REAP Climate Center Rules

These are mandatory rules for all members, participants, and guests.

GENERAL Violation of any rule will elicit a response ranging from a kindly written email reminder to immediate revocation of your membership (if applicable) or immediate banishment from the site as decided by directors based on the severity of the infraction. 

You are liable for anything you break. You must repair, have repaired, or replace anything damaged or broken. The completed repair must be approved by a REAP Climate Center admin and it will be at the REAP Climate Center’s discretion if the item or equipment still needs professional servicing or replacement. You must replace anything you use in excess or provide some good faith exchange in materials, equipment or donations. This can include but is not limited to, fasteners, blades, bits, and other consumable items.  

You may not remove anything you do not own from the workshop without permission from a REAP Climate Center admin, including, but not limited to, books, tools, equipment, parts, and other members’ items. Before leaving anything in the workshop for use by others, you must coordinate with an admin who will approve, receive, and document if the item is donated or lent to the organization. 

You must not use the workshop to store or repair any liquid-combustible driven machinery, including vehicles. You must not store any materials without consulting the shop manager or an admin. You must tag the items and include a “remove by” date. Any materials or items left past the “remove by” date will be considered abandoned, and REAP Climate Center will absorb them into stock, sell, or charge you for the disposal of the items. Any items without a “remove by” date will be considered abandoned for use or disposal by REAP Climate Center. 

You must comply with our Membership and Services Agreement, and insurance guidelines.

No sleeping on the premises, unless otherwise specified in your defined roles and responsibilities (ie: security docent). You may not leave vehicles parked overnight. You will not consume alcohol responsible for a minor, and never in excess. You may not smoke or vape in any enclosed areas, near flammable materials, or within 20 feet of any enclosure, or less, if required by law. You must not store any hazardous materials or other waste on-site. You must respect and protect other members’ intellectual property. 

VISITORS Members are liable for any damage your visitor creates. You must escort your visitor at all times and may not leave them unattended. All visitors who wish to participate with you must read, agree with, and sign this agreement. DO NOT allow unaccompanied guests or strangers into REAP Center when not open to the public.

SAFETY You are responsible for bringing, using, and inspecting your own safety equipment. You are responsible for your own safety. REAP Climate Center is not responsible for your safety, as we cannot monitor your every move. If you are not completely comfortable using something, do not use it. You will not use any tool, powered or not, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, legal or otherwise. 

You must use appropriate safety equipment when using any tool. You must not use any power tools around others without warning them. Visitors may not use any powered equipment without supervision. No minors may use power tools without the supervision of a parent, guardian, or instructor. Inspect every tool you use before use; mark, label, and do not use it if the tool is not safely operable.

Welding helmets or welding shields must be worn when welding. Appropriate goggles must be worn for grinding and cutting metals. Do not allow observers to watch without the appropriate protective eyewear and audibly state, “Watch your eyes!” before striking an arc if others are present.

TOOLS & SHOP SPACE You must take turns if someone is waiting to use a piece of equipment. During announced meetings and scheduled workshops, events, etc.- you should not be working with any tools or equipment that make noise, create fumes, or are otherwise distracting. You should also avoid walking through events, if possible.

From our FAQ:

Is the REAP makerspace ONLY for REAP projects? No, but primarily.

A makerspace is needed to build the REAP campus, support our member organizations, and work on climate projects. Our overarching mission is for workforce development in a regenerative climate context - from play to discovery and up through training and certifications. That said, members will often use the makerspace for their own projects. However, personal projects cannot be left onsite. *Please note REAP projects, training, and events will take priority regarding tools and use of space.

POWER SUPPLY The REAP Climate Center is totally off-grid. We have solar trailers with generator backup. This powers common areas and events. For individual spaces, we can provide guidance on how to set up separate solar systems or consider bringing ‘Jackerie’. There are also plans to host a workshop to build power carts that members can check out and use around the property.

WATER Please bring your own drinking water. Again, the REAP Climate Center is totally off-grid. Water is a dynamic puzzle to solve. Please be thoughtful about its use. We have collection and retention solutions and are working to grow that capacity. We also have water brought in, which is not sustainable. Please reach out if you would like to join one of the teams exploring a well and/or water meter.

