Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "environment"

When things fall apart

2012-01-30T09:40:37Z

Every morning 1,800 employees enter the California State Board of Equalization Building. Past the sliding glass doors, security, then up the elevators to get to work. Most never notice the 2 by 5 signs taped to the glass doorways upfront.

Warning: Chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm, may be found in the facility. California Health and Safety Code Section 25249.6

Though it's not only harmful chemicals, that has plagued the safety of the buiding in the past. Two weeks ago, on January 11, pieces of broken glass fell eight stories to the sidewalk on 5th and N Street.

The sidewalk is still blocked with caution tape and orange cones although the gaping hole between the 8th and 9th floors has been secured with plywood according to the Department of General Services.

Sooner or later the cones and yellow tape will also go away and the employees won't remember a thing. They will go on with their lives, remaining apathetic because, they're just too busy to think about it.

After all, a day without work means no revenue for the State of California. The staff is there to complete the work, not to complain about their environment.

"It's dangerous, really dangerous," exclaimed Phillip Robinson, an IT professional who has worked in the building for more than 8 years. "In the past, they had scaffolding on all four sides. I'm surprised they only blocked off the side where the window fell off."

He glances up at the high rise pointing to where the piece fell off. There were more random pieces that fell down in the afternoon. This prompted the guards not only to close the sidewalk but also the traffic lane adjacent to the building on 5th Street to close.

"We don't know if other debris will fall. There's no guarantee. Watch your head, " a security guard warned.

Tax professionals slaving away at their desk received an email from the union in the afternoon to encourage letters of concern to media.

"No one wants to say anything. Most are afraid to be fired if they did," states Luz Susa who works in the returns support unit. Silence is golden for the golden state.

While it is true. Management does have every intention to move the employees out of the place, they just do not have the funds to do so. The money for relocation would come from the general fund because the owners of the building is the Department of General Services.

With California holding the bag for a $17.5 Bilion deficit, and already cutting jobs and social service programs, there is just no room to renovate the building to code.

Even if civil servants end up with tumors after serving their time, it looks like management will still be at this gridlock.

Historically, the building has had it's string of flaws. People have reported getting trapped in elevators, plumbing breaks leading to floods on the 9th floor, and front glass sliding doors coming loose almost falling on innocent bystanders. Other red flags wave at poor air quality, freezing temperatures that force employees to work with their winter coats on, mold scares, and strange odors that forced entire floors to close.

Still, the managers, tax representatives, and support staff continue to work in hazardous health and safety conditions like it's not any more dangerous working in the BOE building than Fukushima.

Why do they do it? They do so because they have hungry families to feed, because they have no other place to go, and the State of California urgently needs this money. This money that they can't even touch.

The irony is that state workers file in to work with more pressure to collect needed tax dollars so California can be restored to a fully functional budget, not factoring in their own risk in the equation.

After all, is it worth losing a job when your family, sanity, and long term health is really what is at stake?

Maybe we should take the action of the vendor who used to run the cafeteria's example. One day , they just up and left without notice to the Department of General Services.

If it looks dangerous, it probably is.

Run away, really fast. DGS obviously does not care about the people who work in the building. In fact, they're careful to make them stand under more danger while they wait for their lunch to cook.

Disclosure: Author is a civil servant. She also worked in commercial and residential real estate for 7 years prior to joining the state.

Sims Recycling Solutions Invites Community to Celebrate "America Recycles Day" by Recycling Old Electronics and Appliances

2011-11-09T14:44:04Z

Sims Recycling Solutions, the global leader in electronics reuse and recycling, is partnering with Sims Metal Management, KCRA-TV and the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds to host a community-wide electronics and appliance recycling event to celebrate “America Recycles Day.” The event will raise money for the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and will be held on Saturday, Nov.12, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds located at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815. Items for recycling will be accepted at Parking Lot E off of Ethan way across the street from the Century Stadium 14.

“Sims Recycling Solutions is thrilled to participate in an event that not only provides a way for the Sacramento community to divert e-waste from area landfills, but also will raise money to benefit Habitat for Humanity,” stated Steve Skurnac, President, Sims Recycling Solutions, Americas. “Our innovative recycling technologies combined with our comprehensive hazardous materials management policies and certified facilities provide closed-loop protection to the Sacramento community and the world from the risks associated with e-waste disposal.”

The e-waste collection event will be a drive-through and drop-off system, with staff on hand to quickly and conveniently collect items from participants’ vehicles. For those who plan to recycle a computer monitor or television, please print and complete the collection log found at the www.us.simsrecycling.com/AmericaRecyclesDay website prior to the event to ensure faster processing.

Sims Recycling Solutions will accept the following: appliances, televisions, computer monitors, computers, laptops, cell phones, telephones, printers, speakers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, radios, stereos, MP3 players, CD and DVD players, and VCRs. Sims Recycling Solutions cannot accept smoke detectors, ovens, batteries or ink and toner cartridges.

Sims Recycling Solutions

Sims Recycling Solutions (www.us.simsrecycling.com) is the world's largest electrical and electronics recovery and recycling company with 50 sites across the globe.

Sims Recycling Solutions recycles all types of electronic equipment and enables businesses to meet both their social and legal obligations in the treatment of surplus electronics. The company's asset management and recovery service enables businesses and public sector organizations to sustain the value of IT and electronic equipment, in a legally compliant, data secure, fully traceable and environmentally sustainable manner.

In North America, Sims Recycling Solutions operates 14 sites in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Ontario, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Disclosure: This is a press release from Sims Recycling Solutions.

County Offers Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

2011-10-31T22:25:50Z

Sacramento County has opened five new charging stations for electric cars with onboard battery charging equipment. There is no charge for using the stations. The stations are located downtown and in the Bradshaw Road area and are available on a first-come, first served basis:

• Branch Center: Light Fleet Services 4001 Branch Center Rd. 916-875-5608
• Downtown Garage: Parking Office next to toll booths, 725 7th Street.- 916-874-6227

The stations are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and are open to anyone with a ChargePass card. The chargers work much like plugging in an electric appliance at home and charges take anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on the amount of charge needed.

The ChargePoint Network is a service network in the US and users should think of charging stations as fueling stations. Charging stations in the future will operate much like gasoline dispensers do for gasoline cars today using “pay at the pump” technology.

Usage will be monitored by ChargePoint through the terms of the Federal program that funded the stations. Anyone can see if a ChargePoint Station is in operation or available on the ChargePoint website.

ChargePass cards can be obtained at http://www.mychargepoint.net/charge-pass.php.
When setting up an account, users can:
• Elect to receive text or Email message when their vehicle is completely charged.
• Elect to receive text or Email messages if their charging session is interrupted for any reason such as a GFCI fault or disconnected cable.
• View fuel and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings of they’re vehicle.
• Track vehicle’s charge history.

Disclosure: I work in Communication and Media for Sacramento County.

Matsui Announces $300,000 in Federal Grants for SETA's On-The-Job Training Program

2011-10-20T19:46:34Z

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 allocation of $300,000 in federal funds to the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency for their On-The-Job Training Program,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This infusion of federal funds will specifically support Sacramento businesses and projects committed to boosting the area's economy, clean technology industry, and are creating jobs for our local workforce.”

The federal funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to the Energy Commission Clean Energy Workforce program, which in turn has awarded funding for the On-The-Job (OJT) Training Program. The Program subsidizes employers who are hiring workers in the clean energy fields, helping to create jobs, support Sacramento's growing clean energy sector, and ensuring that local workers receives the training they need to be successful in their new positions.

“Sacramento is making its mark on the clean energy economy,” said Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas. “Under the Energy Upgrade California Program, successful partners, such as SETA and small business leader Beutler, have trained and employed hundreds of workers in the Sacramento area while reducing homeowners energy bills.”

“The Green OJT program, funded by the California Energy Commission and the Employment Development Department, will reimburse employers 50-70% of the wages paid to trainees for 3-6 months of training. The program will put unemployed people back to work learning skills that are needed for the jobs of the future,” said SETA Executive Director, Kathy Kossick.

“In the midst of the most horrific crash in the new home construction industry of our lifetimes, the support that we and many of our existing and incoming employees have received through an earlier Green OJT program over the last 12 months has helped us turn around our company and provide jobs and enriched careers for over 90 people here at Beutler Corporation. For the first time in 5 years, our business is growing, we're hiring again, and home owners throughout the region are living more comfortably with lower energy bills because of this and other ARRA funded programs. This additional funding will only add to these wonderful success stories,” said Rick Wylie, President of Beutler Corporation/Advanced Comfort & Energy Systems.

Beutler has enjoyed employment growth over the last year, in large part due to the Moderate Income Sustainable Technology (MIST) Program, part of more than $20 million made available by the California Energy Commission through the Recovery Act. MIST is a revolving loan program that finances third tier energy efficiency measures through 0-3 percent, 15-year loans and grants under the Energy Upgrade California program for moderate income families. Currently the MIST program is providing more than $14.8 million in funding to homeowners with 251 completed retrofits; another 241 retrofits in progress; and 141 applications in process. These energy upgrade loans average about $23,500 each will save homeowner hundreds of dollars in energy costs each year.

“Clean energy has enormous untapped potential for job creation in our region, and that is why I believe the federal government must continue to invest in American clean energy technology, support U.S. companies who are creating new jobs, and ensure that we are able to compete in a global marketplace,” Matsui added. “I will continue to fight for cost-effective, efficient, and high-quality programs like the On-The-Job Training Program that allow companies to innovate, grow, and hire. Today, is an example of federal funding – and the Recovery Act – hard at work putting Sacramentans back to work.”

For more information about the Clean Energy Workforce Training Program please visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/cleanenergyjobs/

For information about Energy Upgrade California, a one-stop shop for home improvement projects that lower your energy use, conserve water and natural resources while making your home more comfortable, visit https://energyupgradeca.org/overview

For more information about Congresswoman Matsui’s efforts to make Sacramento the Clean Tech Capitol, visit www.matsui.house.gov.

# # #

Disclosure: Mara Lee is Communications Director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

Composting, cover crops, and red worms

2011-10-11T01:20:16Z

Saturday morning was warm enough to draw more than 38 people to Martin Luther King Junior Community Garden for seminars and discussions on composting, cover crops, vermicomposting and the benefits of ladybug larvae.

More than a dozen people attended the first of two composting seminars, led by Bill Maynard, master gardener and director of community gardens for the city.

Sacramento waste reduction coordinator Doug Houston opened the 8 a.m. event by speaking about waste reduction and the cost of green waste. Houston told the group that Sacramento pays for green waste disposal. Bins cost residents less money each month, and they are environmentally friendly because green waste is kept out of the storm drains, he said.

“Food waste in the garbage means organics go into the landfill,” he said. “The organics create methane which becomes greenhouse gas. Yard waste is a valuable resource.” He then confessed that he keeps a composting bin in his office.

Each attendee received a kitchen composting bin, a container of parsley to plant, a composting booklet, seeds and a discount coupon for a composting bin at Home Depot.

Houston introduced Bill Maynard, who told the group there will be 11 community gardens in Sacramento by the end of the month. Each plot could generate $400 worth of food per year.

“Fall is my favorite time of year,” he said. “Free carbon falls from the sky,” referring to leaves.

He led the first of two lectures on composting and discussed the differences between hot and cold composting, saying that hot will happen faster but takes more effort, and cold takes about nine months and will happen whether we want it to or not. Both require carbon and nitrogen layers.

Carbon should be both the top and bottom layer and consists of leaves, twigs, newspaper using soy-based ink like Sacramento News & Review or The Sacramento Bee, hair and cotton dryer lint, Maynard explained.

Nitrogen layers should be living or still green, like lettuce and spinach, but not Bermuda grass or diseased plants.

“Look under leaves for aphid eggs,” Maynard said. “The eggs are laid in the fall and hatch in spring. Most of the year aphids are all female and are born pregnant.”

Plant materials were circulated for attendees to examine for evidence of disease or eggs.

A short question-and-answer session followed with questions about whether the heat would kill Bermuda grass and seeds.

“If the compost pile gets to 133 degrees for several days, the heat may kill the seeds,” Maynard said. “The temperature can rise to 160 or 180 degrees, but it’s best to let the Bermuda grass dry out and use as part of the carbon layer.”

Maynard warned against using weed seeds or morning glories due to flower overproduction, or too many coffee grounds, because of the acidity. He added, though, that rhododendrons and azaleas prefer more acidity.

When asked how moist to keep the pile, Maynard said “like a wrung-out sponge,” adding that the pile can be in the sun or the shade, but that worms prefer cool, and the pile should be protected from rain.

Maynard suggested using compost at the root zone of plants or to place around the plants, and said of the odor that “it should smell like a nice, earthy scent.” A stinky pile needs more nitrogen.

“Always end with a layer of carbon, to act as a cap to prevent flies from laying eggs in the pile and deter rodents,” he reminded the group before leading them to the cover crop demonstration.

Cover Crops

Maynard called cover crops green manure that “enrich the soil.” He said the crops should be cut down by Feb. 15, and by March 15, “the average last frost date,” gardeners may plant at their own risk, reminding attendees that frost does not mark its calendar.

Fava beans, bell beans, field mustard and winter wheat are good winter cover crops. Buckwheat is good for summer. Maynard demonstrated the planting of both fava beans (in rows) and mustard (scattered).

Maynard also mentioned that he is working with the Sacramento Food Bank (3rd Avenue and 33rd Street) and will manage the garden education center. Monthly gardening classes will begin in 2012.

Vermicomposting

The group moved to hear about the benefits of composting with worms and how to build and maintain a worm farm. Worm Fancy’s Michelle Himed, a self-described “compulsive recycler” and Kate Waldo, a “vermaholic,” led the discussion on vermicomposting.

Himed opened by speaking about the history of Worm Fancy and their goal “to educate, build worm bins, and get into classrooms.” They want to reach the youngest generation, the kindergartners, and teach them what happens when they throw a banana peel into a worm bin.

Waldo described the difference between the bins for the classroom, which are single unit bins, and manufactured, multi-layered bins that can be kept in a house or office. Plans for building a classroom unit were available. A plastic bin, water or soda bottle plastic top and some black shade screen were the primary materials used.

Worms require bedding, which can be almost any type of paper. It cannot be the glossy pages from many magazines. They approved the pages from Edible, which was available at the event, as bedding material.

“Worms eat paper as fast as they eat kitchen products,” Waldo said. “They eat the microbes on top of the food.”

Worms cannot be fed everything, though.

“No dairy, no meat and no oil,” she said. “Worms breathe through their skin, and being coated in oil will kill them.

“It’s best to begin with a pound of worms, which is between 800 and 1,000,” she continued. “They are voracious eaters and can eat up to one half of their body weight each day. One pound of worms will eat about three pounds of food each week.”

Attendees were warned not to overfeed or to permit the bins to “get too hot or too smelly.”

“Worms are prolific,” she said. “One adult worm can have up to three cocoons per week and can have between one and 20 worms per cocoon.”

If people were concerned about overcrowding, Himed reassured “the population will regulate itself.”

Waldo reached into the school bin and pulled out a handful of paper. She discussed the types of paper products to use, adding that layering should be used like in composting. Several worms tried to burrow into the paper.

“Worms need to be trained to burrow down, so when first adding works to the bin, it’s best to begin by exposing them to about an hour of light so that they learn to stay down,” Himed said.

The bin’s temperature should be cool, and the bin should be kept in deep shade or inside the house. Mini swamp coolers made from frozen water bottles can help keep bins cool during temperatures above 90 degrees. Worms should also not be too cold, so sometimes miniature holiday lights might be used.

Harvesting should occur every three months and will produce five to six gallons of casings, which equates to nearly one cubic foot. This is enough to start planting in spring. Some casings sold in the store are dry and do not offer the same benefit.

Ladybug larvae

Several people remained to speak about worms, while Maynard led another group to the pumpkin plants and discussed the benefits of ladybugs in the garden.

“Many times, gardeners will kill the ladybug larvae because they think it’s a bad bug,” Maynard said. “In fact, it’s a good bug that eats a lot of aphids before it changes into a ladybug.”

Yes to composting and community gardening

Most attendees were seeking out composting information for their home gardens. Several people said they enjoyed the seminar and discussions very much and had gained a lot of information. Some people had not yet begun their gardens; others had just started; others had been gardening for a long time.

Heather and Joseph Cromartie said they would probably use both traditional composting and vermicomposting at some point in their home gardens, where they are growing greens, carrots, bell beans and tomatoes.

On this visit, one community gardener harvested Swiss chard, saying the rain helped a great deal before she attended the day’s second composting seminar.

Maynard reminded attendees that there are still several plots available. The next plot sale at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Garden is Oct. 18.

Film "Mother...Caring for 7 Billion" to show Oct. 12

2011-10-02T22:38:41Z

A free local premier of the film, “Mother...Caring for 7 Billion” will show on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 6pm, at the Turner Library, 1212 Merkley Ave, West Sacramento. The award-winning film focuses on the harmful effects that world overpopulation and overconsumption have on the environment. On a hopeful note, it suggests ways we can act individually to help bring about a sustainable future for our children.

The global population is approaching 7 billion, and is growing at the cancerous rate of another Sacramento every two days. Scientists say that world population is approaching the environmental breaking point, or has already moved beyond it. The staggering global population size and growth rate, along with the massive consumption they drive, are depleting the world's water supplies, fisheries, fossil fuels and available cropland. Conflict, inequalities, and starvation are the inevitable results.

The film points out that environmental fixes can succeed only if we bring global population and our personal consumption habits down to sustainable levels. The message is that it is time to become better stewards of our Earth. The film shows how each of us can contribute toward sustainability by supporting women's empowerment and family planning, voting for conservation, contacting policy makers on family planning decisions, and donating to charities dedicated to population stability and conservation.

This presentation is sponsored by The Sierra Club, Mother Lode Chapter, Committee for a Sustainable World Population(CSWP). Contact 916 442 2661, or revwin@yahoo.com

Disclosure: Evan Jones, treasurer, Committee for a Sustainable World Population, Mother Lode Chapter, The Sierra Club

Sacramento County's Growth Strategy

2011-09-26T17:49:07Z

Sacramento County has been updating its growth-management plan for the unincorporated area as part of the General Plan. This Plan, which directs future development, is required by law and should be complete by the end of 2011.

There were many issues involved with arriving at a new growth strategy, and careful attention was paid to balancing the requests of community members, environmentalists and developers. The grown strategy underwent several changes as the building boom ceased and the County had to address state laws that required lower carbon emissions (AB 32) and encouraged mass transit (SB 375). Multiple public meetings were held to fully understand all the interests and arrive at the new strategy that would best meet everyone’s needs.

At this time, the new Plan does not call for expanding the urban growth area, which is the area designated for urban development to occur. However, once the General Plan is adopted, landowners may submit applications to expand the area, but only if the proposed new growth meets certain criteria.

Under the proposed Plan, the requirements that projects would have to meet include:
• The property has to be next to existing urban areas
• Development must be near transit and employment or provide new transit and employment as part of the plan
• The proposed project must be high quality and contain a mix of housing types, shops and amenities

Disclosure: Communication and Media Officer with Sacramento County

Educating artwork to be installed at Boys and Girls club

2011-09-06T01:56:47Z

A mural and sculpture artwork more than a year in the making is set to be finished in about a month and will be installed at the Boys & Girls Club of Sacramento to both inspire and educate the children.

“I wanted to do something really original and kind of something that’s never been done before and challenge myself,” said 34-year-old Sacramento artist Anthony Padilla, who is known for works such as the murals on Hot Italian in Midtown and the 16th Street Kings mural.

His design for the art involves a roughly 27-foot-by-27-foot mural accompanied by a sculpture that uses solar power to charge electronic devices such as laptops and cellphones and even run devices such as boom boxes.

“Basically anything that runs out of a wall outlet will work,” Padilla said. “I have the system up and running, and I was actually charging my cellphone on it.”

The mural and sculpture will be installed in the playground area of the Boys & Girls Club, 1117 G St.

Work began about a year ago, with Padilla spending time on it in his studio in the evenings. He can’t work on it full-time, since he has a job as a graphic designer, he said.

The spray-paint mural depicts Padilla’s vision of the future worker. Placed on the right side of the mural, a man is wrapping the world in an electric vine symbolizing the new infrastructure that needs to be created to harness solar energy and green energy, Padilla said.

