The Green California Summit and Exposition returned to Sacramento for its fifth year at the Sacramento Convention Center on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit featured classes, keynote speakers, exhibits and product demonstrations. Exhibits and keynote sessions were open to the public. This year's theme was "Green Paths to Economic Recovery" and the keynote speakers focused on the economic aspects of green technology. Mayor Kevin Johnson said on Tuesday that Sacramento was the leader in California for green job growth over the last decade. "We really want to transform Sacramento into the Emerald Valley,” Johnson said. Tuesday's keynote speaker was Terry Tamminen, the founder and

Sacramento City Hall expects to add several new high-tech electric cars to its fleet in the coming months, thanks to a federal Department of Energy program. Five Chevrolet Volts will make up the first batch of electric cars coming to the city government later this year. The city can expect five Dodge Ram PHEV pick-up trucks to be available after the Volts, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District, which is organizing a local electric car program. Specific timelines for the arrival of the cars are not yet available. While the city will have some maintenance costs, the cars themselves will be free. The federal government gave grants to General Motors and Chrysler to provide

Mayor Kevin Johnson and representatives from public agencies and small businesses said Thursday that ballot measure Proposition 23 would harm the environment, green businesses and air quality. The November ballot measure would overturn the state’s climate change law, AB 32, until the state reaches an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent or lower for four consecutive quarters. AB 32, which the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger passed in 2006, aims to cut California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Backers of Prop. 23, officially called the “California Jobs Initiative,” argue that AB 32 hurts businesses that must pay the expense of making mandatory changes to comply. The Sacrame

Roz Savage is the type of person who, when her mind is made up, does things 110 percent. Nearly 400 people listened intently as Savage shared her remarkable story at Sacramento State’s University Union Ballroom Thursday night. About 10 years ago, Savage penned two versions of her own obituary – one that she hoped for and the other realistically depicting what she was heading for. She said she realized her life was drifting off course and toward a legacy that would leave her unfulfilled. Gradually, Savage began to let go of what she referred to as her security blankets. She moved out of her home in London, quit her job as an office worker and claimed that she began to find “happiness in w

The 2010 Green California Summit and Exposition opened on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 for two days at the Sacramento Community Center. Pre-Summit workshops were held on Monday. This year's theme is Committed to Sustainability and features education programs, awards and over 175 exhibitors. Admission to the exhibits and keynote presentations is free. Tuesday's expo opened with comments from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and expo co-chair, Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Senator Fran Pavley, author of AB 32, was the first keynote speaker. Pavley spoke about the current campaign to set aside AB 32 and defended the provisions of the Act with a Top Ten Li

The first Sacramento Sustainability Forum of 2010 will feature two dynamic speakers covering the recent climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the effects of product stewardship policy for California. Larry Greene, the executive director of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, will report on developments at the COP15, the United Nations’ climate change conference that took place in December in Copenhagen. Heidi Sanborn, an independent consultant and executive director of the California Product Stewardship Council, will cover product stewardship policy and the implications for consumers and businesses in California. Jacob Grissom, one of the founder

The city’s emerging climate change program is likely to be developed in several stages, starting with an analysis of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a city official. Tom Pace, long-range planning manager for the city, explained that the city is looking at a five-step model suggested by a group of local governments that focuses on climate change. The group, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), suggests five stages for a municipal program to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Sacramento is a member of ICLEI, which includes more than 1,000 cities across the globe. If the city obtains sufficient funding for the “climate action plan,” the effort

The city of Sacramento is starting work on a climate change program that will aim to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. If the climate program receives adequate funding, it will be launched in July and created over a two-year span, said Tom Pace, long-range planning manager for the city. The program will be known as the city’s climate action plan. “There might be new policies that come out of this work that we’re doing” for the climate action plan, Pace said. He noted that new climate change policies may need to be incorporated into Sacramento’s 2030 general plan, which is a long-term road map for city planning. Pace explained that the climate program is being created as a follow-up a

Race to Witch Mountain Directed by Andy Fickman   “Race to Witch Mountain” is an interesting and ultimately successful retread of a franchise that goes back over 30 years to 1975’s “Escape to Witch Mountain” (and assorted theatrical and TV sequels and remakes). It’s very much a movie for kids, tweens, and the less cynical or gore-hungry teens, but it has themes and details that are designed to be appreciated by the adults in the audience, albeit probably the more left-leaning adults. While many family movies pander to adults with mild (or worse) sexual innuendos or raunchy sight gags, “Race to Witch Mountain” is refreshingly free of any content that requires awkward explanations in the

Turn off those heaters and bust out the tank tops. Sacramento is experiencing well above average temperatures this week after a long stretch of cold and fog. Yesterday, Jan. 12, 2009, Sacramento recorded a high temperature of 73° F. That crushed the previous high for the same date of 67° F set way back in 1980 (weather.com). This heat wave raises the question of that dreaded term, Global Warming (or Climate Change, or Green House Effect). Other questions arise as well: Are we really going to lose San Francisco to the rising ocean levels? Will Sacramento melt in extreme heat this summer? I dare not mention the sad fate of the beloved polar bear. Everyone has their own opinion on the topic