FIRE SAFETY No open flames are permitted near workshop spaces, welding gases, or combustible materials. Do not tamper with or remove fire extinguishers from their locations (except in the event of a fire). Fires are permitted only in designated locations and NEVER during a Spare The Air Alert. Do not burn painted or treated wood or plastics of any kind. No fireworks are permitted on site. 

COMMON COURTESY You must take turns if someone is waiting to use a piece of equipment. During announced meetings and scheduled workshops, events, etc.- you should not be working with any tools or equipment that make noise, create fumes, or are otherwise distracting. You should also avoid walking through events, if possible.

VEHICLES & PARKING All vehicles must be registered and drivers must be insured, per our insurance.

QUIET HOURS

If it's not music, it's noise. Even still, the music will be noise to others. Perceived noise upsets. Music calms, aligns, and excites. We may find music in the sounds of our machines, and creation, and laughter, and instruments. Our neighbors and adjacent communities may not. If we must reference the allowance of an ordinance to justify our audible impact on those whose support we rely upon, we will have already lost. Our quiet hours will be flexible only in accordance with the degree to which we are successful in supporting and truly coming to know our surroundings. That said, we will make noise. Lots of it. Whether we intend to or not. Let’s help the world see it as music and empathetically buffer where we can. 

Our near neighbors are on boats, in offices, unhoused, and in the Extended Stay hotel. We hear amplified sounds from In-and-Out, Alameda College, Target, the Posey Tube, Jack London, Amtrak, and beyond. Presumably, they can hear us.

Let’s collectively develop a plan to implement remote data collection of our decibel levels in accordance with the guidelines herein. And strive to be 20% less dB and 20 minutes more courteous than Alameda’s requirements. For now, no loud machines or excessively amplified music before 7 am or after 10 pm. Though, keep in mind, weekday workers may be our biggest audience. For special events, a ‘sound plan’ must be provided at least one week in advance. Please see the REAP Events Policy for details, including max dB targets for strategic locations (again, a remote monitoring project could be fun).

ANIMALS You are welcome to bring your pets, but please know that doing so makes you responsible for your and everyone else’s pets’ poop on the property. That includes picking it up and disposing of it properly. Any poop anywhere, as soon as you see it, please pick it up, regardless if you believe it is from your pet or not. 

No animal, at any time, should lay in the 20’ roadway that spans the property (This was a hard-learned lesson for someone and a furry friend in our community). It is all of our responsibility to help train animals not to dwell in the roadway. Animals found to consistently be dwelling in the roadway will be asked not to return. The risk is unacceptable to the animal and the emotional cost of accidentally running over an animal is too great for our members to bear.

REAP Climate Center’s insurance requires that you keep your dog on a leash at all times. Any and all liability associated with failure to comply will be the responsibility of the person who brought the dog, the dog’s owner, and the member associated with the dog. 

You are responsible for the actions of your pet, including but not limited to damage or injury to people or other animals. Please also be aware that some members and guests may not be comfortable with your pet approaching or jumping on them. Please manage your pet and people’s boundaries accordingly. 

At the REAP Center’s discretion, any animal may be denied access for any reason. Failure to comply may result in termination of membership. 

REFUSE Remove your trash and debris at the end of every visit. If the trash bins are full please haul your trash away. Clean equipment, workshop areas, and tools after every use; you must restore the areas for general use. This includes chairs, tables, equipment, tools and materials. The areas must be made available for workshops and use by others. 

AESTHETICS & TIDINESS Please refer to the REAP Center Aesthetics Policy

COVID Please familiarize yourself with our COVID policy: https://www.reapcenter.org/covid  

BEHAVIOR REAP Climate Center has a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment, assault, discrimination, hate speech, and sexual misconduct; any acts classified as such will result in immediate termination of your Membership and Services Agreement and banishment from the premises.

Additionally, maintaining a positive environment and an overall good vibe is important to the smooth operation of the community. This also increases the likelihood of attracting and retaining productive members, thus increasing the potential of achieving the REAP Climate Center’s mission. Please keep this in mind when conducting yourself in person and online. While some of this may be subjective, the REAP Climate Center will make every effort to notify members if they are causing disruption or angst within the community. However, ultimately, it is at the REAP Climate Center’s sole discretion if a member’s actions or conduct are cause for termination. In such cases, overall community sentiment will be gauged when making such decisions.

Please read, accept, and agree to abide by these rules before joining. Membership is contingent upon compliance with rules, guidelines, and community norms.