Coming out of the “world” is a female figure wrapped in leaves, with each leaf symbolizing a solar panel source to get the sun’s energy. Out of the top will be larger leaves that incorporate colar panels, but they have yet to be completed.

“I didn’t want any straight lines,” Padilla said. “It’s taken a while to get all the panels made, but it’s got a nice organic feel to it.”

About 25 feet in the air, as part of the mural, will be the sun, which is shaped like an inverted wall socket.

“Instead of it being normal, I flipped it upside down so it looks like a happy face instead of a grimacing face,” Padilla said.

The mural’s “canvas” is a material called dibond, which is aluminum with a dense plastic inner core that allows it to be bent and will hold its shape outside, as it was originally designed for outdoor signage.

The sculpture is a detailed lily shape, and since it’s the part of the artwork that users will actually touch and be closest to, it is the most detailed part of the project.

“The whole thing has an organic feel to it, and we designed it on the computer,” Padilla said. “We’re having parts laser-cut.”

Some of the parts, especially the ones needed for actual construction, had to be built by various local builders and designed by engineers, Padilla said, adding that it slowed the process somewhat, since engineering firms tend to put smaller projects on the back burner when they have the opportunity to work on larger building projects.

David Guillory, branch director of the Sacramento Boys & Girls Club, said the art installation will be a major feature in the facility’s park.

“It’s going to stand in the play area for the kids and provide some inspiration as well as educate,” he said, adding that it will help show the need to take care of the environment.

“They are pretty tech-savvy now, so for them to be out in the play area and power up their devices with our artwork is pretty unique,” he added.

The Boys & Girls Club strives to inspire and enable all young people – especially those who need it the most – to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens, Guillory said.

“It’s really going to add to the outdoor experience and reinforce the need to be good stewards of the environment,” he said.

Funding for the artwork was provided by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, and Guillory said he is happy the Boys & Girls Club was chosen as a recipient.

“It’s a wonderful partnership with the organization,” he said. “SMAC helped get the funding as well as getting the artist. Whenever organizations come together collaboratively, that’s good for the kids.”

SMAC Director of Art in Public Places Shelly Willis said the funding for the $18,500 project came from a mix of redevelopment funds and city landscaping funds.

“There’s a law that requires the city, county and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency to spend 2 percent of construction costs on art,” Willis said, adding that the Boys & Girls club underwent an expansion last summer.

Padilla was chosen based on his past mural work throughout the city, and he interviewed the people involved, including holding a workshop with the kids at the Boys & Girls Club and talking to Boys & Girls Club staffers, Willis said.

Willis said Padilla told the kids about himself and then asked them what they wanted to see in the art project, and he incorporated technology into it as a result.

“There’s a real concern about green energy, and so he wanted to do something that really made kids and youths think about that,” she said.

The functional aspect of the charging station incorporated into the work is a plus, she added.

“I love it when artists are able to push themselves into another area, and that’s what this project did,” Willis said. “He’s primarily a muralist, but he was able to expand the scope with this project.”

The Boys & Girls Club, located at 1117 G St. and is open from 2-7 p.m. daily.

When installed, there will likely be a dedication, but no date has been set, Padilla said, since it’s not known when, exactly, it will be done.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

That old refrigerator in the garage is an energy hog, recycle it

2011-07-27T17:24:50Z

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. “For me, this made total sense,” said Anne. “It was time for a new refrigerator. SMUD gave me $35 and we hear so much about reusing and recycling these days, I don’t have to worry about throwing the old one away in a landfill.”

JACO does the heavy lifting. It deconstructs the old fridge by cutting its power cord and rubber gasket seal, disabling the thermostat and marks the unit with an “X” so it can’t be resold, and hauls it away. JACO then removes all potentially hazardous materials and recycles 95 percent of the remaining unit for other post-recycling products.

“The metal parts can be recycled into rebar for road construction, the plastic can be used in new computers and cell phones, the tempered glass can be used as an aggregate in other materials,” said JACO’s Michael Dunlap. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The older refrigerator picked up at Anne Dunlap-Kahren’s home pushed SMUD’s refrigerator and freezer recycling program past the 40,000 mark since the program’s inception 10 years ago. Recycling these refrigerators saves the amount of energy used to power 6,000 homes for a year.

It's easy to recycle your old fridge if you are a residential SMUD customer. Simply contact JACO Environmental at (800) 299-7573 to schedule an appointment. You get a check for $35, save some money on your electric bill, and get to feel good for doing the environment a favor.

For more information on SMUD’s Refrigerator Recycling Program, click here.

Disclosure: Becky Repka is employed by SMUD in Corporate Communications.

Anti-member Graffiti allowed by Co-op Board & Management

2011-07-25T19:08:28Z

This weekend, the sidewalk in front of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op was defaced with graffiti that included attacks on three individual members of the Co-op, two of whom are Board candidates and one is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

One of the several graffiti statements read “Cody Potter and Susan Bush are bad news.” Potter and Bush are running for two open seats on the Board along with Phyllis Ehlert and two incumbents, Alicia Dienst and Ann Richardson.

When asked whether employees were responsible for the graffiti, on-duty store manager Dan Shearer declined to answer on Saturday. Incumbent Board member Alicia Dienst was campaigning in front of the store on Sunday when she reportedly told a Co-op member that Co-op employees had written the graffiti.

Two long time members, both in their 70s removed much of the graffiti on Saturday night but Sunday morning it was back.

“I have been a Co-op member for 25 years and I have never experienced this level of incivility and intimidation,” said Board candidate Bush. “I am not going away, and neither are members who want a fair election.”

The graffiti also supported Measure 2, which would prohibit the Co-op from making any purchasing or other decisions based on “political opinion” or “national origin.” Co-op members opposed to Measure 2 sent a letter to many of the Co-op’s local vendors, advising them about possible negative repercussions of Measure 2, including that it could preclude prioritizing of locally produced products

“The Board is using a specious argument against Measure 2 on its website and literature,” said Co-op Member Ellen Schwartz who submitted an argument against the measure that the Board ignored. Instead, Schwartz explained, last week the Board posted a sarcastic argument that was clearly submitted by someone who favors the measure, thus denying Co-op members access to a reasoned debate on the subject.

“It seems apparent that the Co-op Board put Measure 2 on the ballot to preclude Co-op members from proposing measures that the Board disagrees with, including the Human Rights Initiative,” said its sponsor Maggie Coulter.

“More than twice the number of required Member signatures was submitted to put the Human Rights Initiative to a vote,” said Coulter. “Yet it was denied a place on the annual Co-op ballot, in violation of the Co-op’s Bylaws. The Board is refusing to let Members vote on this measure that supports Palestinian rights, including those of Palestinian farmers to their lands, water, and orchards.” More information about the initiative is at www.coopdemocracy.org.

“Several calls have been made to the Co-op management asking that the Co-op remove the graffiti,” reported Coulter. “Although the graffiti is on the public sidewalk, if the Co-op allows it to stay, it is an implied endorsement of this negative campaigning. These actions of the Board and, possibly of some employees, create even more doubt about the fairness of the election.”

Contact: humanrightsareacoopvalue@gmail.com

Disclosure: Maggie Coulter is a long time Co-op member, human rights activist, and organic gardener. She is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative.

Neighborhood Kids With A Green Thumb

2011-07-14T17:55:33Z

There are six times more fast food restaurants and convenience stores than supermarkets and produce venders in Sacramento. Among all of California’s counties, Sacramento ranks third in the prevalence of obesity among children ages 6 to 11.

The availability of fresh food is very low and this is an issue we are trying to address. We would also like to foster unity in the community by getting them to take part in resolving this issue. We are the project garden team (P.G.T.) of Rosemont’s Summer of Service Program. The team is doing a summer project involving Rosemont High School’s community garden.

We are choosing to focus on community gardens because people need to invest in their community and work to make it look nice and beautiful. It can be expensive to buy fruit and vegetables at the store. It’s better to grow it yourself; this makes fresh produce increasingly affordable. Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and by providing a venue for exercise. It also gives people a sense of community and a connection to the environment.

In our project, our first objective is to build a model of the garden that Rosemont High School is going to build behind buildings B and C. Our second objective is to see what will grow best in the garden by growing the plants in pots in our classroom. Currently, the plants include lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, onion and basil. These plants will later be added to the rooftop garden on Rosemont’s campus.

The P.G.T. will be having a project showcase in hopes that the community will get excited about improving their health and give their time to help with the garden.

If you would like to find more information about the project or showcase please call Shuntae Campbell at 916-643-7935 or Zenae Scott at 916-643-7994. You can also visit our Facebook fan page at www.tinyurl.com/pgtsos2011.

Disclosure: We are students at Rosemont High School that came together to work on the campus garden. We are a part of Summer Of Service and the Project Garden Team.

Co-op Board Rejects Democracy Initiative; Puts Bylaws Amendment to Restrict Purchasing Criteria on Co-op Ballot

2011-06-09T19:26:37Z

Before a packed room of Co-op Members, shoppers and others at its June 7 meeting, the Board of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op considered three items for the upcoming September ballot.

A Bylaws amendment, proposed by Board President Steve Maviglio, would prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions on the basis of “political opinion” or “national origin.”

Some members voiced support and several raised objections. One concern was that the proposed amendment could be used to prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions related to environmental or social concerns, since these are a matter of “political opinion.” For example, distributors of non-organic produce, Coco-Cola, or products tested on animals, non-Fair Trade products could claim the Co-op was discriminating against them by not carrying their products.

Proponents of the Human Rights Initiative stated that forbidding the Co-op from making purchasing decisions based on “national origin” seemed to be aimed at their effort to allow Co-op Members to vote on whether they want their store to support Palestinian human rights by not carrying Israeli products until Israel stops violating those rights.

One audience member expressed that preventing the Co-op from making decisions based on national origin was contrary to its stated goal of supporting local farmers and producers.

The Board considered a motion to remove the wording “political opinion” but it failed; the Board then approved the amendment as proposed for placement on the September ballot.

No to Restoration of Co-op Democracy

The Board voted to not allow the Restore Co-op Democracy Initiative on the ballot. This measure includes provisions to ensure Open Comment at Board meetings; guarantee Member input into decisions; allow the Membership to decide if they want their Co-op operated under the corporate model of Policy Governance®; and end discrimination against Members tabling in front of the store. (The text of both the Restore Democracy and Human Rights initiatives are available at www.coopdemocracy.org.)

Initiative proponents maintain that the Board has no authority under the Bylaws to prevent either the Human Rights or the Restore Co-op Democracy Initiatives from being placed on the ballot. They cite Bylaws Section 10.06, which mandates the Board to put initiatives on the ballot once two procedural requirements are met. Both requirements, signatures and proposing the action at a Board or member meeting, have been met for both initiatives. (Bylaws are available on the Co-op's website and also at www.coopdemocracy.org.)

During the course of the meeting, three speakers, who identified themselves as being Jewish, spoke in favor of the Co-op taking action to support the human rights of the Palestinian people. Other speakers said they opposed a boycott. One man stated that he just wanted to be able to vote on the initiatives.

“We are just asking the Co-op to do what the Bylaws say,” said Josh Cadji. “We’re member/owners of the Co-op and that’s why we are here. We did not join the Co-op about this issue like John Boisa, who is here as part of his paid job.”

John Boisa, a co-founder of Save our Co-op that opposes the initiatives, is the paid director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). JCRC’s stated purpose includes “Educat[ing] and advocat[ing] on behalf of [and], protect[ing] Israel.” In a June 6 opinion piece in the Sacramento Press, Boisa accused the Initiatives' proponents of directing their protest against the Co-op management, Board, and “ultimately – wait for it – the Jews.”

“Boisa’s inflammatory suggestion that we are going to attack Jews is outrageous and slanderous,” said Initiative supporter Ellen Schwartz. “I’m Jewish as are others in this group. We support the human rights of everyone regardless of their religion.”

Local Jewish Voice for Peace activist, David Mandel notes that “JCRC is an unelected body that purports to speak for the Sacramento Jewish community on various issues, with much of its activity focused on quashing any dissent from uncritical support of Israeli government policies. JCRC has excluded from its ranks Jewish groups that criticize Israeli policy. Moreover, the majority of Jews in Sacramento do not belong to any of the organizations that are represented on JCRC, and national surveys have shown that most American Jews, contrary to JCRC's leadership, support a change in U.S. policy that would seek an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and promote peace based on human rights for all."

In the same opinion piece, Boisa dismissed reports that JCRC’s Barry Broad had forcefully grabbed a woman on the wrist when Broad was tabling with Save our Co-op against the Initiatives. Boisa, who was not present when the incident occurred, questioned its veracity because the woman was related to one of the Initiative’s proponents. The incident, which occured May 8, was immediately reported by the woman to Co-op management; she later filed a police report. Barry Broad, chair of the JCRC, admitted to touching but not grabbing her. Co-op management barred him from tabling as a result.

“It is shocking to read this man justify assault because of the victim’s relation to someone else,” said Cadji. “That sounds like blaming the victim to me.”

Board mails 7,000 members that the Co-op is being “targeted”

Prior to the meeting, the Co-op Board had mailed out a letter to its approximately 7,000 active members alleging that the Co-op was being targeted by a group that was trying to change co-op principles, harass shoppers, and call for a boycott of the store. The letter indicated that this group’s efforts were at odds with the Co-op’s Bylaws, democratic member control and the cooperative principles, and invited members who agreed with the Board to attend the June 7 meeting.

Although the Board's letter blamed the Sacramento Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Working Group for the targeting, it appeared to be directed at another group, Sac Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights, which is supporting both the Human Rights and Restore Co-op Democracy initiatives.

The cost of sending the letter was not disclosed but is estimated at well over $3,000 for postage, stationery, and reproduction. An email with the same content had been sent to Co-op Members on June 6, preceded by a similar email sent on May 31. (Contents and analysis of the letter and the emails is available at www.coopdemocracy.org).

Some audience members thanked the Board for sending it and others said they found it disturbing, offensive, and erroneous.

One Co-op Member described some inaccuracies in the letter, including that the initiatives being proposed had nothing to do with the Co-op principle of open membership as the letter alleges. She also refuted the harassment charges and noted that the three times the police had been called, they found no wrongdoing.

Fire Marshalls called; Preferred shares back on ballot

Fire Marshalls were called because of the room overcrowding. No room capacity sign was visible. When Fire Marshalls arrived, they stated the room capacity was 48 persons and asked that people voluntarily leave before the meeting continued.

One audience member was overheard commenting that of the several times City authorities had been called, at least now it was for a legitimate reason.

The Board also voted to put a Bylaws amendment on the ballot rewording the preferred shares measure that had been passed in September 2010. Apparently the initial wording, drafted by the Co-op’s attorney, had been inadequate to facilitate the sales of shares as desired by the Co-op. If preferred shares are ultimately sold, their purchasers are entitled to get their money back before any Members.

Maggie Coulter is a 15+ year member of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op , a member of Sacramento Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights, a human rights and environmental activist and an organic gardener.

Congresswoman Matsui Introduces Safe and Complete Streets Legislation

2011-05-05T19:42:49Z

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011, legislation that would require each state’s department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization to put in place a Complete Streets policy that ensures all Federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users. Complete Streets policies ensures roadways are built with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, motorists, freight vehicles, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Congresman Steven LaTourette (R-OH).

“Complete Streets policies are a win-win for local communities: they save lives and create forward-looking projects that provide lasting value,” Matsui said. “I have seen firsthand the interest in Complete Streets on the local level, and a Federal Complete Streets standard will ensure a consistent approach for all of our transportation investments.”

“We are so pleased to have Congressional champions who are committed to creating safer streets,” said Barbara McCann, Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition. “Representatives Matsui and LaTourette are being responsive to communities across the country that are adopting state and local Complete Streets policies and want to see a consistent commitment to safety reflected in federal transportation investments as well.”

The Urban Land Institute has estimated that carbon emissions from transportation would be 41 percent above today’s levels in 2030 if driving is not curbed, and a recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute found that providing more travel options, including public transportation, bicycling and walking, is an important element in reducing traffic congestion. The study concluded that congestion was responsible for an annual $78 billion loss in fuel during traffic jams in 2007, an increase from $57.6 billion in 2000.

“Especially at a time when gas prices are putting enormous pressure on the pocketbooks of American consumers, more and more people are looking for alternatives to driving,” added Matsui. “However, far too often, our roads are designed with one thing in mind – trying to move vehicle traffic as quickly as possible. The risks of such design are apparent in the number of pedestrian and bicyclist deaths and injuries we see every year, and often discourage more people from considering other transportation methods. By completing our streets, we can open up our roadways to pedestrians and cyclists – helping to ease congestion and providing an alternative to gas powered vehicles. In doing so, we take strides to fight air pollution and global warming and improve our public health and safety.”

In 2008 alone, over 5,000 pedestrians and bicyclists died on U.S. roads and more than 120,000 were injured. One study found that designing roads for pedestrian travel by installing raised medians and redesigning sidewalks and intersections reduced pedestrian risk by 28%. That means that seniors walking to the grocery store or church and children walking to school are put at unnecessary risk.

Congresswoman Matsui’s home state of California was one of the first states to put a Complete Streets policy in place, and the Sacramento region’s Blueprint for growth has been a model for other metropolitan areas. The Blueprint incorporates Complete Streets polices on the local level, and the Safe and Complete Streets Act would do so on a national level.

“Complete Streets polices are designed to ensure streets, intersections and trails are designed to make them easier to use and maximize their safety," said Mike McKeever, Executive Director of Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG). "This legislation will encourage Americans to live more active and healthy lifestyles, while also providing more travel options, and cutting down on traffic congestion. SACOG applauds Congresswoman Matsui’s leadership in helping to implement our region’s Blueprint policies on a national level.”

Terry Preston, Complete Streets Coordinator for WALKSacramento, added, "WALKSacramento applauds Rep. Matsui for her strong leadership in support of Safe and Complete Streets in our communities. The Safe and Complete Streets Act will provide needed direction and guidelines for Federally supported road design and construction. Pedestrians are consistently overrepresented in traffic injury and death statistics due to poor road design. Yet, our need for sustainable communities calls on us to support more walking trips to the park, the bus, our children’s’ school and elsewhere. We need safer, healthier and more complete streets. WALKSacramento looks forward to working with Rep. Matsui on developing and enacting a Federal transportation measure that will complete our streets and meet the needs of all users regardless of age, race, income or disability. Our roads belong to all of us."

A copy of the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 is available HERE. A copy of a Dear Colleague letter being circulated in support of the legislation is available HERE

Mara Lee is the Communications Director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

‘Green Paths to Economic Recovery’ in Sacramento

2011-04-21T17:44:01Z

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 president of 7th Generation Advisors. Tamminen recently wrote his second book, "Cracking the Carbon Code: The Keys to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy," and spoke about the costs of our country's fossil fuel use.

"When we measure the true cost of our oil addiction, we realize that the green path to economic recovery makes a lot more financial sense than the path to wars or digging ever deeper into the earth for more fossil fuels," Tamminen said.

Tamminen gave examples of large buildings that retrofitted their structures to save up to 80 percent in energy costs.

Keith Miller, the publisher of Green Technology, said the summit was "an opportunity for leaders in state and local government as well as the private sector to come together and do planning and strategies to help create clean and sustainable communities."

The exhibit hall featured displays by over 150 vendors and organizations. Attendees inspected electric, fuel-cell and hybrid vehicles, played with various LED lighting products, learned about conservation methods and saw a number of construction materials that are made of recycled materials.

More photos of the Green California Summit and Expo are available here .

Photos by Ron Nabity

Greenpeace: Co-op exemplifies sustainable seafood

2011-04-21T00:31:12Z

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is the best place in the state to purchase sustainable seafood, and No. 2 in the nation, according to Greenpeace.

“(The co-op) is one of those great stores that has taken amazing steps in realizing that sustainable seafood is incredibly important,” said Casson Trenor, seafood campaigner for Greenpeace.

Greenpeace ranks the 20 biggest grocery store chains on how sustainable their seafood is, and Trenor said some smaller grocers are included as well due to their commitment to ensuring seafood is sustainable.

