if she would begin carrying a monthly reading series based on her community. A lot of the raiders that i work with our like underground writers. Theyre just coming at publishing and at being a writer from this underground way. Coming in to the library is awesome. Very good for the library to show this writing community that they are welcome. At first, people were like, you want me to read at the library, really . Things like that. As a documentary, there are interviews [inaudible] radar readings are focused on clear culture. Strayed all others might write about gay authors. Gay authors might write about universal experiences. The host creates a welcoming environment for everybody. There is no cultural barrier to entry. The demographic of people who come will match the demographic of the reader. It is very simple. If we want more people of color, you book more people of color. You want more women, your book more women. Kind of like that. It gets mixed up a little bit. In general, we kind of have a core group of people who come every month. Their ages and very. We definitely have some folks who are straight. The loyal audience has allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup. Established authors bring in an older audience. Younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. Raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. It ranges from fiction to academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. And there are so many different literary circles in San Francisco. I have been programming this reading series for nine years. And i still have a huge list on my computer of people i need to carry into this. The supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club. A deep explorationer of a single work. After the talk, she bounces on stage to jumpstart the q a. Less charlie rose and more carson daly. San francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. Multiple Reading Events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big names like city arts and lectures. Radar was voted the winner of these San Francisco contest. After two decades of working for free, michelle is able to make radar her fulltime job. I am a right to myself, but i feel like my work in this world is eagerly to bring writers together and to produce literary events. If i was only doing my own work, i would not be happy. It is, like throwing a party or a dinner party. I can match that person with that person. It is really fun for me. It is nerve wracking during the actual readings. I hope everyone is good. I hope the audience likes them. I hope everybody shows up. But everything works out. At the end of the reading, everyone is happy