SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) held a press conference announcing that the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA) is receiving $300,000 in federal funding to support SETA's On-The-Job Training Program. The event was held at the Beutler Corporation, located at McClellan Park, one of the several Sacramento companies that will be able to hire workers as a result of this grant. Congresswoman Matsui was joined by California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas, SETA Executive Director Kathy Kossick, and Beutler Corporation President Rick Wylie to make the announcement, followed by a tour of Beutler's manufacturing plant. “I am excited to announce the all

Sacramento, CA - Curtis Park resident Erik deKok shares a 1926 two-story home with his family of four. It is made of brick, has an attic conversion, but like many homes of that era the house used to feel drafty in the winter and unevenly air conditioned year-round. The upstairs stayed hot while the downstairs was cold. Mr. deKok’s children always had chilly hands when they played on the un-insulated flooring of the lower level in the winter time, and his wife’s asthma was worsened by moisture and mold problems from having an unsealed crawl space. These conditions have all changed with the help of over $6,000 in PG&E and SMUD rebates through the Energy Upgrade California program, plus 3% fi

UC Davis Extension recently announced the launch of its new program, Sustainability Studies, a multidisciplinary unit that combines aspects of green building, sustainable design and energy. Recognizing the integrated nature of sustainable solutions, this unique collaboration allows students from a variety of sectors, including energy, planning and policy, environmental and water resources, and public health, to access practical, timely training and flexible certificate programs. “UC Davis Extension has been providing the knowledge and tools to confront issues of sustainability for three decades, but to respond to today’s unprecedented challenges, professionals need cross-training to be ef

Anne Dunlap-Kahren’s old refrigerator was in her kitchen for 13 years. She bought a new one and relegated the old one to a place where a lot of old refrigerators go, the garage. The problem is these older refrigerators use more household energy than anything else in the home. They use as much as three times the energy of newer models, and can cost up to an additional $125 per year to run. When Anne heard about SMUD’s Refrigerator Recycling program, she called to make an appointment. Within a few days, JACO Environmental, a SMUD recycling contractor, was at her door to pick up the old one and give her a $35 check for it. By recycling, Anne is saving money, energy and the environment. “Fo

Hundreds of Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) residential and commercial customers will soon be able to take advantage of generous rebates to help pay for comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits thanks to a federal grant. Using stimulus funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), the Neighborhood Performance program provides rebates to single-family and multifamily residential customers and small and large commercial customers in the downtown and midtown areas of Sacramento and the Rosemont area in Sacramento County. Those areas were chosen based on customer profile and peak energy usage. SMUD received about $2.8 million in the grant, which was awarded to Los

Spring break is usually associated with traveling and having fun. Well, a group of college students took that concept to a whole another level. Twenty-five students from the Energy Service Corps spent their time off to help weatherize different facilities throughout the state of California. The latest was a stop at The Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter in downtown Sacramento on March 25. “We decided to come here because they (Salvation Army) have done so much for the community,” said Abbygail Williams, Energy Service Corps member and UC Davis student. “The students just wanted to give them back something in return.” This weatherization event was part of the Energy Alternative Sprin

A new East Sacramento shop is offering commuters an alternate method to get to work or run errands around town – electric bicycles. Mike Majors opened The Electric Bike Shop at 3644 J St. on Dec. 11. “No one really knows much about them,” Majors said. “There are other stores that sell them here in town, but they don’t market them much.” Majors sells electric bicycles that come complete with batteries, electric motors and pedals, so riders can either use them as standard bicycles, electric motorbikes or a combination of the two. “I like to ride mine with the pedals, but if I get to a stop sign, I’ll use the throttle to get up to speed when I take off,” Majors said. Federal law requires

Sacramentans driving past Sixth and Q streets might be wondering what the towering building is that resembles a nuclear cooling tower mated with a jungle gym. If they say it’s “cool,” they’d be on the right track. The multistory tower is part of the state of California’s rebuilt Central Plant, which provides heating and air conditioning to all 23 state buildings in the city. “It’s all for heating and cooling the state buildings,” said Project Director Joel Griffith of California’s Department of General Services. “We serve three functions: steam, chilled water and compressed air. It’s all sent through underground piping.” Most functions are currently on line, but some final tests need t

In case you’ve neglected your political calendar lately, we’re nearly to the 4th of July, beyond the June 8th primary, and the November 2010 general election race for the 3rd Congressional District seat between challenger Ami Bera and incumbent Dan Lungren is in full swing. Nowhere has this race been more evident recently than it was in the mid-June dust-up in which Bera accused Lungren of being silent about the gulf oil spill, calling him “a pawn of BP and big oil” who tacitly defends BP (the firm that caused the Deepwater Horizon spill, easily the nation’s worst environmental disaster ever), because he (Lungren) relies heavily on the oil and gas industry to finance his political campaig

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) hosted a first of its kind forum at the Sacramento State Alumni Center for local clean technology companies to explore federal funding opportunities with representatives from the Administration. Joined by prominent representatives from the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Export-Import Bank, Rep. Matsui’s event highlighted Federal programs that businesses can apply for to promote the use of clean technology, bolster the clean energy industry, increase exports of American-made clean energy products, and reduce both energy consumption and costs for consumers and businesses. ‪‪ “As our regional economy continues to rec

"Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists” Sacramento Sustainability Forum is a monthly venue for connecting businesses, non-profits, government and interested citizens in the Sacramento region in order to promote sustainability, share insights and resources, and support movement toward a more sustainable future. The May SSF event was held at SMUD Auditorium Thursday, May 20. Approximately 65 attendees filled the auditorium, including interested citizens and students as well as members of the business, nonprofit and government communities. The Keynote topic was called "Why the Climate Crisis Can Only be Solved by Citizen Lobbyists", presented by Mark Reynolds, Exec

Today I introduced the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010 to boost the competiveness of U.S. clean technology industry in the U.S. and international marketplace.  This will have an enormous impact on the Sacramento region, and help further the region’s progress toward becoming a clean-tech capital. The bill is co-sponsored by leading Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including House Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush (D-IL), Chairman Emeritus John D. Dingell (D-MI), and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA). Currently, our nation’s clean tech industry is lagging behind many of its international competit

On April 22nd each day for the past 40 years, our nation has celebrated this day as Earth Day - an opportunity for many of us to join with family, friends and neighbors to celebrate our environment and work towards a healthier one.. At this time each year, I enjoy celebrating Earth Day with my family and reminding my grandchildren about the importance of respecting nature. Protecting our environment means guaranteeing our families can breathe clean air and drink clean water. For those in the region, much of our food supply comes from local farmers and can be adversely affected by harmful pollutants. It is important that the next generation understands and appreciates all that our planet h

April 16 marked the arrival of TEDx in Sacramento, bringing a “TED-like experience” to our area. What is TED? TED stands for “Technology, Education, Design.” It is a small nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Started in 1984, its purpose has spread to include an annual U.S. conference in Long Beach as well as a TEDGlobal conference in the United Kingdom, a TEDTalks online video site, an annual TED Prize, a nationwide local program called TEDx and more. Per TEDx Sacramento, “The TEDx Conference provided a license and general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.” Brandon Weber, TEDx Sacramento curator, said the local team want

WASHINGTON D.C.—U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu told Sacramento Metro Chamber Cap-to-Cap delegation that the region’s collaborative efforts have been “instrumental” to the success of leveraging $200 million in stimulus funds for clean energy projects and $127 million for the Sacramento smart grid project—“one of the largest awards of its kind in the country.” Speaking in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Chu addressed the delegation of 300 from the Sacramento region, currently here in the nation’s capital on the annual advocacy program, working together to lobby for the six-county region’s top priorities. Introducing his remarks, Chu said the Obama administration is

The federal government has awarded $5 million in stimulus funding for Sacramento-area alternative energy projects, including the state's first "solar highway," U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui announced Friday. The U.S. Department of Energy has set aside money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for projects to install a section of the state's first "solar highway" — a system of photovoltaic panels erected along a freeway — and to build facilities for sustainable biogas energy production from food and dairy animal waste. The latter also is intended to also reduce the smell and pollution around two Sacramento County dairy farms. The funding is part of $20.5 million in stimulus grants be

"Water, water everywhere" will be the theme for the fourth annual Organic Capital Sustainability Celebration Dec. 10. Organic Sacramento will be hosting the awareness event that highlights Northern California water issues. "Each year different local issues are addressed and the individuals and groups that have worked with these issues are acknowledged and honored," said William Brooks, Central Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council The event will include food, live music and a silent auction as well as guest speakers. "I'm looking forward to hearing more from the individuals that are personally involved with the issues, and those that have solutions to our current problems

 Tree clean our air and water, store carbon in their trunks, create habitat for wildlife, reduce air pollution, increase property values, and provide countless other benefits. The Sacramento Tree Foundation works to leverage all of the benefits that trees provide to create healthy and sustainable communities through building the best urban forest in the Sacramento region. A major keystone in building the best urban forest is the Greenprint initiative, a multi-decade regional framework created to meet Sacramento's sustainability and livability goals by expanding urban forests and optimizing the benefits of tree canopies. Greenprint partners, comprised of 22 cities and 6 counties, have agree

So -- you like Second Saturdays? Do you like the way this local arts night has morphed into a street fair? Have you watched the event grow so big that you've hoped it could take over the central city more than once a month? Your prayers may be answered this month when a new Saturday street fair debuts in Sacramento. Sponsored by Sacramento News & Review (SN&R), "Design Downtown" will bring mostly locally made or "do it yourself" (DIY) fashion and art to the K Street Mall from 3 to 9 p.m. every third Saturday starting July 18. "We looked at the success of Second Saturday and said, 'Maybe that's something we can build on,' " said Clay Nutting, the sales and marketing manager for the paper

On January 15th, during a technical workshop that was poorly attended by the public and local media, the Sacramento City Council voted on a proposal that could wind up affecting the citizens of Sacramento for many years to come. The Council voted to table the City’s yearlong effort to replace the costly and environmentally detrimental practice of trucking Sacramento’s non-recyclable municipal solid waste (MSW) over the mountains to a landfill east of Reno, Nevada with a sustainable, less costly and more environmentally friendly waste-to-energy (WTE) approach. Our Sacramento-based company, U.S. Science & Technology, submitted a proposal that was ultimately selected from among 11 responses