Sustainable seafood is seafood that is not being overfished or fished in hazardous ways that deplete the ocean’s stocks or destroy the environment.

Trenor said Greenpeace has a “red list” of 22 species that should not be sold, including common ones such as swordfish, yellowfin tuna, snapper, farm shrimp and farm salmon.

Most grocers carry seven or eight, while the co-op carries one or two, which Trenor said is good and not easy to do.

What makes it difficult is that so many of the fish on the list are popular and recognizable to customers, and many stores see refusing to stock them as turning away money, Trenor said.

The co-op’s seafood manager, Robert Duncan, said he thinks about his kids when it comes to choosing sustainable suppliers.

“I have kids, and I want to do my part to make sure the oceans remain plentiful with seafood and the habitat,” he said.

Seafood sold at the co-op is from suppliers within 100 miles, whenever possible, and Duncan said the suppliers are always vetted to make sure they are serving sustainable fish free of antibiotics.

“We will turn something away if it doesn’t meet our standards,” he said.

When vetting seafood suppliers, Duncan said they look at multiple factors, including where fish are caught and what methods are used. That information is also available to the customers at the seafood counter.

That information is augmented by pamphlets from the nonprofit organization FishWise.

Both Duncan and Trenor said that the co-op’s work with FishWise is a big part of how they keep the store stocked with sustainable seafood.

Duncan said FishWise has interactive maps that show which zones are being fished sustainably, and the co-op then purchases foods from those zones, as opposed to other ones where commercial fishers overfish and oftentimes destroy local economies – especially in island chains where fishing is the mainstay of the economy.

One of the best places for sustainable fishing is in the waters off Alaska, where regulation and monitoring of the fish population ensure it isn’t overfished, Duncan said.

The downside can be slightly higher prices at the store, but Duncan said he has found that customers are willing to pay a few dollars more to know that they aren’t contributing to the overfishing problem.

Co-op spokeswoman Jennifer Cliff said educating customers about the sustainability of foods is one of the co-op’s missions, and it’s having an effect.

She said even skeptics who come into the store and take a look at the information are often taken aback when faced with the reality.

“It really is the future. People have got to take a look at this,” she added.

Duncan said he wants to educate the customers so they can eat with an understanding of where their food is coming from and what kind of effects it has on the environment and the global fish supply.

“You don’t want to come in after we’ve destroyed it all and say, ‘Oh, we should have done something,’ ” he said.

The co-op opened in 1973 and is member-owned, but anyone can shop there, Cliff said. It is located at 1900 Alhambra Blvd.

Owner/worker Tom Baxter said Tuesday that he thinks that everyone should strive to consume sustainable food.

“It’s just what you do,” he said. “I think it’s great we were recognized for our efforts.”

Sacramento resident Nevon Sheya said he has been shopping off and on at the co-op for about four months, when his girlfriend told him about it.

“I like the bulk foods,” he said. “I like that they label where it comes from. It makes you feel safe about your food.”

Trenor said that Greenpeace identified the co-op as the best for providing seafood sustainably, giving it a score of 9.1 out of 10. Anything that ranks in the 7.0 to 10 range is in the “green zone” for sustainability, he said, adding that the co-op isn’t the only sustainable store in Sacramento.

“Sacramento is one of the best places to live in the U.S. if you want sustainable seafood,” he said. “Nugget Market also does an excellent job. Most communities have zero (places to buy sustainable seafood), but Sacramento has two.”

He added that Safeway is the highest-ranked national chain with a score of 6.5 out of 10.

“You have some of the best stores in the country competing for your business,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor helps dedicate largest private solar project in Sacramento

2011-04-13T01:01:12Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson joined public utility officials and private business developers at Depot Park Tuesday for a ceremony to dedicate the largest private solar project in the Sacramento region.

The 3-megawatt project, located in the Depot Park business complex on Florin-Perkins Road, includes an array of 12,600 solar panels and is designed to meet nearly 40 percent of the annual power needs for the 3 million-square-foot facility, according to information released by the mayor’s office.

“I believe this area has the opportunity to be the greenest region in the country and a hub for investment in clean technology,” Johnson said in his prepared statement. “Today’s dedication demonstrates that good environmental policy can be good economic policy.”

Johnson said the project – which is the result of collaboration by Depot Park, the city of Sacramento, East West Bank, SPG Solar and Chint Astronergy – has historic significance as a showcase for the reuse of a military base with a Brownfield site for renewable energy generation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a Brownfield site as land where any redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

The new solar project is an example of finding creative solutions to challenging issues and using green energy to remedy a previously contaminated Brownfield site, said Dick Fischer, president of U.S. National Leasing, owner and manager of Depot Park.

“It demonstrates how the alignment of policy creates real deals,” Johnson said. “We have a state enterprise zone and an aggressive renewable portfolio by SMUD, and we have our city sustainable goals all coming together to leverage dollars.”

The solar panel array at Depot Park is the largest green sector project within the city limits and it provides an opportunity to satisfy a growing need to diversify the local economy, Johnson told those attending the dedication.

Johnson was also joined at the dedication ceremony by Renee Taylor, president of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) board.

“SMUD is very committed to these kinds of projects,” Taylor said. “It’s an example of how, if we all come together to see this vision of a more sustainable future for Sacramento, that working together really is the way to do it.”

In 2007, SMUD began implementing California Senate Bill 1 (SB1), which requires utilities to set 10-year installation and budget goals proportional to the utility’s share of statewide load, which in SMUD’s case amounts to 125 megawatts (MW) of new capacity by the end of 2016.

“This one 3-megawatt project at Depot Park puts us at about 20 megawatts,” Taylor said. “We still have quite a ways to go to reach (our) goal, and we are pursuing it aggressively.”

Joel Ayala, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, also took part in Tuesday’s dedication ceremony. Ayala noted that solar projects of this kind in California provide an efficient and affordable source of energy as well as jobs for Californians.

“This is a win for California,” Ayala said. “The investment that Chint Astronergy has made in California is a great achievement, and the hope is that we can develop further opportunities both here and across the state.”

Julia Burrows, managing partner at Valley Vision, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization associated with the Depot Park solar project, said Chint Astronergy, the manufacturer of the new solar panels at Depot Park, is looking at potential plant locations and company headquarters in the United States.

“We want them here,” Burrows said.

Bringing such a manufacturing plant to this location would also bring 150 to 200 jobs, Burrows said, boosting the local economy and supporting the main objectives of the mayor’s Greenwise Initiative.

The initiative, launched by mayor Johnson last May, is an effort to make Sacramento the greenest region in the country and a hub for green technology through collaborative efforts with experts and community leaders in a variety of policy areas such as waste and recycling, urban design and green building, and green and clean technology.

Johnson concluded his dedication comments with a direct invitation to Cunhui Nan, chairman of Chint Astronergy, to bring his manufacturing plant to Sacramento and Depot Park.

“Sacramento is open for business,” Johnson said. “We have the space, we have the people and we’re ready to go.”

Community gardens to be discussed

2011-04-05T01:42:17Z

Four Sacramento council members will discuss ideas for growing the number of community gardens in the city on Tuesday afternoon.

City Council members Jay Schenirer, Sandy Sheedy, Darrell Fong and Steve Cohn sit on the Law and Legislation Committee, which analyzes ideas for local ordinances. The committee will examine ways to regulate community gardens and increase their presence.

Councilman Rob Fong spurred the committee’s discussion, according to a city staff report. The city should do everything it can to encourage community gardening and to explore urban farming, Fong said Monday.

“I just think we need to utilize our spaces well,” Fong said.

Committee members will evaluate a proposed ordinance that would lay out how residents could create community gardens on their private properties, according to Joy Patterson, principal planner for the city.

“The city already has a community garden program,” Patterson said, explaining that the proposed ordinance will relate to private citizens and private property.

The ordinance would set rules for community gardens on vacant, private land, Patterson said.

The proposed rules for community gardens would vary depending on a garden’s size. If a proposed garden is less than 16,600 square feet, citizens who want to maintain the garden could easily register their garden with their city and pay a small processing fee, according to the report.

The city’s zoning administrator would need to approve gardens for spaces that are larger than 16,600 feet because these gardens may have a bigger impact on nearby areas, according to the report.

The Planning Commission would be in charge of issuing permits for community gardens on private lands that are one acre or larger, the report said.

The proposed ordinance being discussed by the Law and Legislation Committee Tuesday would also need to be addressed by the city’s Planning Commission and the City Council, according to the staff report.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department oversees eight community gardens. Bill Maynard, the city’s community gardening director, said community gardens produce oxygen and beautify communities.

The committee will meet Tuesday, 3 p.m., Sacramento City Hall, 915 I St.

Read the staff report on the community gardens discussion here.

View Community gardens overseen by the city in a larger map

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Green waste debate to resume

2011-02-26T02:04:51Z

A city staff proposal to eventually stop loose-in-the-street green waste pickup and move to container pickup will not work for all city residents, Interim City Manager Gus Vina said in an interview Thursday.

In tree-laden areas such as Midtown, a container is not adequate to hold all of the fallen leaves, Vina said, explaining why he pulled the green waste issue from the City Council’s agenda on Tuesday.

“I want to make sure I’ve challenged staff enough on creativity and the solutions that are possible,” Vina said.

The plan that Vina delayed would have encouraged moving away from loose-in-the street pickup and raised rates for residents who continue that method of pickup. Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said the green waste issue will be on the City Council agenda again within a couple weeks.

The city uses two systems for green waste pickup because of a law that was passed in 1977. Measure A states that the city cannot compel residents to put their green waste in containers. Therefore, the city must continue to provide loose-in-the-street pickup.

The proposal that was pulled from the council agenda Tuesday asked the City Council to take steps to eventually overturn Measure A. This would allow the city to enforce containerized pickup as the sole method.

Voters would have to approve a counter-measure that would abolish Measure A.

City staff had planned to ask the council on Tuesday to consider draft language for a counter-measure “for use if the City Council determines at a subsequent time to call such a measure to the ballot,” the Feb. 22 staff report said.

But Vina said Thursday that changing the measure doesn’t solve the green waste problem for people living “in heavy areas where a container doesn’t do it.”

“Land Park and Midtown are good examples,” he said Friday. “Basically, we have lots of trees, and in older areas, the trees are big.”

The proposal also included major rate increases for people who choose loose-in-the-street pickup over containers as long as Measure A is still in effect. A resident who chooses loose-in-the-street pickup now pays a fee of $13.71 per month. One of the ideas suggested in the proposal would raise the rate to about $40 per month.

City staff explained in the proposal that the number of loose-in-the-street customers has declined over time – the 103,787 container customers far surpass the 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers. The number of loose-in-the-street customers no longer pay enough in fees to pay for the cost of the service, the report said.

“The current loose-in-the-street rate of $13.71 was sufficient to recover the full cost when 57,000 customers were putting their green waste in the street,” according to the report. “With only 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers remaining paying the same rate, there is now insufficient funding to cover the cost of the service.”

Because there are no longer enough customers to keep the rate at $13.71 per month, city staff say the rate should be raised.

Green waste pickup is a recurring point of contention between the Utilities Department, which favors containers, and some residents, who want to keep their loose-in-the-street pickup.

The department’s position, which is included in the staff report, is that the containers are cheaper and better for the environment than loose-in-the-street pickup. It takes two vehicles to do loose-in-the-street pickup, while only one is needed for containers, according to the department. Reducing the number of vehicles helps prevent pollution, the department points out.

Read the Feb. 22 green waste proposal that Vina withdrew from the council’s agenda here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Midtown and East Sacamento residents raise questions on solar project

2011-02-18T07:02:23Z

On a rainy, windy night the City’s Park Planning and Development department held a public community meeting about Conergy’s proposed Sutter's Landing Solar Farm.

If Conergy is able to negotiate city requirements and neighborhood concerns, they will break ground in spring 2012. Sacramento has a rare opportunity with this project to earn national recognition. If we can build a world class solar farm and maintain wildlife habitats, we will be the go-to city for infill green projects that preserve and sustain neighborhoods and open spaces. The question is: can we seize the day?

Councilmember Steve Cohn reviewed the city’s concept to build the project on the former 28th street landfill. In 1997 the 172 acre site closed. Methane gas and groundwater issues placed the area on a state mandated monitoring until 2027, which restricts building options. The city proposes that until the area is fit for human use a solar farm be constructed.

Cohn made it clear that an earlier proposal to move the City Zoo to the site is not feasible. Two reasons prohibit the move. “The wait is too long for the zoo and the cost of development for zoo structures on the landfill is prohibitive,” he said. The city plans an extensive park for the area once the 30 year monitoring period is over. At that time the solar farm would be removed.

Neighborhood representatives from Marshall School and New Era Park Neighborhood Association and Friends of the River Banks (FORB), brought up key concerns. They questioned if building the farm would destroy habitat, since the site is adjacent to the American River. Riparian wildlife is abundant in the area and the new solar farm will be placed on an open grassy area favored by birds of prey. The area is home to owls, hawks and four legged creatures such as coyote, raccoon, opossum and skunk, beaver and many other animals. Laurie Litman of FORB reminded city employees and Conergy that the area is the home of a Swainson's hawk mating pair that nest in the cottonwood forest along the river.

Residents asked if the farm could be built in a way to preserve the habitat. Conergy did not have a direct response to the request and explained that they were just in the application process and design review had not fully begun.

The process of community comment and review continues. The next meeting on the project will be March 3, 2011, 6 pm at City Hall in the 2nd floor hearing room. The city will place project information, such as costs, predicted energy production and development details on its new Sutter’s Landing website. http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/planning/new-growth/SuttersLanding.cfm

Sac schools to get help going green

2011-02-09T06:17:02Z

Sacramento City Unified School District is getting some national help to renovate and make some of its more than 80 campuses more eco-friendly.

A full-time sustainability officer will help schools meet LEED standards as part of a program through the U.S. Green Building Council, said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools, which is based in Washington, D.C.

“(We) were impressed by your community’s enormous undertaking to become the greenest region in the country,” Gutter said, adding that beginning districtwide sustainability measures takes a large amount of time and money.

The Green Schools Fellowship Program aims to help improve school sites to make them more environment-friendly.

“Over a three-year period, this fellow will help your city make tremendous strides,” she said.

The fellow will be chosen in the coming months and will start a three-year term in the district over the summer. The position will be fully funded by the USGBC, and Gutter said it is the equivalent of bringing in $300,000.

The announcement came at the final meeting of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Greenwise initiative Tuesday, which calls for the retrofitting of 15 million square feet of school space in the next 10 years and reducing water usage by 20 percent.

The meeting was held at the Guild Theater in Oak Park.

Gutter said the fellow’s efforts will set the groundwork for continuing green development of school sites after the three-year period.

The fellowship’s pilot program was in New Orleans following the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, and the result was to build more than 15 school sites that are LEED-certified and build a “world-class green school,” Gutter said.

“Schools are the center of our community,” Gutter said. “They represent our hopes, our dreams, our investment in the community.”

Gutter said that when schools are fully “green,” they become teaching tools to educate students about climate and environment issues.

In addition to having less of an impact on the environment, Gutter said green schools save the districts money, which can then be spent on teacher salaries and classroom supplies.

During her remarks, she highlighted schools in Colorado that have already seen six-figure savings due to their facilities being green, as well as mentioning the first “net-zero” school, which was erected in Turkey Foot, Ky.

A “net-zero” building is one that creates as much energy as it uses.

Johnson said in a press release that “a large part of this (Greenwise) commitment is to green our schools and to provide our students with a safe, healthy and welcoming environment.”

Gutter said those goals can only be realized by making sustainability someone’s full-time job.

The district’s superintendent, Jonathan Raymond, said there’s “no question” that Sacramento has been given an opportunity.

“The opportunity to truly prepare our kids for careers and for college in the 21st century – it does make a difference where they go to school,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento makes Christmas tree recycling easy

2010-12-29T01:29:42Z

Another year and Christmas has come and gone. Relatives are heading home, the piles of leftovers get smaller with each meal and in just a matter of days it will be time to vacuum up those little green needles and say goodbye to this year’s Christmas tree.

Each year, tens of thousands of trees are purchased in the Sacramento area. While they can be thrown out in garbage cans or taken to landfills, the city of Sacramento and a few other local programs are offering easy and convenient ways for people to recycle their once bright and beautiful living room centerpieces. Recycling your Christmas tree will not only keep landfills from overflowing, but will also allow what’s remaining to be reused as mulch or for other agricultural purposes.

For those looking to recycle with the city, there are a few easy and free ways of accomplishing this, according to the Department of Utilities.

People with green waste cans may dispose of their trees in those, or leave them for loose-in-the-street collection during the first week of January. Leave the tree remains where they will be visible but not obstructive on the side of the street on your regular collection day.

Trees may also be dropped off, free of charge, at any one of these locations:

Elder Creek Recovery & Transfer Station
8642 Elder Creek Road
8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Jan. 8

Also accepting trees Dec. 27 - Jan 31, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. -3 p.m.; Saturday 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Closed Sundays

Kiefer Landfill
12701 Kiefer Blvd.
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Jan. 8 and Jan. 9

North Area Recovery Station
4450 Roseville Road
8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Jan. 8 and Jan. 9

SMUD Corporation Yard
6100 Folsom Blvd.
8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Jan. 8

Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station
8491 Fruitridge Road
8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Jan. 8

Also accepting trees Dec. 27 - Jan. 31, Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Closed Sundays

All tree owners are responsible for stripping the trees of any ornaments, lights, tinsel and other decorations, and must cut trees of 6 feet or more into pieces of 3 feet or less before recycling.

Another economical option is to support local groups or programs who are running Christmas tree drives to raise money for their respective organizations, such as schools and youth groups.

One local Boy Scout troop, Troop 380, has been collecting trees in the Rosemont and Mather areas for about 15 years, said Scoutmaster Dave Ishikawa.

“We’ve picked up about 1,000 trees before,” Ishikawa said, “but we average more around 500 these days.”

Troop 380 asks for $10 for tree pick-up, which is taken to green waste management to be turned into mulch. The proceeds go to paying for the troop’s summer camp and any equipment the scouts may need.

The troop will be picking up trees on both Jan. 2 and 8 in the Rosemont area. For more information, click here.

Photos courtesy of Sacramento County Waste Management and Recycling

Environmental group works with neighborhoods

2010-12-23T01:42:33Z

Wooden boxes of chard, kale and collard greens on Charles Mason’s front yard in Oak Park are likely to be installed at dozens of spots in Sacramento next year and into 2012.

Mason, the founder of environmental nonprofit group Ubuntu Green, is organizing a project to place up to 60 small gardens in an area that includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Lemon Hill and Fruitridge Manor.

The home gardens project, funded by the California Endowment, is one of three programs Ubuntu Green will focus on in 2011. Ubuntu Green will work next year on a land-use environmental project with eight neighborhoods as well as host an annual event in September on environmentally friendly living.

The group, which Mason founded in January 2009, is working with several organizations on the land-use program, including WALKSacramento, the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and the Youth Development Network.

“Ubuntu” is a term traced to Africa’s Bantu languages that refers to a “humanist philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity,” according to the environmental group’s website.

Mason sat down with The Sacramento Press in Oak Park on Wednesday to discuss the group’s upcoming work.

SP: What is the purpose of Ubuntu Green?

CM: “Green” for us is ... removing environmental health and justice problems within our communities, improving our access to transit and improving our access to healthy foods, among other things. But (it also means) changing how land-use decisions are made in our communities so they are done in a way that promotes health, and that indirectly and directly, has no impact, or less of an impact, on the environment. We took the land-use approach to greening an urban environment.

(In a low-income community), you’ve got a much larger percentage of people who are transit-walk-bike dependent. These people have no access to resources, or limited access to resources, unless they have access to transit – especially if you’re talking about seniors and very low-income people. So, if you increase transit access in those communities, you promote the use of the transit. You (also) give them better access to all the different services and amenities they need day to day.

The Sacramento Press pointed at two wooden boxes filled with plants on Mason’s front yard.

SP: What is going on here?

CM: Under our current grant with the California Endowment, and we’re working in partnership with Soil Born Farms, we have been funded to do 60 of these home gardens in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: What are these plants?

CM: These two rows are different types of chard … These are different types of cabbage. Over here, we have mustards – very spicy. And these are collard greens, and about two different varieties of kale.

