Ever ask yourself what you can do to fight climate change? Need help staying motivated? Do you enjoy competition? The City of Sacramento is competing against nine other California cities to win the title of “Coolest City in California.” The goal of the Cool California Challenge is to have fun, raise awareness, and reward personal actions that cut carbon as well as demonstrate how working together can have an impact on reducing our collective carbon footprints and help build more vibrant and sustainable communities.  The Challenge provides an online platform designed to empower California citizens to measure their success in cutting carbon, and engage in a fun points-based competition. T

     The Sacramento County Airport System has received a $150,000 rebate from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) for energy efficiencies built into the design and construction of Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport. SMUD director Rob Kerth (Ward 5) will present the SMUD Savings By Design Program check to the Board of Supervisors at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 700 H St.     According to SMUD energy advisers, measures in place at Terminal B would yield a greenhouse gas reduction of 793 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of planting more than 33,000 trees or removing 165 cars from the road.      The airport’s Big Build design team worked clo

Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing Association celebrated the grand opening of the Highlands yesterday. The celebration included tours of the 90-apartment community and a ceremony honoring Darrell Steinberg, State Senate President Pro Tem and author of the California Mental health Services Act (Proposition 63) that provides partial operating support for the development. Located on a 3.5-acre parcel in the McClellan Redevelopment Area, the Highlands has 66 efficiency apartments for formerly homeless people and 12 studio apartments and 12 three-bedroom ones for people of modest means. The complex has a community room and kitchen, a computer lab and conference room as well as offices for staff.

The City will reduce electricity use by more than 50 percent in its parking garages by replacing the existing lighting with new light-emitting diodes known as LEDs. The lighting retrofit is expected to save the City more than $1.1 million over 11 years. The new fixtures are being installed at five of the eight public parking garages owned by the City. Making use of a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) from the U.S. Department of Energy that acts as a revolving loan program, SMUD incentives totaling $181,000 and a $289,000 rebate from the Energy Technology Assistance Program (ETAP)* allowed the City to afford the $1.3 million up-front cost of converting to the hi

SMUD received an electrifying down payment of sorts with the delivery this week of 11 plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) pickup trucks. Three more will be arriving later as part of a $97 million Chrysler demonstration project in select markets. “We were a logical partner for Chrysler because we’ve been testing alternative fuel vehicles for more than 20 years in an effort to improve the Sacramento region’s air quality,” said SMUD General Manager John DiStasio. “Environmental leadership is one of the SMUD’s core values.” Chrysler manufactured 140 of the Ram hybrid trucks under a U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grant that was awarded in the fall of 2009. “These vehicles were still in the co

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

Summer’s hot temperatures are here! With a little planning, you can keep your home cool and save money on summer energy bills. The easiest way to keep your home cool is not to let it heat up in the first place. Hot Weather Tips Good insulation, caulking and weather stripping help keep the heat outside. Shade trees, overhangs, awnings and shades and limiting the use of household appliances that emit heat also help keep it cool. Keep windows closed during the heat of the day, and draw blinds and draperies during the day to keep the heat out. Set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in the summer. There is about a 5 to 10 percent savings on the operating cost of an air conditioner for e

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

On November 21, 2009, the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities collaborative hosted two events in Oak Park and South Sacramento, designed to educate communities on the 10-year Building Healthy Communities (BHC) process. Earlier this year, the California Endowment awarded funding to 14 communities over ten years as part of their Building Healthy Communities program. This effort was designed to infuse at least $10 million into each community to bring about systemic change. The efforts are to be driven by four goals: • Health systems are family-centered and prioritize prevention. • Schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and are a gateway for resources and services. • Human

Sacramento city officials are brainstorming the components of a program called “Go Green Sacramento” that would allow residents and businesses to make energy efficiency improvements to their homes and pay for the upgrades over several years. Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty, city staffers and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District want the program to offer homeowners and businesses a way to fund several different kinds of energy savings projects, such as weatherstripping and home sealing, duct sealing or installation of tankless water heaters. The program would feature a voluntary “financing district,” which would serve as a system that homeowners and businesses could use to p