SP: What are a few of the group’s goals for 2011?

CM: We’ve got tons. One is obviously to get the (installation of the garden boxes) out of the way. We’ve got to get that program up and out. We’re doing our Green Oak Park and South Sacramento (event).

And then we’ll (continue) with our healthy land-use engagement project. So, that’s our major project where we’re engaging local residents around how to address land-use issues in their communities. We’re working with eight neighborhoods in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: Is it an environmental focus?

CM: We’re going to be asking them to look at transportation issues in the sense of – look at your sidewalks. Look at your ability to walk and bike and drive around this community. Talk about your access to transit. Talk about where you go to get your food. Is it healthy? Is there a community garden nearby?

Read more about the healthy land-use engagement project here.

Learn more about the home gardens project here.

Photo of Charles Mason and his box gardens by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

New sewer rules affect residents, environment

2010-12-10T18:33:43Z

New environmental rules for the Sacramento sewer district mean that local residents and businesses will be forced to pay high fees, according to opponents of the regulations.

But the new restrictions approved Thursday night will likely be viewed by many others as a big win for clean water and the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Five members of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, a state regulatory body that oversees water quality in the region, unanimously set new restrictions on the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night. A crowd of more than 330 people gathered for the meeting in Rancho Cordova, which started at 8:30 a.m. Everyone from state senators to farmers had a view on the issue. About 100 people were still in attendance at around 6 p.m.

The state’s decision to establish the new rules means that the district will have to overhaul its wastewater systems and pass on the cost to residents and businesses, according to the sanitation district.

The state regulators and the sewer district clashed over all the major issues raised in Thursday’s hearing. There was no consensus between the regulators and the sewer district on the scientific need for the new rules, nor on the costs.

Stan Dean, the district engineer of the sanitation district, said the district estimated that monthly fees for residents could jump to $61.50 from the current fee of $20.00 over the next 10 years. Fees to connect a new property to the sewer system, known as a “connection fee” or an “impact fee,” could eventually rise to $35,000 from the current rate of $7,450, according to the district’s estimates.

Connecting an infill property to the sewer system could eventually cost $13,000, up from the current rate of $2,800, the district estimated.

“We will have to regroup and figure out if we have any next steps on it,” Dean said after the decision. He said the district has the option of appealing the decision to another state body, the Water Resources Control Board.

Asked if the district’s next steps could include litigation, Dean said the district would decide on that “down the road.”

The district estimated that the total costs would be about $2 billion. Meanwhile, the regulators cited estimates from firms that the total costs would be $1.2 billion or $1.3 billion.

Ken Landau, assistant executive officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, commented on the environmental issues after the vote.

“Recent science and studies show that the ammonia from the discharge is harming the Delta ecosystem,” Landau said. (And) the pathogens or disease-causing organisms are increasing the health risk to the people and the river. And there are issues associated with the nitrates impacting downstream drinking-water uses. What this permit (to the sewer district) does is give an enforceable time schedule (and) and sets limits to resolve those impacts to the environment.”

Residents and businesses in Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, West Sacramento and the unincorporated part of Sacramento County are in the sewer district’s jurisdiction and will pay any rate hikes the district approves.

“We certainly have an ailing economy,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said at Thursday’s meeting, “and this certainly impacts us in a very adverse way.”

While many speakers made their case against the fees at the Thursday hearing, environmental health was the primary concern of many others.

In comments before she voted, Sopac Mulholland, a member of the board that set the new regulations, said the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is suffering from excessive pollution.

“The Delta is in collapse,” Mulholland said. “And I think that we ... do have a feasible technology to eliminate the probable cause of pollution that’s being contributed by the sanitation district to the collapse of the Delta.”

Landau said the sewer district will now be required to remodel its sewage treatment plant. He said it will probably take 10 years for the district to design, build and operate the new plant and completely meet the state’s new restrictions on releasing pollutants.

“Many of their costs are way down the line,” Landau said.

But earlier in the meeting, Dean challenged the district’s scientific findings. “Let the science drive the permit, not the fear of the unknown,” he said in his presentation.

Photos of the scene at the hearing by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

'Drive,' she said: Hands-on with Tesla's electric roadster

2010-11-16T03:05:16Z

As a fan of 1960s muscle cars, getting me excited about electric vehicles isn’t easy. But on Friday, I was handed the keys to something that makes my ’66 Mustang feel lethargic and a Prius look like a gas guzzler. And at $138,000, it should.

Miki Sofer of Tesla Motors brought one of the company’s Roadster 2.5 models to the Sacramento area, and I was one of the lucky ones to take it for a spin.

With an advertised 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds, I was all but drooling over the electric car that can travel 244 miles on a single charge that, according to Sofer, costs as little as $5 to replenish.

“There are more and more charging stations in the Sacramento area,” Sofer said, “so we’re really looking to expand more into this market.”

She explained that the vehicles can be charged at any outlet, but specialized ones currently being installed make the process faster.

The more than 1,300 Tesla Roadsters delivered since 2008 have driven almost 7 million miles – saving more than 350,000 gallons of gas, according to Tesla spokeswoman KC Simon.

After giving me the rundown on the vehicle and answering my questions, Sofer told me to get behind the wheel.

The roadster’s cockpit was surprisingly accommodating of me, even at 6 feet 2 inches. Sofer stuck the key in the ignition, and I was a little embarrassed at having to ask her if the car was actually turned on.

The watermelon-sized motor didn’t shake the car when it powered up, as I’d expected, and I realized that driving an electric car was going to be a unique experience.

Where a gearshift would normally be were merely four buttons – for park, drive, neutral and reverse.

The Tesla Roadster has only one gear, Sofer said, and as I let off the brakes, the vehicle crept forward noiselessly, giving no indication of the power waiting to be unleashed.

Fortunately for Tesla, fairly heavy traffic gave me some time to get used to the vehicle’s manual steering and the throttle before I had open road on which to unleash the car’s equivalent of 500 horsepower.

As I let off the throttle approaching a red light, I felt the car immediately drag, and Sofer told me it generates electricity off the spinning axles when the driver releases the “gas” pedal.

I tightened my grip on the wheel, the light turned green, and I stomped on the throttle.

It felt like taking off in a fighter jet. I was slammed into the seat, and the roadster shot forward like a rocket. But the individually adjusting suspension and the low profile translated to an incredibly smooth ride.

Traditional gasoline engines need to gain RPMs before the torque peaks and gives them full power, but electric engines peak immediately, allowing Tesla’s roadsters to beat their competition – Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis – off the line.

And the best part? The motor’s muted whine doesn’t alert every cop in town that you might be breaking a few speed laws.

As cool as the Roadster is, it comes with a base price of $109,000, and a fully-loaded one will top $160,000 – making it unattainable for most drivers.

Sofer pointed out that for a hand-built, carbon fiber car, that’s not a bad deal, and several Sacramentans have taken the plunge.

The technology in the supercar, however, will be brought to a sedan in 2012.

Designed to compete with upper-end luxury sedans, the vehicle will be priced at less than $60,000 and is intended to bring Tesla’s proven electric design to a wider population.

As the infrastructure to support electric vehicles continues to be built, Sofer said she sees gasoline-powered vehicles going by the wayside.

“The future is here,” she said. “This car is the future.”

To purchase one of the vehicles, visit the company website.

Photo one by Miki Sofer. Other photos courtesy of Tesla Motors.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Acceptable pesticide levels to be determined in Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins

2010-10-23T06:20:08Z

The Central Valley Regional Water Board held its third public meeting in Sacramento on Monday to discuss control of discharges of Organochlorine pesticides in water bodies throughout the Central Valley.

Eight Delta waterways, portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, have been included in the discussion, in addition to other water bodies throughout the state. These water bodies have been listed as impaired on the 303(d) list, meaning that they exceed the minimum pollutant level permitted by the Federal Clean Water Act.

This meeting is one of several that have been held since June 2010 by the Board to discuss with waterway stakeholders the development of Organochlorine pesticide TMDLs and the Basin Plan Amendment. The amendment will set regulations of TMDLs, or total maximum daily loads, of Organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and DDE allowed in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins.

The meeting focused on analyzing the effects of Organochlorine pesticide concentrations, which have not been used since the 1970s and are referred to as legacy pesticides, on human health and aquatic life in water sediments.

Fred Kizito, a Board environmental scientist, said that sediment acts as storage and transport for pesticides deposited into water. Pesticide contamination in sediment is directly related to pesticide contamination in fish, he said, because sediment is consumed by plants or invertebrates, which are in turn consumed by fish and other marine animals that will then absorb the pesticides into their body tissue. Risk increases or decreases with pollutant concentrations in fish times consumption rates, he said.

He said that these findings indicate the sensitive effects of Organochlorine pesticides on human health and aquatic life, and what steps need to be taken to weaken its concentrations.

Joe Domagalski, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist at the California Water Science Center, said that legacy pesticides like DDT do not dissolve in water, instead settling on the upper soil of riverbeds. He said that because they do not dissolve, they are often transported in sediment after a rainstorm in clay-sized particles in mud.

“They do last forever,” he said.

Members of various environmental consulting firms attended the meeting, including Sutter County Resource Conservation District, Michael L. Johnson, LLC and Larry Walker Associates.

Michael Johnson, president and managing partner of MLJ-LLC, a consulting company based in Davis that specializes in environmental issues related to ecology and toxicology, represented the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition and the San Joaquin County and Delta Water Quality Coalition at the meeting.

Johnson said that his objective was to make sure that the regulations included in the amendment are based on sound science and that he can assist his clients in following the regulations.

He said what isn’t clear in the studies used by the Board is where the pesticides come from, and that it is possible they are sourced from upstream or by scientists unintentionally stirring up leftover residues in the sediment while sampling the water for pesticides.

“We haven’t been able to find any pattern in the concentrations,” he said.

Because the pesticides studied are legacy pesticides from the 1970s, he said that his clients often ask him “Who should be paying to clean them up?”

“Should somebody who has a farm they bought ten years ago be responsible for something done before they were born?”

He said that he did not think the data being used by the Board reflects current conditions, because some of the projections show that the Organochloride concentrations are expected to decrease dramatically, some to levels where they will become undetectable by 2020.

The meetings began in June, and there are at least three to four left expected to continue through February 2011, Kizito said. He said that the Board has yet to determine what TMDL allocations it will propose. The Board will then submit a 200-page staff report summarizing the Basin plan to the California Water Quality Monitoring Council to determine its feasibility, and if approved by the Council, it will then be sent to the State Water Resources Control Board, the Office of Administrative Law, and finally the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

The limits recommended within the report will then become regulatory in the form of a Basin Plan Amendment, he said.

Roz Savage sets example for world-changers

2010-10-02T00:58:14Z

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 what I do instead of what I own.”

To correct her course, Savage began to make significant revisions to her life’s purpose and embraced her desire to “have a big adventure.”

In 2005, with storms like hurricane Katrina hitting hard on the Atlantic, Savage set out from the Canary Islands to solo row 2,935 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. Having no professional rowing experience, her arrival in Antigua (in the Caribbean) after 103 days alone at sea earned her recognition as the first female to solo row across the Atlantic Ocean.

The lessons she learned about herself, life and oceans while rowing began to shape her purpose, which involves the promotion of sustainable living and creating a cleaner, greener world.

Her Atlantic row taught her that “you can only take one stroke at a time,” and Savage confessed that she became more accepting of things in the moment while battling to not have her moods determined by the unpredictable nature of weather and the ocean itself.

Having overcome the challenges posed by the Atlantic, Savage then set her sights on the Pacific Ocean.

In 2008, Savage embarked on stage one of a three-stage journey, leaving from San Francisco on a course to Hawaii. It was during this stage of the row that Savage encountered what is referred to as the “North Pacific garbage patch.”

Having witnessed the floating garbage heaps firsthand, Savage became even more convinced that she must continue to raise awareness of how everyday consumer decisions affect the environment.

Savage urged the audience to stop using single-use items and to realize that “everything we do as consumers has a ripple effect.”

She asked the audience, “What do you do when your world’s not on course?” Her own response to this question is witnessed by her environmental work with the United Nations as well as affiliation and endorsement of 350.org; an international campaign committed to finding solutions to climate crisis.

Savage told listeners that with every choice we make, “we cast a vote for the type of future we want.”

Savage uses the credibility earned from her rowing achievements as a platform to empower others to make positive change towards a more sustainable future.

Her life now resembles the legacy she had hoped for some 10 years ago. Infused with purpose and a drive to do things 110 percent, Savage now encourages others to become world-changers.

Savage said she believes that anyone can make a positive change in the world, and believes that courage isn’t something you are born with. Her own courage has surfaced as a result of having a guiding purpose for her life.

“Over the years, I’ve found purpose to overcome my fears,” Savage said.

Whether it’s crossing oceans or changing the world, Savage advised listeners to have a clear vision of where they want to go and to make sure that every day they get a little bit closer to the goal.

Thomas Friedman urges environmental revolution

2010-10-01T02:19:19Z

Americans have embraced environmentalism as a trendy idea, but they must wage a revolution, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman said in Sacramento on Thursday.

Friedman’s speech to about 1,000 people at the Crest Theatre was for “Greenwise,” Mayor Kevin Johnson’s environmental initiative. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and columnist presented his views on the global environment and economy, and discussed his new book “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – and How It Can Renew America.”

The event was free to the public and Friedman was not paid to speak, said Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek.

Friedman’s talk was a star-studded political event: After the author finished his speech, he participated in a conversation with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Johnson.

In remarks before Friedman’s speech, California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said economic, educational and environmental issues are connected.

“We must change the culture,” Steinberg said. “And we must change public policy to say that the green economy will not only save the planet, but it is the single best opportunity we have in this state and in this country to provide real education and employment opportunity for the tens of thousands of young people who too often are described statistically as ‘dropouts.’ ”

Friedman criticized Americans’ breezy attitude on environmental trends, pointing out that a Google search yields a multitude of book and magazine titles on how people can “easily” save the planet.

“There will be nothing easy about this,” Friedman said. “If we have any chance of preventing disruptive climate change, it will require the biggest industrial project mankind has undertaken since the Tower of Babel.”

Friedman listed five major global environmental woes: the surging demand for energy and natural resources; authoritarian governments in oil-producing countries; climate change; biodiversity destruction and the lack of an adequate energy supply in impoverished areas of the world.

“Abundant, cheap, clean, non-Co2-emitting, reliable electrons” – also known as clean energy – can resolve the five dilemmas, he said.

Private industry should become a major player in the revolution, he noted.

“I believe this problem is going to be solved, not entirely, but primarily, by innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs – not by regulators and bureaucrats,” Friedman said. “That’s not to put them down; they have a very important role to play. But this is a problem for innovators and entrepreneurs because the only way you get the scale we need is by leveraging the market.

“The only thing as big as Mother Nature is Father Greed,” he said.

After Friedman ended his speech, Schwarzenegger and Johnson joined him on stage.

Schwarzenegger talked about his opposition to Proposition 23, which would stop implementation of the state’s climate-change law. The November ballot measure has received large contributions from Texas oil companies Valero and Tesoro.

Johnson asked Friedman to comment on making environmental change at the “Main Street” level.

“I feel like mayors and cities and regions are really where the work is going to get done,” Johnson said. “So what advice would you have to us in this Sacramento community?”

In response, Friedman emphasized the value of creative thinking. Sacramento can make an impact by becoming a “high-imagination-enabling” place, he said.

Friedman met with the media afterward at the Citizen Hotel and then met privately with the event’s sponsors.

He told reporters that in ten years he would like to see the city of Sacramento’s vehicles be electric vehicles.

Charging stations for electric vehicles would be located on every street corner in the region and city, he said. Friedman also said he wanted the city in 10 years to have an economy in which green jobs play a major role.

Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, attended Friedman’s speech at the Crest Theatre. “He’s obviously enormously inspiring and has a really rare talent – not just to think in a way that connects all the dots – but to explain it in terms that everybody can understand and access,” McKeever said.

Photos by Phil Kampel Photography.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento cleans riverfront

2010-09-27T02:10:28Z

Sacramento rolled up its sleeves and filled trash bags Saturday for the 16th annual Great American River Clean Up led by the American River Parkway Foundation. More than 2,000 people volunteered their time to clear 11,361 pounds of trash and 7,002 pounds of recyclables from 22 waterfront sites. About 47 miles of waterfront were cleaned, including high-traffic sites such as River Bend Park and Discovery Park.

The cleanup coincided with California Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual statewide effort led by the California Coastal Commission that has about 80,000 volunteers annually. Sacramento’s participation has nearly doubled since last year.

At William B. Pond Park in Carmichael, about 180 volunteers wandered around the riverside looking for trash to fill their bags.

Site captain Natasha Deegan said the cleanup is a family event and brings together people who are personally invested in local environmental efforts.

By the riverside, people threw sticks for their dogs and volunteers searched for trash.

“This one of the most beautiful stretches of the river,” volunteer Sylvia Stork said.

Stork and her husband were trying to find a spot with lots of trash so they could contribute to the community effort. People are more aware of environmental issues than they used to be, Stork said.

“People leave stuff behind, but mostly now I think it’s not a conscious decision,” she said. “It’s not as bad as it used to be.”

Volunteer Edgar Herrera from South Sacramento said he works nearby and sometimes uses the park during his lunch breaks. Cleaning up the park seemed logical to him, he said.

“If nobody does nothing, nothing happens,” Herrera said. “Cigarette butts are popular,” he noted as he searched the ground.

“It’s going to take a lot of cigarette butts to fill up this bag,” Denis White, a nearby volunteer, said.

White, who attended the cleanup with his wife and two daughters, said he thought the cleanup was a good idea, but because that section of the river was virtually his backyard, he felt responsible for cleaning it up.

“I’m pleased to see all these other people helping clean up my backyard,” he said.

After volunteers finished gathering their trash, the trash was sorted to be taken to the correct facilities.

One man digging through the collected trash was a representative from Dart, a company that makes food packaging products, including products made from foam.

It was Michael Westerfield’s third year at the event, and he said that foam gets a bad rap.

“We’re looking for ways to increase awareness that our products are recyclable,” he said.

As a company that manufactures products designed to be disposed, Westerfield said it is very important to educate the public about happens to waste and recyclables after they're thrown away.

Dianna Poggetto, executive director of the American River Parkway Foundation, said this year’s cleanup was a huge success. Environmental awareness has increased and with recent budget cuts, many people are concerned about what will happen to the parks and rivers, Poggetto said.

“The number of people who turned out, it proves how important the river and parkway are to the community,” she said.

Summer Fun Can Come With A Sting

2010-08-07T00:41:11Z

Yellowjackets already were making headlines a month ago, even as we head into peak season for stinging insects in our Sacramento pest control region.

The San Francisco Chronicle and other NorCal newspapers reported a July 3 yellowjacket attack on more than 70 attendees of the Alameda County Fair. Apparently, the ground-dwelling yellowjackets were disturbed by a fireworks display in the fairgrounds arena. None of the victims, who ranged in age from a 6-month-old infant to a person over age 60, exhibited allergic reactions or required hospitalization, although some received multiple stings.

In the Seattle area, also over the July 4th weekend, at least five people were treated for anaphylactic shock from stings believed to be from yellowjackets in separate incidents, according to a Pierce County public health official.

A small paper in Northeastern Ohio recently published a follow-up story on a man who nearly died from stings last summer after he ran over a ground nest of yellowjackets with his lawn mower. He’s been receiving weekly doses of bee venom over the past year in attempt to build up his immunity, the Hudson Hub Times reports.

And last month in Atlanta, several police officers chasing a DUI suspect who had abandoned his vehicle following a high-speed car chase were stung and one seriously injured when they ran through a clump of kudzu, disrupting a swarm of yellowjackets.

There are two types of “social wasps” in our Sacramento pest control region: yellowjackets and paper wasps. Of the two, yellowjackets are more aggressive and dangerous to humans. Yellowjackets will attack if their nest is threatened or, less frequently, if someone tries to swat them away from a food source. Paper wasps are less defensive, less apt to sting, and shy of humans unless their nest is located near a traffic-way such as a door or gate.

Both yellowjackets and paper wasps start building their nests in early spring, when a single queen emerges from winter hibernation as the weather warms. From spring to late summer, they forage primarily for protein, usually in the form of other insects, to feed their growing colonies. Later in the summer and early fall, the colony may have grown to as many as 15,000 individuals. Large amounts of sugar are needed to feed the queens and workers, and this is when they become more troublesome to humans. It’s not uncommon for swarms of yellowjackets or wasps to aggressively forage around trash cans, dumpsters or human picnics and barbeques, where they may crawl into soda cans and sting when the unsuspecting victim takes a drink.

The most common type of yellowjacket found in our Sacramento pest control area is the ground-nesting western yellowjacket, (Vespula pensylvanica), sometimes called the “meat bee.” Other types of yellowjackets common to Northern California include Vespula vulgaris, often found in dead trees in foothill or mountain terrain, and the German yellowjacket (V. germanica), which often nests in houses in urban areas. Most types of yellowjackets have distinctive black and yellow stripes on the abdomen and have a very short narrow “waist.” Paper wasps are larger, about an inch long, usually black or brown in color with red or yellow patches, and have a long slender “waist” and long legs.

Yellowjackets may build their nests in abandoned rodent burrows or even inside the walls of houses, where a hole in the wall may result from the insects’ work to expand the next space. The nest contains rows of cells and is enclosed in a paper envelope the insect manufactures from wood fiber and saliva. Other types of yellowjackets build hanging nests beneath eaves or tree branches. Paper wasp nests, usually built under eaves or branches, also contain rows of cells but are open, with no paper covering. A nest normally contains no more than 200 individuals.

Mud daubers, which may be mistaken for yellowjackets or paper wasps, build nests out of hardened mud. Mud daubers are usually not aggressive and rarely sting.

In most cases, a single yellowjacket or wasp sting does not cause serious injury. However, in some cases people have allergic reactions that can be life-threatening—even when previous stings caused no reaction. The risk of a severe reaction increases with multiple stings.

Initial symptoms of a sting usually will be pain, redness and swelling. In more severe cases, the victim may have hives, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps or headache. Symptoms of severe allergic reaction typically occur within 30 minutes and may include shock, dizziness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the throat. Anyone exhibiting this type of allergic reaction must receive immediate emergency medical attention—call 911.

Unlike honeybees, whose barbed stingers are usually left in the victim’s skin, yellowjackets and wasps can sting repeatedly. The best thing to do if you are attacked is to leave the area.

Here are some tips to avoid stings, courtesy of University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management System:

Avoid areas where a yellowjacket or wasp nest is visible. If you do go into an area with bee or wasp activity, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. A mosquito/gnat veil can be used to protect your head.
Avoid wearing perfume, cologne, or scented soaps in areas where there is bee and/or wasp activity.
Wear shoes when walking through vegetation, especially clover or other blooming plants.
Avoid brightly colored clothing.
If a bee or wasp lands on your arm, try to remain calm until the insect leaves, or brush it away gently and slowly with a piece of paper.
Insect repellent applied to your skin or clothing will not protect you from stinging insects.

For more information about yellowjackets, wasps and other stinging insects, feel free to call our experienced Sacramento pest control professionals at 916-457-7605 or visit our Website at http://earthguardpest.com.

Dust-Up Over Oil in 3rd District Race

2010-07-01T02:35:20Z

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 campaigns.

Lungren’s response was to say that BP “screwed up big time,” disavowing a June Republican Study Committee report that calls the $20 billion fund set-aside by BP to pay for the spill as White House “Chicago-style shakedown politics,” and that he (Lungren) had been speaking out about the oil spill for weeks. Apparently not publicly, however, as a search of Lungren’s Web site reveals nothing, nor had he made any public statements until June 23rd when he spoke about HR 5503, a bill to help families in the gulf region.

As to campaign contributions from oil and gas interests to Lungren, he had already collected $18,000 from them this election cycle by the 2nd quarter 2010 - some $75,000 since 2003 - and his attitude on this is characterized by his now famous 2008 campaign quip. When asked about taking more than $20,000 from “big oil” while voting against a half-dozen House bills designed to protect gas consumers and reduce energy prices and our dependence on foreign oil, he responded with a smirk, “I don’t consider it a contradiction…if I could get more [big oil money], I’d take more.”

Not surprisingly, Lungren opposes President Obama’s six-months moratorium on new deepwater drilling in the Gulf. (This moratorium which idled all 33 Gulf drilling rigs has been struck down by New Orleans Judge Martin Feldman who owns interests in several oil and gas firms, but inexplicably refuses to recuse himself.)

According to Lungren, BP has a different attitude about safety than other oil companies and, further, offshore drilling can be “environmentally safe,” both rather surprising and ludicrous arguments in view of recent Congressional testimony by big oil executives that reveals their safety plans offer no solutions to deepwater oil spills, are likely copied from one-another, and were approved incredibly without any real scrutiny by the federal Minerals Management Service (MMS), an incompetent and scandalized “regulatory” agency left over, without adequate change by Obama, from the Bush administration. Moreover, oil company investment in safety technology is minimal at best, especially for risky drilling in deepwater - as much as four miles deep in the case of the Deepwater Horizon rig.

The important context behind all this is our national energy and environment policy, which must acknowledge the interconnection of energy, environmental safety, climate change, economic and national security concerns.

Lungren’s rather narrow approach to the issue focuses on “greater fuel efficiency” by offering a $1 billion prize to the U.S. carmaker that successfully builds a midsize sedan which travels 100 miles per gallon of gas. This “competition” is embodied in his bill HR 1794, stalled in subcommittee since its introduction in March 2009. He touts this prize money which perpetuates the consumption of oil, giving only passing reference to alternative sources of energy like nuclear, solar, geothermal. In seeming contradiction to all this last year, Lungren voted against “cash for clunkers,” vouchers for fuel efficient cars, and the House climate change bill HR 2454.

Dr. Bera, by contrast, proposes “a ‘smart’ and ‘green’ relationship with the earth and to the natural resources that power our communities; that is both environmentally and economically wise and sustainable; and that recognizes the crucial intersection of environmental reform, job creation, and national security.” This in “an economy that encourages competition and innovation…that preserves the jobs we have while creating new ones through job training, especially in clean energy technologies.”

An effective national energy and environment policy (like all other current public policies, for that matter) needs to be consistent with overall public fiscal policy, which given the weakness of the current “recovery” should be to preserve and grow jobs and maintain safety nets in the short-term, and reduce public debt in the long-term once the recovery has kicked-in.

A policy that phases-out use of fossil fuels – because of both the lack of domestic oil (foreign imports account for more than half of U.S. oil consumption) and the threat to national security of continuing Middle East involvement to secure adequate foreign oil imports – and phases-in use of alternative and renewable energy sources of all sorts, including nuclear, solar, wind, water, natural gas, and biofuels, and relies as well on effective energy conservation incentives. Moreover, a policy that provides incentives (subsidies and the like) for firms to produce positive externalities (the economist’s term for such as pollution and emissions reduction) and regulates and taxes negative externalities (death and pollution losses to others from firms’ actions like the Gulf oil spill, Exxon Valdes, Texas City and West Virginia mine explosions.

The energy and environment policy of a representative from California's 3rd congressional district must adhere to the above principles in a practical and sustainable way, importantly including definitive reference to water, local pollution, and other environmental issues unique to the Sacramento valley, delta and Sierra foothills. In any case, local voters can help promote solutions to area and national energy and environmental problems by electing as representative someone like Bera who advocates a variety of clean energy approaches, rather than someone like Lungren who is stuck on promoting primarily oil and gas solutions evidently because firms of that industry represent a significant source of his campaign funding.

Chuck McIntyre
Sacramento economist, some of whose other writing is seen here.

“Land of the Rising Sun” Featured in New Exhibit

2010-06-29T22:07:00Z

The newest exhibit at the California Automobile Museum (CAM) will highlight the success of Toyota, Japan’s largest car manufacturer, as a trendsetter in America since the days it sold the gas-sipping Toyopet on Hollywood Boulevard when the newest models in Southern California dealerships had massive tail fins.

The summer long exhibit, TOYOTA: Oh What A History!, sponsored by Elk Grove Toyota, opens on July 17 and will run through September 19. “Toyota was the first car manufacturer from the “Land of the Rising Sun” to sell cars in the United States and to challenge Detroit on many levels,” noted Karen McClaflin, Executive Director of the California Automobile Museum. “Over the last half century the company has left its mark as an industry leader, producing cars that were long on reliability and low on pollution. Its cars have also been high on the speed charts in every form of racing, from the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR to exotic prototype sports cars and trucks in the desert.”

TOYOTA: Oh What A History! will showcase cars from Toyota’s early years to some of their current raciest machines from the track. The vehicles on exhibit offer something for environmentalists, racing fans and automotive historians alike. Among the vehicles in the exhibit:

A 1959 Toyopet Crown sedan, a gas-sipping, economical model that introduced American buyers to Toyota when all gas was still leaded and under $0.25 a gallon

A 1967 2000 GT; a long-nosed sleek coupe that began Toyota’s road racing history in the U.S., pre-dating the popular Nissan/Datsun “Z” cars

A 1998/99 Mark III GTP prototype sports car; powered by Toyota during that car’s domination of IMSA road racing, a series that featured one-of-a-kind machines with almost no technical limits on design

A gas/electric hybrid Prius that set a Land Speed Record over 200 mph for its class on the salt flats of Bonneville, showing that environmental responsibility and speed can be packaged in one car

An off-road race truck, typical of the machines that have won dozens of major races for Toyota Motorsports, such as the Baja 1000, sanctioned by SCORE

The TOYOTA: Oh What A History! exhibit will have an exhibition sneak peak and panel discussion on Friday, July 16 from 6pm – 9pm with guests from Toyota Motorsports, including Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, winner of numerous races and championships in the SCORE off-road series, and Scooter Patrick, a veteran road racer who piloted the GTP machine to victories in the IMSA series. The evening will also include a no host bar and light appetizers. This event is free for CAM Gearhead Members and $15 for the general public. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.

On Saturday, July 17th the exhibit will officially open to the public. From 11am – 1pm, visitors can get autographs from Ivan “Ironman” Stewart and Scooter Patrick and from 11am – 3pm can test drive 2011 Toyotas, courtesy of Elk Grove Toyota. This event is free for CAM Gearhead Members and included with paid Museum admission for the general public.

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience first-hand Toyota’s undeniable mark on the world’s auto industry with its attention to detail, innovative technology and a commitment to designing and building the world’s most popular cars.

Water Conservation Ambassadors Wanted!

2010-06-18T21:29:59Z

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is seeking volunteers to assist in the City’s water conservation efforts. Water Conservation Ambassadors will be trained to assist residents in finding leaks on their property, present conservation information at community events and how to spot and report water waste. The first training session for Water Conservation Ambassadors will take place on June 29, 2010 at 6 p.m. at the Department of Utilities Water Conservation Office, 2260 Glen Ellen Circle.

“Over the past year, we have seen a huge increase in the numbers of calls for service and a desire by the community to have water conservation information shared with their organizations or neighborhoods. We can’t think of a better way to share this information than neighbor to neighbor,” says Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. “These Water Conservation Ambassadors will be a huge asset to our department and allow our staff to focus on meeting Best Management Practices and reaching our goal of a 20% reduction in per capita water use by 2020.”

To become a City of Sacramento Water Conservation Ambassador, volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, sign a volunteer agreement and attend a training session. While all activities are voluntary, it is estimated that the time commitment will be approximately 2-4 hours per month. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed.

“We believe this is a great opportunity for all Sacramentans, from all walks of life to become more involved in their City, do something great for the environment, and make a difference in their neighborhood” says Marty Hanneman.

For more information about this program or about becoming an Ambassador, please visit http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/water/water-conservation.cfm or call 916-808-8260.

Sacramento's budding GRAS

2010-06-09T06:31:08Z

The Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento has a hand in 10 local restaurants and hopes to reach more with its mission of establishing a sustainable restaurant industry.

GRAS is "dedicated to making Sacramento a leading sustainable food community and a leader in the green-restaurant industry," according to its website. The year-old organization helps restaurants reduce waste by composting food scraps and biodegradable material.

"This is not a brilliant idea, it's being done worldwide," said GRAS co-founder David S. Baker. "Why can't it happen in our town?"

The 10 members of GRAS are Hot Italian, L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, Mulvaney's B & L, One Speed, Selland's, Grange, Ella, Tuli, The Waterboy and The Kitchen.

GRAS was formed by Baker and Jason May. The two, along with a handful of volunteers, work to strengthen and standardize GRAS' programs.

"After reading about (the composting) they do in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, I asked why can't we do that?" Baker said. "There's many reasons to think that Sacramento can be at the forefront of the green-restaurant industry or sustainable-food community."

GRAS has focused on composting. Hot Italian had a composting receptacle called the Earth Tub, which it offered to GRAS.

"Before GRAS came along, we decided we were going to use our kitchen scraps, but it would've taken a long time to fill up," said Andrea Lepore, Hot Italian creative director and development partner. "One of the reasons we decided to do the composting was because, unlike San Francisco, we don't have a citywide system for composting."

Baker said that GRAS has diverted 22,000 pounds of produce scraps since March 1.

"We provide restaurants with a bin inside the kitchen as well as another toter out back as they would for recycling or garbage, and then that gets picked up by Atlas Disposal," Baker said. "Now it's a question of where we go from there. This last week, we requested 400 pounds go to Hot Italian's Earth Tub and the rest was taken to Del Rio Botanical Farms."

The Earth Tub, which has been in use for two months, has "digested" its first batch. Hot Italian worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation to distribute the compost in community gardens, including Fremont Community Garden.

"We're glad to know there's another effort with the GRAS people and Hot Italian," said Bill Maynard, community garden program coordinator for Parks and Recreation. "We're happy to work with everyone to keep the waste from the landfill."

The Earth Tub is produced by Green Mountain Technologies, Inc. The company describes it as a "small scale, in-vessel composting system for recycling organic waste materials at the site where they are generated." The Earth Tub can process 40 to 500 pounds daily. Each tub holds 3,200 pounds when full.

GRAS' programs also include cork recycling, water conservation, supplying bicycle racks through the city, recycling and promoting local agriculture. It hopes to recycle cooking oil for bio-diesel use and work with the Legislature on issues involving the food industry.

"Not too long ago, we were throwing everything into the garbage," Baker said. "Now we do composting, recycling, cork recycling. It's all about keeping things out of the landfill."

Photos:

1) Hot Italian exterior.

2) The Earth Tub.

3) Lepore opens the Earth Tub to show the full batch.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Rep. Doris Matsui Hosts Successful Clean Energy Forum Today with Almost 200 Participants

2010-06-03T23:39:40Z

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 recover and grow, the emerging clean technology industry is helping to ensure that Sacramento is prosperous throughout the next century,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “When our local companies have the opportunity to sit down and meet with Administration officials face-to-face, they can better understand what is required of them in the loan process and that will make our region more competitive down the road.”

Almost 200 participants attended today's event - a clear sign of the excitement around the clean energy sector in Sacramento. Local businesses, non-profits, government agencies, university representatives, and citizen activists came together to discuss on-going projects as well as future opportunities coming to Northern California.

Representative Matsui also discussed legislation she recently introduced, the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010, which would assist small- and medium-sized clean technology businesses to find new markets at home and abroad to sell their clean-tech products.‪‪ This legislation would create a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to be administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce to help increase the competitiveness of American-made clean technology.

“Sacramento is poised to become a national leader in clean energy,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Today’s forum will help our local stakeholders understand what federal resources are available to them and how best to prepare, strengthen and grow their businesses to compete in a global marketplace.”‪

The Recovery Act, supported by Congresswoman Matsui last year, has set forth record levels of investment in the burgeoning clean and green technology industry. The Obama Administration and this Congress continues to deliver on its promise to support clean tech companies that, in turn, will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, renew our competitiveness in a global marketplace, and promote the use of alternative technologies that do not threaten our natural resources. Last fall, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in cooperation with California State University Sacramento (CSUS) and Los Rios Community College received a Recovery grant of $128 million for the installation of smart meters and a regional smart-grid infrastructure. The federal funding will enable SMUD to deploy technology that it could not otherwise afford that will, for example, help SMUD predict power outages, and know more quickly when they do occur.

“SMUD proudly supports the Sacramento region’s clean technology business sector,” said Elisabeth S. Brinton, Chief Business & Public Affairs Officer, SMUD. “As the nation’s most progressive electric utility, SMUD has been a local economic development engine for many decades, from pioneering utility scale solar over 25 years ago, to our Smart Grid and Advanced Renewable Energy Development work happening today. Congresswoman Matsui’s practical and visionary leadership is a key to our region’s competitiveness. Today’s Clean Energy Federal Funding Forum gives local private sector companies important access to federal funding options needed to accelerate the commercialization of energy related technology in today’s otherwise tough economy – supporting the clean energy technology that will help utilities like SMUD best serve our customers for years to come.”

# # #

SSF Keynote “Why The Climate Crisis Can Only Be Solved By Citizen Lobbyists” May 20, 2010

2010-05-25T03:36:41Z

"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, Executive Director - Citizens Climate Lobby. Mr. Reynolds has been working with organizations and individuals for over thirty-one years to empower them to make a difference in their world. Much of that time was spent in the public and corporate world providing training programs he designed and led on effective communication, leadership, team building and time management.

The purpose of Citizens Climate Lobby is to create the political will for a sustainable climate and to empower individuals to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power. Citizens Climate Lobby is a national, non-partisan, grassroots organization founded in early 2007. It organizes and trains people by congressional district throughout the country how to educate Congress to enact effective climate legislation. The organization is based in Coronado, CA, and can be found on the web at http://citizensclimatelobby.org.

Mr. Noss began the evening by reviewing that this was an extraordinary week on many levels. At the Mayor’s Green Initiative Kickoff, Mayor Johnson, Maria Shriver and the Governor spoke about what they are trying to do here in Sacramento. The authors of Cradle to Cradle were present to launch an institute here in California- The Green Products Innovation Institute (http://gpii.com). The keynote focused on climate change and what citizens can do about it.

There are now over 400 who "like" SSF’s page on Facebook. Jacob Griscom introduced the sponsor program, saying that SSF aims to evolve the collective consciousness of the inside of the community. They want to focus on food, water, green jobs, he said. The community wants our region to be about more than just cleantech. The organic way they approach creating growth has attracted other organizations to help spread the word. They aim to have 250 attendees per month at events.

Griscom says that the keynote speaker has been inspirational to him, as he teaches each of us to influence policy in our community. It’s scary to look into the face of climate change and feel the full magnitude of it is terrifying because it is transformative. You must be accountable for your part in our future.

After Mr. Reynolds is introduced, he gave a very enthusiastic and audience-engaging presentation. He said there are over 2,300 paid energy/climate lobbyists in Washington, four for every one member of the House of Representatives. Most of these lobbyists are paid for by big coal and oil, and even if all of the green organizations in the country pooled their resources it would not match one month's quarterly profit from Exxon. If we leave the future of the planet up to paid lobbying we have a predictably bleak future, he said.

He went on to say that money has enormous influence in Washington DC. North Dakota is afraid to make the transition from coal to something else. 2009 was the first year that there were more wind jobs than coal jobs in the country. There has been a failure of citizens to generate enough will to influence the decisions of the politicians. Mr. Reynolds said that we need to do something useful and he wants to prepare attendees as if they were having a meeting with Senator Boxer to discuss climate change.

For 20 years CCL founder Marshall Saunders had spent time generating micro credit loans in third world countries. He went to the poorest of the poor. He lent women small amounts of money ($100 or less) to buy something to create a business in their village to lift them out of poverty. 99 percent of those loans were repaid. He has only lent to women and it has been extremely successful.

He considered the question “Did you do something useful with your life or do you just take up space?” He saw the movie An Inconvenient Truth. The climate issue always seemed too big to him. He said he tried to ignore the problem. After Marshall saw the movie he decided would have to throw himself into the climate issue the same way he had thrown himself into the poverty issue.

One question that was asked to the audience was, "What something does the person close to you have that has been important?" Reynolds had the audience pair up with someone near them, and discuss this with their “partners” in earnest.

Reynolds says that Citizens Climate Lobby exists to create the political will for a sustainable climate. Whatever they do is based upon whether or not it helps create sustainability. They also want to empower the community.

They create political will by getting as much time as possible with members of Congress, he said. They say you can meet with a staffer. If you consistently do that as a group and you are useful and create a partnership you will eventually get to meet with Senator Boxer. It will take a partnership to get this done.

The first thing a Congressman does each day is read the letters to the editor section of the paper.

“When we go to their office we show them letters to the editor from people who want things to change,” Reynolds said. This is used as a way to reach them. They go to members of every group and train people how to get press, to work to get time with Congressional members, get published regularly, and work to build a coalition of leaders to show Congress that if they do the right thing people will get behind them.

At this event, Reynolds focused only on the face to face time. The website has sample letters to leaders explaining why they should do the right thing and how to get to members of Congress.

Reynolds walked attendees through CCL’s meeting template. They don’t meet with anyone until they know what they admire and respect about them. They’re looking for common ground to work with them. They take the steps they can. They’re always looking for where they can find common ground with everyone. Carbons will kill us guaranteed. Nuclear power might. He says “We want you to research the crap out of people before you meet with them. Find out what is really interesting to them and what they have accomplished”. They practice all the time, and have a conference call once a month to try to expand members knowledge so that when they meet with the member of Congress they are giving them the most current accurate info. They practice how to speak about the issue. Having the facts is not always enough.

There are at least two camps on how you reduce emissions. One camp is “cap and trade”- you can trade your permits to other organizations. This has always included offsets. How are you going to manage that? Instead of setting up a managed system, CCL wants to put a fee at every oil well and coal mine, and keep increasing the price annually. Instead of buying permits you would get a rebate. Under any plan the price of energy has to go up. You can rebate a monthly dividend check that is greater than their increased energy cost. They are for 100 percent recycling of the revenue so all people get a bigger dividend then you pay for energy.

Next Reynolds went through how CCL members conduct meetings. They take the road of respect with the members of Congress: Tell them your purpose is to find out what their priorities are with energy and climate in the U.S. What do they like about it? Reynolds said he looks for where there is common ground and where he can make a few key points. Get a few points in while they are talking inside of what they are committed to doing with common goals.

Reynolds added that you have to be really good at listening. Listen, practice speaking effectively and take a course of options. 10,000 hours is the number of hours needed to be an expert at anything, although Reynolds said he doesn’t expect anyone to put in that amount of time toward this process. Congressmen don’t care about emails. Politicians are most impacted by handwritten letters. It makes a big difference. Ask for face-to-face time.

Reynolds closed by saying the world is looking at California as representative of America’s future. When we have AB 32 on the block, that will speak loudly to the world and the rest of the country. If we can’t hold that down then we’re in trouble, he said.

The 2006 law, known as AB 32, seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California and imposes new requirements on power plants, manufacturers and other businesses. A coalition of business groups headed by Tesoro Cos. and Valero Services have turned in signature petitions for a California Jobs Initiative for the November ballot that asks voters to consider putting the brakes on what the Associated Press calls “the nation's most far-reaching global warming law.”

The evening ended with some final announcements, including that the next Sacramento Sustainability Forum event will be on June 17, and will be held at Hot Italian in Sacramento, with three speakers talking about local food.

****

About Sacramento Sustainability Forum:

Leaders include Jacob Griscom, the Western Regional Manager for BetterWorld Telecom, a nationwide, carbon-neutral, full-service voice and data telecommunications carrier, Richard Noss, who co-founded Sacramento Green Drinks and is CEO of GreenVision, a company that provides environmentally responsible branded presentation packaging, Ben Phillips-Lesenana, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of eGreenItems, an eGreenPlanet, Inc. Company delivering eco-friendly and green solutions, and Jon Haas, the Sacramento Area Farmers' Market Manager for Healthy Gardens, a family run certified organic wholesale nursery.

Supporters include City of Sacramento, Environmental Council of Sacramento, SSB, Green Drinks Sacramento, AEP, Green Capital Alliance, Valley Vision, Sacramento Tree Foundation, Professional Environmental Marketing Association Sacramento Chapter, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, The Green Office, Green Sacramento, SARTA CleanStart, Kenyon/Yeates, Sacramento Business Journal, Solar Power, Michael Brandman Associates, Sacramento State College of Continuing Education, Marketing by Design, Business Council on Climate Change, The Urban Hive, LPA, Uptown Studios, Coalition on Regional Equity, CA Business Alliance for a Green Economy, California Product Stewardship Council, Verde Group, Ubuntu Green, downtowngrid.com Sacramento, Eco-Chic Design, Aztec Solar Inc., Cassia Communications.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2010-04-28T02:25:22Z

In 2006, my dad was doored while riding his bike on 15th Street. He broke his shoulder pretty bad, and ended up with all sorts of plates and screws holding him together. Life gave us lemons!!! We made lemonade though, and Practical Cycle was funded in part by the settlement from that accident.

So I took great pleasure in hand-squeezing 35 locally grown, organic lemons to make lemonade for our Grand Opening celebration, the first annual Ride for Earth. Then I loaded a cooler on the back of our old Worksman tricycle and hauled it about ten miles to Practical Cycle.

I believe that sometimes life's most difficult challenges can help us grow the most. Whenever I feel like things couldn't possibly get worse, I tell myself that this too shall pass, and perhaps even the darkest clouds do have a silver lining.

Rep. Matsui Introduces Legislation to Bolster Local Clean Tech Industry

2010-04-27T19:50:32Z

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 competitors, particularly in exports abroad. According to a U.S. Senate Report released in January 2010, the U.S. clean technology industry exported about $7.7 billion in products and services last year compared to China’s $22.7 billion and Germany’s $19.6 billion. Moreover, the Department of Energy has found that the increase in exports of green technology could reach $40 billion per year and could create more than 750,000 jobs by 2020.

The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act would create a $15 million Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund – to be administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce – to help increase the competitiveness of American-made clean technology industry here in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. The newly-created Fund would support the development, implementation, and sustainability of a National Clean Energy Technology Export Strategy, and serve to assist U.S. Clean Tech firms with export assistance in finding and navigating foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad.

My legislation would help also strengthen America’s domestic clean tech manufacturing industry by requiring the Fund to promote policies that will reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology industry at home. In turn, that will help American companies increase their demand and create new, good jobs in communities like Sacramento.

The U.S. must be a leader in manufacturing and exporting clean technologies, not one that becomes dependent on foreign energy products. This legislation will enhance the U.S. standing in the race to clean energy by coordinating a national strategy to increase the competiveness of the U.S. clean tech industry here in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. Sacramento is poised to become a national leader in clean tech. This legislation will provide much-needed resources to strengthen and grow our local businesses in Sacramento as they expand into the global clean tech marketplace. This legislation sends a strong message to businesses around the world that America is serious about being a leader on producing clean energy.

“Right now, the global market for environmental goods and services is estimated at $700 billion,” my colleague, Chairman Rush said in a statement. “This means that the future of the overall U.S. economy not only depends upon a vibrant domestic market but strong American leadership in the rapidly expanding green economy. At present, only six of the top 30 global companies that lead in this sector are American owned. This must change. This bill will help innovative U.S. companies close this global gap. I’m committed to working with my colleague, Rep. Matsui, to do all I can to assure the passage of this legislation.”

“I am proud to join with my friends, Representatives Matsui and Rush, in introducing this important legislation, the Clean Energy Export Act,” said Chairman Emeritus Dingell. “It is part and parcel to the President’s goal of doubling exports in five years and gives wonderful incentive to American companies to design and manufacture the environmentally friendly technologies of tomorrow. Initiatives such as the one proposed in this bill will help our country gain a competitive edge in the export of the technologies the rest of the world wants and needs.”

“Clean energy technology will be a critical component of tomorrow’s economy, with the potential to create thousands of jobs and provide domestic energy without harming the environment,” added Rep. Eshoo. “China and European Union nations realize this potential and are investing heavily in this developing industry. We have two choices: invest now, make America #1 in the world, and help our companies succeed, or watch other nations corner the global market. The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010 will position our nation to compete and become the world leader in this increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

Steve Kircher, Chairman and CEO of Solar Power, Inc., a solar company based in Roseville, added his support for the legislation, stating: “We remain very enthused about building high quality manufacturing in the United States for solar technologies, specifically at McClellan. This legislation will certainly be helpful. We can’t build a business that relies solely on selling products into Sacramento County. We currently sell our products into Europe, Asia and Australia and it is our firm intent to sell the products we will be making at McClellan throughout the world.”

Greg Brehm, Distributed Renewable Energy Resource Director at OPDE U.S. Corporation, a solar manufacturer locating its American headquarters at the Port of West Sacramento also expressed support for Rep. Matsui’s legislation saying, “OPDE U.S. Corporation enthusiastically supports Congresswoman Matsui’s efforts to enact the ‘Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010.”

The OPDE U.S. Group includes Mecasolar U.S., which produces its Spanish-designed solar PV tracking equipment near the Port of West Sacramento, CA, U.S.A. from U.S. made steel. Mecasolar’s trackers have demonstrated increased energy harvest by up to 40% for solar farms around the world. “And Proinso, the distribution arm of OPDE U.S., views the Congresswoman’s bill as an opportunity to increase exports of this U.S. manufactured clean technology equipment,” Brehm added.

KEY PROVISIONS OF THE CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2010:

The legislation would create a “Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund” administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce to ensure American clean energy technology firms have the information and assistance they need to be competitive both at home and abroad.

Specifically, the Fund would serve to require the International Trade Administration to:

1. Assist U.S. Clean Tech firms with export assistance and find and navigate foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad.
2. Enhance U.S. Clean Tech Manufacturing firms by requiring the Fund to promote policies that will reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology sector.
3. Develop and Implement a National Clean Energy Technology Export Strategy.

For more information, I encourage constituents to visit my website or call my office at (916)498-5600.

Celebrating the 40th Annual Earth Day

2010-04-22T19:03:03Z

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 has to offer us in order to ensure that every generation is able to enjoy these same benefits.

As a member of the House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, I have been working diligently with my colleagues to curb the pollution that puts our health at risk and find long-lasting, sustainable energy solutions that will end our reliance on foreign oil and reduce living costs for American families. Last year, the House passed a comprehensive clean energy bill, paving a new course towards a clean energy economy. Now it’s the Senate’s turn. And if this legislation is enacted, it will spur massive investment in new clean energy jobs, and reduce the harmful pollutants and emissions that are causing dangerous climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partnered with agencies across the globe to showcase many simple changes you can make in your daily life to help combat climate change and harmful pollution trends. As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I encourage all of you to visit http://www.epa.gov/pick5/ and join me in making a pledge to “Pick 5” so that the next generations may enjoy the beauty of Sacramento as we do today.

We have made great strides over the last 40 years, yet there remains much left to be accomplished in protecting our environment. I will continue to stand-up as your advocate in Congress, and hope that you will join me this Earth Day in making a few small steps towards lasting change.

-Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento)

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TEDX SACRAMENTO April 16 2010 at Hinde Auditorium, 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819.

2010-04-22T06:06:17Z

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 wanted to create a special event to “lay the foundation for a strong TEDx presence in Sacramento…to contribute to the dialogue of ideas and encourage creativity, innovation and action in our beloved city.”

The event was held at the Hinde Auditorium at California State University, Sacramento, to a packed house of several hundred registrants, and the program was recorded for subsequent online viewing.

Weber started the program by saying TEDsters are in a class of their own, that TED conferences are a mix of things and that we would be watching live video from other TEDx conferences in addition to live multimedia presentations.

The first presentation was a video called “Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different?” The focus of the video was that sometimes we have to go to the other side of the world to realize assumptions that we didn’t realize we had. Whatever brilliant ideas you have – the opposite may also be true. An example was shown of how addresses are determined in the United States versus in Japan. U.S. blocks don’t have names, streets have names. In Japan, blocks have names and the streets are the unnamed places between the blocks. Street numbers are based on when the homes were built.

Next was a live presentation titled “David Mogavero: An American Frontier.” Mogavero is senior principal at Mogavero Notestine Associates, with special expertise in the areas of ecological building, environmental planning, infill development, urban design and energy-efficient design.

Mogavero said the suburbs are a unique American institution, generating vast amounts of appreciation and scorn. Suburbs are the most inefficient form of human habitation ever done on earth, and an important place for focusing on environmental change in America, he said.
He started his practice by doing passively heated homes for people moving back to the land, mostly hippies. He realized that if he was going to be an ecoarchitect he had to work in the fabric of the community. He has done infill work in Sacramento and throughout Northern California.

The quantity of issues relative to urban sprawl are immense. People are moving back to urban America in large quantities, mostly in central cities. This has both limitations and opportunities for capturing infill growth.

In Sacramento, we build on average about 10,000 homes per year. Sacramento can only handle 19,000 new units – about two years of growth. The opportunity is tens of thousand of acres of underutilized areas such as parking lots, vacant housing and shopping center spaces, which can be eliminated for hundreds of thousands of houses and apartments.

When you have to design in these kinds of situations, you take the perspective of “do no harm.” You’re trying to instill more density but have an industrial complex that causes you to be creative. As an example, there is a commercial district in Yuba City – an opportunity to put people in a place with a services available now.

For Mogavero this is like jazz, which emerged from a convergence of cultures. Architectural development design is fascinating and fun for him for reasons like this: With a 10- or 15-acre site in the suburbs, you can integrate food into the project through agriculture. A community can be involved in the growing of food. There is also an opportunity for technology, which is more challenging in the city. Holistic integrated systems flowing back and forth continuously are possible in such areas. This is one of the most exciting venues in American building culture.

Next shown was a video titled “David Gallo: Underwater Astonishments.” Diving into the deep sea is a dark black world. We’ve only explored about 3 percent of the oceans. We don’t know much about this planet at all.

We are learning lots from the shallow water, which is full of predators that can change color & texture to match surroundings, but the deeper water still leaves much to be explored.

The Gallo Video proved a good precursor to Sacramento guitarist Ross Hammond, who received the Best Area Jazz Musician award for 2008 and 2009 from “Sacramento News and Review.” Hammond gave a spirited performance that integrated sound system issues that would affect the evening’s musical interludes.

The music was followed by another video, this one titled “Kirk Citron: And Now, the Real News.” The top story of this year was the economy. What kind of stories might make a difference for the future?

Some include the invasion of the nanobees, China’s rising, food shortage, the age of discovery, an ant mega-colony taking over the world or self-directed robots making discoveries. With or without us, life will go on.

For Citron, the top story was that water was found on the moon. In the long run, some stories will be more important than others.

Next was a live presentation titled “Ron Vrilakas: The Great Green City.” Vrilakas is an architect who likes buildings. He is working on what he loves, which is trying to build a great green city. He comes from West Sacramento, a place that has failed to solve how housing and commercial roads should come together. He spent eight or nine years avoiding going to Sacramento. He learned some things along the way about what makes cities exciting and green. We have been out of sync building cities over the past number of years, he said.

Once there was a way – we knew how to build the Great Green City. We used to build communities commonly, but technology got us away from earlier ambition and we turned in another direction. Things were cut off from each other by highways. Simple basic community-oriented buildings were changed. Places to gather and take pride in your city became places like retail with parking lots.

In 50 or 60 years, we’ve lost the ability to build things like McClatchy High School. We couldn’t do now what was done then on six sheets. He showed a picture of a bicyclist who will hopefully survive the Freeport Bakery parking lot.

An urban memory – he tries to find ways to reintroduce these things into our environment. Streets need to be for people. Emptyness in a block is a bad thing. Menacing facades are an embarrassment.

Preserving the past is something Vrialas said he believes strongly in. We need to cherish historic landmarks, adapt for activity, create the unexpected (alleys in Sacramento can become a network of interest within our grid) and resist demolition. Underutilized places need to be identified. Single-use is not good – everything must be a mixed-use environment. Empty spaces need to be change to active places.

History forward – Vrialas said he believes we find the identity of our city in the past. Getting to know oneself is how you make something. San Francisco has its identity, as do Seattle, Berkeley, Boston, Portland and Paris – all of the best of an urban life put together. In Sacramento we have a real history to build upon.

He looks to buildings for stories. We’ve been building cities for thousands of years, but we’ve only been building in a suburban manner for past 60 years, and we’ve been getting it wrong. We don’t have to look for a technological fix. We can have the fix in the way we organize ourselves – an urban design ethic that is important for human civilization.

Next came a video titled “Dean Ornish: Your Genes Are Not Your Fate.” The video offered encouragement for a healthy lifestyle. When you eat better, exercise and love more, the benefits can be measured. Topics covered things to do to grow your blood cells and things to make it worse. You age less quickly when you change your lifestyle. Arteries become notably less clogged, you can stop breast cancer, change prostate growth and even change sexual potency.

You can change genes, turn on the good genes and turn off the disease-promoting genes. We all have genetic profiles, but our genes are not our fate. We can also change how our genes are expressed.

It was now time for another musical performance, this one from Autumn Sky, who said, “My name is Autumn Sky. Really.” She and her guitar ,which she has named Samuel Taylor, performed and sang whimsically.

Next, it was back to the green theme, with a video titled “Catherine Mohr: Building Green.” Mohr explores energy usage depending upon what she uses to wipe up a spill. Sometimes the things you least expect have the greatest effect.

Mohr wanted to know how to achieve a green lifestyle. The average house has 300 megawatts of embodied energy. Some ideas she explored were deconstruction of the house, putting in a rainwater catchment, alternative roofing and framing, if putting aluminum windows will double the energy use and others.

Following that, it was time for another live presentation, “Chris Schuring Recycles Carbon.” Schuring's company, Ternion Bio Industries Inc., grows algae in a controlled environment to reduce carbon.

Schuring asked, “Why do you do what you do? Why do we want to build better cities, to go green?” He said he believes it’s because we inherently want to do better in our lives, be smart and leave a better legacy. There is a sense of camaraderie, of community. It’s me and you in the solutions we come up with. He did it because he thought reducing greenhouse gases and carbon footprints would be great.
Lots of people don’t want to do these things. People won’t care about what you do until you care about why. If we come together as humans, we can bring communities together to effect change.

Schuring has a personal goal to help 100 entrepreneurs start businesses to effect change in the next 18 months.

Next came a very cute video titled “Rives: Mixed Emoticons.” Rives – star of the Bravo special, "Ironic Iconic America," told a typographical fairy tale that was short and bittersweet.

After this short bit of comic relief came another live presentation titled “Robyn Waxman: F.A.R.M.” Waxman is an award-winning designer, activist, farmer, educator and founding member of graphic communication program at Sacramento City College.

Waxman looked at design’s role in the last 10 years. Moving more into letting other people design for themselves as the role of the designer seems to be the direction the industry is headed. She produced a 56-page tabloid on how to make your own farm. Millenial farmers have built Farm Davis on eighth and K streets. They have donated more than 100 pounds of food, or half of their production. The other half they ate. The farm runs on a gift economy without a budget. The space is on a privately owned front yard.

A similar Sacramento farm is coming May 2010 at 13th and C streets in Alkali Flats.

Up next was another video, titled, “Julian Treasure: 4 Ways Sound Affects Us.” Treasure said he wants to transform our relationship with sound, which has become largely unconscious. There are four ways sound affects us:

Physiological – an affect on breathing, heart rate and brainwaves.

Psychological – musical has the greatest effect. Music and bird sounds are reassuring.

Cognitive – you have to choose what to listen to. We have limited bandwith to decide which sound to listen to. People are one third as productive in open rooms as private rooms.

Behaviorally – move away from unpleasant sounds and toward pleasant sounds.

Most retail sound is unpleasant, with retailers losing 30 percent of their business because the sound is so dreadful. Treasure's company has developed a SoundFlow to design soundscapes. Music is powerful. Every brand is making sounds right now. Several well-known brand jingles were used as examples. There are four golden rules for commercial sound:

Make it congruent

Make it appropriate

Make it valuable

Test it, and test it again

We can achieve sound living through good use of sound

Another video followed, titled, “Alan Siegl: Simplifying Legal Jargon.” It takes a blizzard of paperwork to get benefits or a business loan. Siegl has been simplifying things for 35 years. He didn’t see why we couldn’t have a simple one-page consumer credit agreement, so he created one.

He seeks to define terms in plain English. Plain English is about changing the content. An agreement for IBM was received very favorably by businesses. IRS letters are pretty unintelligible, and he proposed changes to the IRS.

We must make clarity, transparency and empathy national priorities. We should not do business with those using unintelligible provisions.

It was then time for another musical interlude, this time from Sacramento musician Julie Ann Bee, titled “Sea of Bees.” Bee’s first full-length album is about to be released by Davis-based Crossbill Records. She performed two songs.

The next live presentation was titled “Scott and Julie Brusaw: Solar Roadways”, and was presented by Scott, an electrical engineer with more than 20 years of experience who hails from northern Idaho. They have spent years working on the concept of a solar-powered roadway system.

The Brusaws spent a lot of time together 30 years ago. His favorite toy then was a slotcar. He thought, “What if we made real roads electric?”

They discussed how there is no easy solution to global warning and other issues, including that 65,000 children die each day because they can’t get clean drinking water.

Couldn’t you make electric roads out of solar panels? Could they make solar panels you can drive on?

They said they believe so. There are some problems, but they aren’t insurmountable. We can’t let snow build on it, so he put heating element on the surface. He put LEDs on there to light it up, a microprocessor so all panels can talk to each other even with cars traveling overhead. The system can even warn drivers of animals on the road.

Storm water spills right into a nearby body of water. What if we could route that to a filtration system and send it for reuse? We can put power cables on the shoulder instead of in the air. We can grind up recyclables to use.

Brusaw started a website, and Treehugger.com picked it up. He received an e-mail from Booz Allen Hamilton – one of the biggest consulting firms in the nation. They now have four sample panels in their lab.

Brusaw has received a research grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and has built a 12-foot-by-12-foot prototype. He said panels could be used in playgrounds and parking lots. See more at solarroadways.com.

Up next was another live presentation, “David Garibaldi: Paints with Passion and Purpose.” Garabaldi throws paint around and sweats profusely. He started about six and a half years ago. It was graffiti, and it was illegal. During his junior year of high school, he was introduced to animation. By senior year he wasn’t able to graduate on time. He was creating art out of the environments he was in.
Garabaldi called his show “Rhythm and Hue.” He created pop icon paintings on blank black canvas. Santana popped up behind him at halftime at a Golden State Warriors game.

In March 2005, he asked if his art could do more than entertain. Can it benefit and inspire others? He has been able to help raise $500,000 for charities and organizations through spending $200 and painting on stage. He changed why he was doing it.

Each of us has passion and purpose. We can be creative, charitable, profitable and grow algae. He said we all need to keep going to put bigger purpose behind our passion.

Finally, a video titled “Derek Sivers: How to start a movement,” was shown. The video made its point showing a group of young adults in action. A leader needs the guts to stand out and show everyone else how to follow. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. Then comes a second follower. New followers emulate the other followers, not the leader. As more people join in, it’s less risky to join in. Eventually, all who don’t join in would be subject to ridicule.

Nurture your first few followers, he advised. Leadership is over-glorified. It was really the first follower who transformed the first nut into a leader. Have the courage to follow, and show others how to follow. TED is the perfect place to do that.

All in all, this was an extremely varied, educational and entertaining multimedia extravaganza. It was also announced that there are plans for another event in November, so stay tuned.

More information about TED can be found at ted.com, and more about TEDx Sacramento can be found at tedxsacramento.com.

New Custom Electric Vehicle Featured in "Going Green" exhibit

2010-04-21T17:15:57Z

Sacramento, CA – Just in time for Earth Day, one of the California Automobile Museum's newest editions to the Going Green exhibit is the “Quiet 1” – a custom 3 wheel, 2 passenger, electric vehicle designed and built completely at home. This home-built electric car serves as a great example of what environmentally-conscious car enthusiasts can do.

The California Automobile Museum’s Going Green exhibit opened Earth Day 2009 and showcases vehicles spanning the 20th to the early years of the 21st century that personify the low-polluting, environmentally advanced cars dotting California’s highways. The exhibit features one of only 12 surviving models of the EV-1, an all-electric prototype manufactured by General Motors between 1991 and 2003, and a 1913 Rauch and Lang, an electric vehicle widely available at the turn of the century.

About the California Automobile Museum: Formerly the Towe Auto Museum, this spacious 72,000 square foot museum is home to over 150 vehicles of various makes and models, ranging from the early 1900s to alternative power vehicles of the future. Exhibits recreate the love affair we have with automobiles and provide historical information about the automotive industry. The Museum’s mission is to educate and entertain while preserving and promoting the automobile and its influence on our lives. The Museum is located at 2200 Front Street, between Broadway and Old Sacramento with ample free parking. The Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm, taking the last admission at 5pm and stays open until 9pm every third Thursday. For more information visit www.CalAutoMuseum.org or call (916) 442-6802.

City of Trees' Trees

2010-04-14T00:46:37Z

It's fun to look around and see the different types and colors of trees in Sactown these spring days.

Here's a few that caught my eyeballs:

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Sacramento Tree Foundation seek volunteers to get dirty

2010-02-12T21:17:57Z

Since 2002 the Sacramento Tree Foundation has been hard at work "building the best urban forest" in Sacramento and vicinity. The Foundation is openly looking for individuals to "get dirty" and to help in various tree planting activities.

According to their website, "Volunteering is a simple, fun way to make a difference in your community and the environment." Since the organization manages a number of sites and many locations need attention the actual part of the urban forest needing work will not be determined until about a week before the event.

One of the benefits of participation in tree-related activities sponsored by the Sacramento Tree Foundation is that volunteers will have access to space not ordinarily open to the public and be able to experience and enjoy natural areas not usually available to the general populace. The next scheduled maintenance is Saturday, February 27 from 9 AM until noon. All training, tools, and materials are provided by the Foundation on site.

You can register for this event by emailing volunteer@sactree.com.

The Crest Goes Wild and Scenic

2010-02-06T04:27:25Z

Art met environmentalism Thursday at the Crest Theater when the first annual "Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival" made a one-night stop. This version of the "Wild and Scenic" is an extension of the original film festival that is in its eighth year in Nevada City. The event is sponsored by the South Yuba River Citizens League.

The condensed festival in Sacramento also was sponsored by the S.O.S. Cranes, Habitat 2020, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and several other local environmental activist groups. It was made possible by a grant from Patagonia as well as donations from other organizations, including Clif Bar, Tom's of Maine, Osprey Packs and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

The event benefited the California Heartland Project, a program that targets conservation and preservation of the biological diversity of the Sacramento Valley.

Eleven films were chosen from the original 120 film, three-day festival in Nevada City. The films ranged in length from 3 minutes to more than an hour. The topics of discussion covered everything from climate change and grassroots activism to natural beauty and generational problems.

"We tried to select films with local appeal," said Matthew Baker, habitat director of ECOS. "This is a pretty exciting night."

The master of ceremonies, Koula Gianulias of Channel 13 News, kept the evening flowing with commentary.

The longest film, "A Sea Change" by Barbara Ettinger, told the story of a man and his grandson on a quest of knowledge about acid levels in the ocean. Just as impressive as the knowledge they gained was the bond they built.

Each film had a touch of artistic flare or humor, but the serious nature of the matter resounded. We face serious environmental issues today, and amassing knowledge at events like these may be our only hope for a future. I have never experienced people so eager to share ideas with strangers as at the "Wild and Scenic Film Festival."

For more information on the largest environmental film festival in the United States, see www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.

Wild & Scenic Film Fest Screened Thursday

2010-02-02T04:55:11Z

Local environmental and conservation organizations are bringing the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour to Sacramento for the first time Thursday.

Save Our Sandhill Cranes and the Environmental Council of Sacramento have chosen 11 films for the three-hour festival being held at the Crest Theatre — a sampling of the annual film fest held last month in Nevada City.

Moviegoers will watch adventure films about a team kayaking in Papua New Guinea, Oregon tree climbers in search of the biggest Sitka spruces and surfing in Wyoming. Other films document life in the Anza Borrego desert, the rising acidity of the ocean and Kenya's environmental and social justice movement.

With more than 125 films and documentaries to consider, the Sacramento film committee tried to choose flicks that would resonate locally, said Matthew Baker, habitat director for ECOS and a committee member.

"I think we have a really good lineup of films," he said. "A lot of them are kind of inspiring calls to action for people to get involved locally."

The South Yuba River Citizens League launched its environmental film festival in 2003 as a fundraising project to protect the Yuba Watershed. The festival got its name in recognition of the group's success getting 39 miles of the river designated as "wild & scenic." That festival has grown to three days with dozens of films and 80 speakers. The league now offers a smaller film tour package to groups around the country.

The Sacramento event will raise funds for ECOS' regional conservation plan, the California Heartlands Project. The project is working to build a network of protected open space on working farms and ranches in order to protect biological diversity and the region's agricultural heritage and to give local residents more places to go for recreation and to learn about nature.

The project would help protect habitat for sandhill cranes, Swainson's hawks and the inhabitants of seasonal wetlands known as vernal pools, among other creatures, Baker said.

Sandhill cranes are elegant, long-necked gray birds with red feather caps and wingspans of six to eight feet. They are found in North America, Siberia and Cuba. The birds are popular among birders and nature photographers, including those who travel to locate prized species. The birds' appearance here for winter migration has been gaining more widespread attention in recent years.

The California Heartlands Project is getting involved in upcoming discussions on Elk Grove's proposed expansion of its city limits. The city, whose limits contain 8,000 acres "lying fallow," are trying to add another roughly 10,000 additional acres within city limits and thus expand into the southeast corner of Sacramento County, Baker said.

That area is overflow winter habitat for sandhill cranes, especially when Cosumnes River Preserve floods. Sandhill cranes that don't find suitable habitat will fly off and most likely never return after nesting in other areas, he said.

The California Heartlands Project is also seeking to preserve the last high-density vernal pool areas in east Sacramento county.

"Vernal pools are seasonal wetlands that are unique to California's Central Valley," he said. "Because of geologic conditions of having a hardpan soil, over the winter during rainy seasons, the pools collect. Throughout spring, you get the real blooming of life that happens there."

Two areas of ranch land — one along Jackson Highway and the other east of Rancho Cordova — support vernal pools with many endemic species, including fairy and tadpole shrimp. These areas are also under speculation for more urban growth, Baker said.

Organizers hope the film fest attracts enough people to fill one of the Crest's small theaters, which seats about 200. Tickets are being sold in advance for $10. ECOS is also offering a special one-year membership and film fest ticket special of $25. ECOS membership usually costs $35.

"I think we're going to fill the place," Baker said. "We're hoping if we can fill a small theater, we'll go for the big theater next time."

The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour will run from 6-9p.m. Thursday at the Crest, 1013 K St. For more information, call 442-5189.

Sustainability is Hot in Sacramento

2010-01-23T23:40:32Z

Sacramento environmental groups gathered Thursday night to recognize local leaders in sustainability and to raise funds for local environmental projects. Sustainable Sacramento was hosted by Pesticide Watch and Slow Food Sacramento. The event was held at Hot Italian Pizza and Panini Bar in midtown Sacramento.

As attendees escaped the damp streets and persistent rain, they were greeted warmly by Paul S. Towers, state director of Pesticide Watch Education Fund, and Slow Food Sacramento’s Kathy Les. Hot Italian co-owner Fabrizio Cercatore poured glasses of red wine and brought out a variety of pizzas for guests to enjoy.

Pesticide Watch, a statewide organization based in Sacramento, seeks to empower citizens to use sustainable solutions to deal with pests and to keep their community healthy. Towers addressed the crowd of approximately 75 people by thanking them for supporting local environmental champions.

“There is a long history of people in our area willing to stand up to injustices when they see them. These people are champions,” he said.

Sustainability Leadership Awards were presented to Harvest Sacramento, the GEO Environmental Science and Design Academy and Hot Italian.

Harvest Sacramento’s award was presented by Blake Young of the Sacramento Food Bank and accepted by Randy Stannard, Food Access Coordinator for Sacramento’s Soil Born Farms.

Harvest Sacramento’s mission is to collect fruits and vegetables which might otherwise go to waste from neighborhoods and small orchards and distribute it to local hunger assistance agencies. It is a collaborative effort of Sacramento area residents, non-profits and businesses. Since the effort got underway in 2009, Harvest Sacramento has collected more than 20,000 pounds of produce.

Soil Born Farms has taken a leadership role in organizing the group’s efforts and in connecting those efforts with local food banks.

In his acceptance remarks, Stannard talked about the origins of Harvest Sacramento. “People saw a problem. They saw trees full of fruit going to waste and fruit rotting on the ground. They said, ‘This just makes us sick! What can we do about it?’ ”

The Sustainability Award for GEO Academy was presented by David Herbert of Kaiser Permanente and accepted by Fatima Malik, GEO’s Cooking and Nutrition Educator.

GEO Academy, located at Grant Union High School, is pioneering efforts to teach Sacramento youth how to create and foster healthy, sustainable communities. GEO provides high school students with a unique combination of rigorous academics and real world based projects that prepare students for careers that will shape our communities and our environment.

Students and community members grow vegetables, fruit and flowers at GEO’s community garden. Students use the garden for hands-on learning about ecology, plant biology, health and nutrition.

Hot Italian owners Andrea Lepore and Fabrizio Cercatore accepted their Sustainability Award. The award was presented by Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Cohn.

Hot Italian is the first restaurant in the Sacramento region to achieve LEED certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council in order to provide standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

The midtown Sacramento restaurant was a major restoration from the retail space which previously existed there. The building now has a solar thermal system for hot water, low energy LED and CFL lighting, low flow faucets and toilets, and uses recycled materials in chairs, tables and other fixtures. Hot Italian strives to serve food made from local and organic ingredients with a menu that changes seasonally. They also compost their kitchen waste, provide compostable pizza boxes and there is parking for 32 bicycles on site.

Brenda Ruiz attended Sustainable Sacramento on behalf of Slow Food USA’s “Time for Lunch” campaign and is heading up the effort here. Time for Lunch is an effort to get Congress to reform the U.S. Child Nutrition Act and the National School Lunch Program in a way that provides more funding for school lunch and farm to school programs.

Ruiz, a chef at Sacramento’s Biba restaurant, reminds people that they have the power to address problems in their community.

“People sometimes say, ‘The school lunch issue, it’s messed up,’ and they don't think there is anything they can do. Well, people need to know there are always things they can do to help,” Ruiz said.

For more information:

Sustainable Sac fundraiser next week

2010-01-12T03:48:27Z

Sacramentans can support sustainability, the environment and decreased use of pesticides at a local fundraiser being held next week.

Pesticide Watch and Slow Food Sacramento are teaming up to host the event, Sustainable Sacramento, on Thursday, Jan. 21. The event will laud local sustainability leaders and raise money for Pesticide Watch, a statewide organization based in Sacramento.

"The commitment and expertise, the money and time that's required to step out and do things differently than the easy, conventional approach to raising and distributing food is something that should be recognized," said Charity Kenyon, membership director for Slow Food Sacramento.

The event will honor Harvest Sacramento, a nonprofit program hatched by two East Sacramento residents to glean excess produce for food banks; Grant High School's GEO Environmental Science and Design Academy, which teaches students how to build healthy, sustainable communities; and Hot Italian, a restaurant that uses local and organic food and composting and is housed in a certified environmentally friendly building.

Local Hmong cook Sheng Yang will also talk about the new book she co-wrote, "Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America."

The fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hot Italian, 1627 16th St. Tickets cost $35. Pizza and organic treats are included.

Pesticide Watch has held this fundraiser for the last two years. This year, Slow Food Sacramento has joined in to co-host the event.

VSP Vision Care Receives SACOG’s Regional Business of the Year Award

2009-12-19T00:06:00Z

VSP® Vision Care has been honored by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) through the SACOG Salutes! Regional Awards Program which recognizes significant contributions to the region in transportation, air quality and smart-growth planning.

“VSP is pleased to accept SACOG’s distinguished Business of the Year award in recognition of our efforts to continue to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environmental health of our region,” said Steve Hibbs, Director of VSP Corporate Services. “We are committed to leading the way for other companies to implement sustainable business practices and being recognized by an association such as SACOG is a great asset in working towards that goal.”

This is the 11th year SACOG has recognized outstanding work by organizations, businesses and individuals through this program. SACOG considered VSP’s achievements in CO2 reductions through alternative mode transportation, and use of eco-friendly materials and operations outstanding among private businesses in the region.

Efforts by VSP include:

• CO2 Emission Reduction
o Filtered all air flow into the building with high rating Merv-13 filters and CO2 sensors.
o Implemented a SynapSense Wireless Green Data Center saving close to 260,000 kilowatts of energy annually reducing CO2 emissions by over 50,000 metric tons.
• Alternative Transportation Program
o Preferred employee parking for carpoolers and alternative fuel/hybrid car owners.
o Installed bike lockers, shower facilities and locker rooms for employees who bike to work.
o Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) program allows employees to use pre-taxed dollars to purchase public transportation passes.
o Currently, 15% of VSP employees participate in the Alternative Transportation Program.

To learn more about VSP’s commitment to the environment and to healthy sight, visit www.vsp.com. For more information about SACOG Salutes! Regional Award program visit www.SACOG.org.

City's ill-conceived utility code encourages scavenging, marginalizes Homeless.

2009-12-01T20:30:31Z

Collection day morning in Midtown. Heralded once again by the clatter of shopping cart wheels, arguments over territory rights, and cans and bottles strewn about makeshift recycling centers upon the front yards of residents.

The Police are powerless. Worse, the City of Sacramento’s utility code unwittingly encourages marginalization of the Homeless. By providing residents no choice in how their recyclables are reclaimed, and no alternative to a monthly fee for recycling pick up, Sacramento residents automatically subsidize the burgeoning activity of scavenging. Leaving many recycling bins nearly empty well before pick-up time, and many residents with increasing—and misplaced—animosity toward the Homeless.

It’s time to re-write this city’s utility code and the processes that it supports. And to redirect the average $1.00/week fee that residents are now charged toward social services assisting the Homeless.

Only in this way can we halt the creation of a quasi-legal business that divides the Homeless against themselves, divides residents against those who have none, and encourages violation of the very laws of our city, including those which subsidize scavenging in the first place.

True, a large percentage of the Homeless population falls through the ever-widening tears in our tattered social service safety net. But others fashion tools and contrivances, and keep regular and rigorous schedules, in pursuit of something very different than subsistence: profit outside the system. Most residents have seen ample evidence of this while going about their daily business, while others have actually been approached directly and ‘encouraged’ to form an exclusive scavenging contract between themselves and a scavenger.

Utility code reform is a chance for us to assist everyone in need. Regardless of their gender, age, and—especially—their physical ability to scavenge.

The environment suffers, too, from the current situation. In an effort to reduce scavenging and trespassing, some Midtown residents have ceased recycling entirely and now bury their recyclables in the trash. Others redeem recyclables on their own, but are forced to pay for services unused. Still others, acting primarily on fear of trespassers, hide the bins far from the street, covered in blankets or tucked into dark corners, unused.
Let us now fulfill our responsibility to those less fortunate than ourselves, and do so in a manner that does not directly undermine the laws that we all, the Homeless included, rely upon for our survival.

Let us encourage the City of Sacramento to re-write the utility codes that currently mandate fees for recycling collection, regardless of use, and let us direct those revenues toward immediate support of Homeless social services.

We must now end the perpetuation of ill-conceived and outdated processes that divide—with ever-increasing acrimony—the people against themselves.

Sacramento Building Healthy Communities

2009-12-01T20:19:49Z

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 services systems are family-centered, prioritize prevention and promote opportunities for children, young adults and their families.
• Improved physical, social and economic environments in local communities.

South Sacramento was chosen by the Endowment as one of the target communities. The area includes all of Oak Park, Fruitridge Manor, Elder Creek, and parts of Curtis Park, Tahoe Park and both incorporated and unincorporated areas of South Sacramento.

Since March 2009, the collaborative has been working to put together the 10 year strategic plan for the area. Initial outreach has targeted 5,000 residents through community events, talking circles and surveys to gauge the communities’ views about their neighborhoods. Other activities have included several working groups that are focused on Infrastructure and Assets, Health Access and Youth Development..

In an industry where foundations often change funding focus every 5 years or so, the Endowment’s 10 year commitment marks an opportunity for communities to pull together long-term comprehensive planning and corresponding actions that can improve public environmental quality and health, as well as, the built environment and healthy food access to traditionally underserved communities.

This process provides a unique opportunity for this highly diverse and vibrant area that has been plagued by crime, obesity, foreclosures and disinvestment for decades. It allows the target communities to leverage the Endowment’s resources to attract additional private and public sector funding and technical assistance. In addition, the BHC initiative will help to increase civic pride and build bridges across ethnic, cultural and economic divides that have been historically difficult to create and sustain.

However, the greatest opportunity of this process will be achieved by deep and meaningful involvement of the residents, local business owners and community-based organizations themselves. As this process moves forward, outreach and resources need to continue to have significant and long term impact on these groups that ensures public safety, generates jobs, minimizes displacement, increases access to public transportation, makes streets safer for walking and biking, improves energy efficiency and rehabilitates and creates affordable housing that is of high quality.

Finally, my 5 year old son Miles attended the November 21st gathering in Oak Park with me and told the all adult working group that he wanted safer parks. Many comments had been made to that point, but none discussed the safety of our parks. Many of us take for granted the fact that our children lack safe areas in the community for recreation that they can access at all times. We must foster these activities and make them safe, clean, accessible and with many eyes on the parks and streets to ensure security.

In the end, it is all about our children. As we lay the building blocks for the future we must ensure that what we build today creates a path toward a greater quality of life for the next generation.

This selection originally appeared on the Ubuntu Green blog. http://blog.ubuntugreen.org/

Meaningful Carbon Offset - Solar Cooking

2009-11-25T16:43:00Z

Solar Cooker System as “Most Meaningful Carbon Offset” Campaign Launched

Sacramento, CA, November 24, 2009. Solar Cookers International (SCI), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1987, announced today the launch of “The most meaningful carbon offset is also the simplest” campaign.

This campaign is arriving at a time when an enormous number of individuals want to do something meaningful to slow global warming. Yet, while our governments are painfully slow to act, options to offset our own carbon usage have been limited and, for many, of questionable impact. A recent report that voluntary carbon offsets for airline travelers do more to assuage guilt than reduce carbon emmissions has created a cloud of doubt around the benefits of such programs. "SCI's campaign is different from airline programs in that placing solar cookers in the hands of people who would otherwise burn wood or fossil fuels, actually reduces black carbon by up to one ton per family per year," says Kevin Porter, Director of Education Resources at SCI.

SCI is launching an online campaign, with a video where people can make a fifty-dollar donation that will allow SCI to provide one of the neediest families on earth with a Solar Cookit system and necessary training. Donors of the $50 CooKit systems will receive certificates showing a woman with a solar cooker next to the large pile of wood that will not have to be gathered or burned as a result of the tax deductible carbon offset contribution.

“Solar cooking emits zero carbon, and it reduces the desperate need to dangerously gather and burn wood in deforested environments,” said Honey Walters, of the SCI Board of Directors. “Each Cookit provides recipients with everything they need to transition from wood fires to solar cooking, including essential on-the-ground training, a solar cooker, a black cooking pot, a clean water container and an innovative water indicator to tell when water has heated enough to kill deadly microbes in drinking water.”

Solar Cookers International is widely considered the world pioneer in advancing solar cooking, through its product development and field training experience. SCI has improved the lives of tens of thousands through the development, distribution and training of solar cooking devices in Africa. SCI helped invent an innovative “water pasteurization indicator,” a simple life-saving device that measures when solar-heated water is clear of all disease-causing microbes. For more information, visit www.solarcookers.org.

Progressive Source Communications created the campaign and the video found on the webpage.

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation

2009-11-09T22:16:27Z

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation

November 10, 2009
5:30pm-7:30pm

Sacramento Food Bank
3333 3rd Avenue, Sacramento, CA

AGENDA

Moderator: Charles L. Mason, Jr., Ubuntu Green

Confirmed Panelists:

Anya Lawler, Consultant, California State Assembly Committee on Housing

Graham Brownstein, ECOS

Davida Douglas, Alchemist CDC

Brandon Kitagawa, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, Statewide Coordinator of Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA)

Constance Slider, Coalition on Regional Equity

Invited Panelists:

Paul Zykofsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation, Local Government Commission

Randy Rosalex, Green Sacramento Builders

Darnell Robinson, Clearinghouse CDFI

• Overview of Built Environment and Green Space

• Built Environment and Green Space and the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities target area

• Connectivity to other priority areas (Food Access, Multi-Modal Transportation Network, Access to Doctors, Economic Well-Being)

• What types of systems and policy changes are needed?

The Ants Go Marching...

2009-11-05T20:48:35Z

You remember that old song we used to sing on school field trips or at summer camp—“The ants go marching one by one....” The chorus ends: “And they all go marching down—to the ground—to get out—of the rain—boom boom boom.”

As in many fairy tales and childhood songs, there is a kernel of truth in that verse: Rainy weather does send ants scurrying, long columns of them rushing here and there, searching for any crack or crevice that will take them out of the drowning wetness, into someplace warm and dry.

Our Sacramento pest control company recently got a frantic call from a woman who had put off dealing with an enormous ant infestation on a large crepe myrtle tree that hung over her driveway. On a recent rainy morning, she walked out through her garage to pick up the morning paper, only to step, barelegged, into a swarm of ants that were using the concrete seam in the center of her garage floor as a highway under the garage door and into her dry garage.

Once ants are present in large numbers, they can be exceptionally difficult to eliminate. Inspection and identification of the type of ant is critical to effective treatment—and may be an argument for calling on a trained pest control professional rather than depending on a can of spray and a prayer. (For more information about common Sacramento-area ants, visit my blog post at http://earthguardpest.com/blog/?p=13.)

For customers who choose a “green” pest control solution, which most often involves placing baits that the ants carry back to their colonies, follow-up monitoring, refilling of bait stations and reinspection are required, and it usually takes longer to be completely ant-free.

If you find yourself, like our customer, with ants crawling up your legs, or you walk into your kitchen to see a trail of ants across the floor and up your cabinet doors, here are some immediate steps to take—instead of grabbing for a can of bug spray:

• If ants have been attracted by a food source, locate the source, remove it and clean the area thoroughly.
• Clean the trail with soapy water or spray cleaner and wipe up or vacuum up ants.
• Try to determine where the ants have entered your home, and caulk the opening or plug it with petroleum jelly.

With the rainy season upon us, ants from your yard or garden will be looking for ways into your warm, dry home. Take a look around your foundation, doors and windows; check around spas, storage sheds and garbage cans. Take quick action to prevent ants from moving in for the winter!

For more information about ants, rats, mice and other pests that also come inside during our Sacramento winters, visit http://earthguardpest.com/blog.

Free SMUD trees support the 5 million tree campaign

2009-10-28T17:33:28Z

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 agreed to double their tree canopy over the next 40 years. In order to achieve this goal, we need to plant 5 million new trees by the year 2025.

SMUD customers can join the 5 million tree campaign by planting free energy saving SMUD trees. Through the Shade Tree Program, the Sacramento Tree Foundation, in partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, has planted over 450,000 trees in Sacramento County since the program’s inception in 1990. If you wish to receive free shade trees, a Community Forester from the Sacramento Tree Foundation will visit your property and help you select the best trees, determine the strategic locations for maximum energy savings, and provide you with information on planting and care. When you are ready to plant, your trees will be delivered to your home, along with stakes and ties – all at absolutely no cost to you. To sign up for a free appointment or to learn more about trees and the 5 million tree campaign, please contact the Sacramento Tree Foundation at (916) 924-8733 Ext. 121 or visit Sactree.com.

Take the Low-Car Challenge in October

2009-09-30T16:05:56Z

Want to save money, reduce your time in traffic, improve air quality and get the chance to win a $50 gift certificate? This October is the time to give your car the day off and try a different way to get around.

Pick any week in October to try an alternative to driving alone for any of your daily trips. Share the ride (carpool), take transit, telecommute, bike or walk. If you can make a change for any trip (errands, work or elsewhere) three days in a week, you could win a $50 gift certificate to a local bicycle shop, a local restaurant or for transit passes..

If you aren’t sure where to start, visit www.sacregion511.org for tips and tools for ridesharing, transit and bicycling. That’s also where you’ll find the participation form to enter for the $50 gift certificate.

The Low-Car Challenge is supported by Sacramento Region 511, a service of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. For more information, visit www.sacregion511.org or call 511.

12th Annual Sacramento Reptile Show at the Convention Center

2009-09-27T02:55:12Z

Creepy, crawly, slithery critters abound! The reptiles at the 12th Annual Sacramento Reptile Show were the stars at the Sacramento Convention Center. The show, which began Saturday, will continue through Sunday and should average about 10,000 reptilian enthusiasts and animal fans alike over the weekend.

With strollers packing in the 15,000 square-foot Exhibit Hall, people of all ages appeared amazed at the wide selection of chameleons, bearded dragons, pythons, and poison dart frogs. Vendors with colorful signs were selling everything from reptilian food, assorted enclosures and incubators. Many of the vendors were offering promotional discounts for this special show.

Jeremy and Angel Epstein, of Upscale Reptiles and Pets to Go, began the Sacramento Reptile Show to help educate the public on how to responsibly care for their pet reptiles. Started in 1998 as a 10-vendor show at a hotel, the show has proven to be immensely popular, now averaging about 3,000 reptiles, 80 vendors and 40 professional reptile breeders with educators and suppliers.

"We really do our best to reach out to the families," Angel Epstein said. "That is our future. We are very excited about the industry. We want the hobby to continue."

Vendors and breeders play an important role speaking directly to families about buying pet reptiles so they know exactly what they are getting into, she said. This helps families plan a budget on what they will spend on their reptile, and how large the animal will grow, she said.

Dave Collings, breeder with Rainbows-R-US Reptiles, promotes two different types of snakes: the boa constrictor and rainbow boa.

The price of snakes depend on the breed, the sex and the coloration, he said.

"Exotic males tend to be worth more at first than the females, then as time goes on the females become more valuable," he said.

With corn snakes or leopard geckos in the $25 to $30 price range, families will find a reptile within their budget. However, all native species or venomous or imported animals are not for sale.

Reptile newcomer Elisa, and mom Glenda chose to purchase a baby corn snake at the show.

"Originally, it was going to stay at school with her [eighth grade] science class," said Glenda, "but at the end of summer it will come back to [our] house," Glenda said.

"My cousin got one and I wanted to get one," Elisa said. The corn snake will live for about 10 to 15 years, she said.

Fostering respect through education was an important message throughout the show. Julie Allen, naturalist and environmental educator at Nature's Critters, performed an hour-long demonstration bringing out normally "scary" creatures for children to touch and hold. Allen's educational programs and activities encourage young children to appreciate and question the world around them.

"When you are a young child and you love animals, it carries on into your adulthood," Allen said.

Allen spoke of her belief that people should not be afraid of reptiles and crawling critters.

"I teach kids to not get [certain] animals as pets," she said. "And when they do adopt a pet, I teach them to care for them."

"The children learn to value life," she said. "When they see a snake or a spider, they don't scream and want to kill it; instead, they appreciate the animal and leave them alone."

These values are exactly what Christian is hoping to teach his 3-year-old daughter Pandora.

"I am an animal enthusiast, all around," he said. "Any opportunity to get out and see cool animals is great."

Along those same lines, Laurel Peterson, a biology teacher at Salida Middle School in Salida California, began the Reptile Education Club to nurture her love of reptilian creatures, and inspire her students to be involved with wildlife wonders.

"I love snakes," she said. "A principal came to me with the idea of starting my own club. I have been doing this for 21 years now."

Peterson's club members are mostly sixth graders. All of the students, and parent volunteers, handle snakes, geckos, and lizards while answering questions and letting other children hold the animals for the very first time.

Mya, 7, appeared thrilled to hold a snake at the Reptile Education Club booth.

"It was cool!" she said. She also described the snake as heavy and is considering getting one as a pet.

"You have to be passionate," Allen said. "Every animal I have is precious. I think if you have that kind of enthusiasm for all animals, it gets to be contagious."

The 12th Annual Reptile Show will continue Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St., Exhibit Halls C-E. Ticket prices for one-day admission are $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under are free.

Upscale Reptiles' website is located here.

All photos by Kassandra Perlongo.

Where Is My Green?

2009-09-23T22:47:01Z

The green movement is in full swing these days. President Obama and his Administration are talking green jobs every day. The environmental movement is enjoying its day in the sun as the nation embraces green principles. Businesses such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks have implemented some sort of green practices. And, we even have Planet Green, the television station dedicated to teaching America how to live and build green.

Earlier this year, I launched Ubuntu Green www.ubuntugreen.org, a non-profit focused on building sustainable and equitable communities. I was particularly concerned with the impact of the green movement on urban centers, low income families and communities of color. It became very clear to me during my 20 years of public policy work that many of the progressive environmental, land use and transportation movements had often overlooked these constituencies. I was also concerned about how federal resources dedicated to green projects would impact these communities. Were companies that receive green job funds reaching out to underserved communities? Were we requiring that infill, redevelopment and new development in urban communities use the highest LEED standards, in order to not only lower energy cost and usage, but to also build healthy homes and other buildings? Were we helping to promote green lifestyles in communities that would include promotion of community gardens, farmers markets, and access to healthy foods?

As the green movement enjoys its day in the sun, we must take a moment and pause to ensure that all Americans are sharing the ample benefits. Government, foundation, business, non-profit and other entities must dedicate educational, technical and financial resources to ensure that the greening of our society is part of a long range commitment that does not end with the next election or shift in policy priorities.

I choose Ubuntu Green as a name of our organization, because I believe deeply in the South African term Ubuntu, which speaks to the common humanity and interdependence of all of humanity. The green movement will not be successful unless its goals are firmly rooted in ensuring green justice through the improving of the daily lives of all the world’s citizens.

This Blog originally appeared at blog.ubuntugreen.org

Parkour traces Sacramento

2009-08-20T06:44:13Z

I walked onto the quad of Bella Vista High School on a Sunday afternoon to a sight of 20 or so men climbing walls, running like cheetahs on all fours and swinging from trees.

This was the Sacramento regional parkour practice, led by a SFparkour.com representative, Victor Lo Forte. He has been a practitioner of parkour, or traceur, French for tracer, for three and a half years and has led the Sacramento group for about two years.

"From what I understand, it's basically the discipline of training one's mind and body to prepare oneself to overcome obstacles in an environment," Lo Forte said.

Parkour is said to be rooted in early 20th century French military practices. Georges Hébert, a World War I naval officer, developed a notion of physicality that embraced use of the body and its environment for developing strength useful to society.

These principles were the foundation for his "Natural Method," which incorporated the fusion of the mental and physical to overcome obstacles via climbing, running and jumping (to name a few). His method contributed to the development of the French parcours du combattant, or military obstacle course.

As a young teen, David Belle, considered the father of parkour, picked up Natural Method ethics along with his gymnastic and martial arts training in France.

Many of the young men at the Sacramento parkour practice admire Belle and have adopted the Natural Method as part of their training.

"Parkour is training your flight response," said Sacramento State student Jake Anderson.

Lo Forte commented on one of the many purposes of parkour, to "be strong to protect your family and friends."

"We’re not trying to hurt anybody, we’re training to be strong, and that really helps the community," he said.

Though not a spectator sport, it is difficult to explain what exactly traceurs are doing to people who gather round their concrete playground.

"I usually point them to YouTube and Casino Royale," Anderson said. "I tell them parkour is the study of the most efficient way to get from point A to point B."

This efficiency calls for climbing walls, not walking around them.

"If you're in a dead-end alley, you look back and forth and don’t look up," Anderson said. "People don’t look up, they don’t look at their environments anymore."

He described parkour as a way to think of our built environment with a critical lens. "We create our environments to be quick and easy for what we’re raised as," Anderson said. "Parkour shows us that there are actually easier ways than we’re raised, things people don’t think of."

The Sacramento traceurs have tried practicing in the Downtown Sacramento area, but have found security and business owners to be hostile to the activity. "If they tell us to leave then we leave," Lo Forte said.

"I’d say ground-rules for anywhere are be respectful of the environment, don’t wreck things, don’t leave litter behind, clean up after yourselves," he said. "There is a big thing in parkour community called the leave no trace campaign. We don’t want it to look like we’ve been there. We don’t want to get kicked out of places."

Parkour training also focuses on overall health and well-being. "It might save their lives," Lo Forte said. "You never know if they might get addicted to drugs or end up in jail."

"I wanted to get in shape," said Robert King, a telecommunications technician for Sacramento County. "Since I started in January, I lost 40 pounds."

"A lot of people are sitting home and they don’t get any sensory input; they don't smell the dirt on their hands and the sun on their face," Lo Forte said.

This was the case for 15-year-old Jonah Saysourivong. "Before this I was a big-time gamer and would play Call of Duty for 42 hours straight," he said. "I definitely know other kids my age are drinking alcohol and smoking, and that’s one thing I’d never do."

The health benefits and the body's adaptation to unique movements is of great interest to Anderson as a kinesiology student. "They should talk about it in anatomy classes and in physical therapy classes. I think that doctors should know it, gymnasts, athletes," he said. He hopes to introduce parkour in his dance and martial arts classes at Sacramento State.

Lo Forte also aspires to introduce parkour skills to the police force. "These things will be helpful for them and hopefully they will realize that and hire some of us to train them in the future," he said.

In the middle of practice, a group of young men started tumbling and performing a series of flips in the air and over others lying on the ground. The freedom of movement in a creative way like this is called free-running, often associated with parkour.

"Parkour is strictly what's the most efficient way from one point to another; free-running is adding flair and flips," Anderson said.

Though there were not any females present at the practice, they are encouraged to participate as traceuse, French for female tracers.

Robert King encouraged me to try a technique to get over a 7-foot wall during practice, but I settled for swinging and balancing on rails on my own time. I found that I was using my environment rather than living around it. Though we all live in our environments, traceurs live their environments.

For more information, click the following link:

Practice at Bella Vista High School, meeting Sundays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m.

New Public Art Sculpture at Riverpoint Marketplace

2009-08-14T15:30:40Z

The City of West Sacramento announces that they have installed new public artwork in Riverpoint Marketplace, the retail center off Ikea Court and Reed Avenue.

"Synergy" is a 26-foot tall stainless steel and bronze sculpture created by Alber De Matteis, a noted sculptor with works in California, Europe, and South America.

In addition to having a bold presence in daytime hours, the sculpture is illuminated by colored lights in the evening.

West Sacramento Joins in National Night Out

2009-07-30T16:47:13Z

Streets and neighborhoods in West Sacramento will again be participating in the National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 4, from 6 p.m.-10 p.m.

The annual event, which promotes public safety and community partnerships, brings neighbors together for block parties and cookouts.

At 7:30 p.m., in support of the Bryte & Broderick Community Action Group, the Police and Fire Departments, along with other agencies, will converge at Bryte Park at 425 Todhunter Avenue.

For more about National Night Out, contact Community Service Officer Nora McDowell, (916) 617-4837 or noram@cityofwestsacramento.org .

West Capitol Avenue Streetscape Traffic Advisory

2009-07-29T14:59:07Z

The City of West Sacramento announces a modification underway in the traffic flow parallel to City Hall, 1110 West Capitol Avenue as part of the West Capitol Avenue Streetscape construction project.

All eastbound vehicle and bicycle traffic is shifted to a single south lane on West Capitol Avenue. Westbound vehicles and bicycles will continue using the north side of West Capitol.

All pedestrian access continues on the north side of the street, as West Capitol's south sidewalk remains closed, and the closure of Merkley Avenue from West Capitol Avenue to approximately 600 feet south stays in effect.

The two Yolobus eastbound transfer stations at Merkley Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard have been re-positioned from the median area to the south side of West Capitol Avenue. The westbound transfer stations and bus stops do not change at this time.

This traffic configuration will accommodate the construction within the West Capitol Avenue median areas, a period expected to last approximately four weeks.

All businesses in the vicinity of the construction area remain open and accessible. Please drive cautiously and pay attention to traffic/construction signs in the area.

Observe the construction zone speed limit of 25 MPH for the safety of pedestrians.

West Sacramento Announces Mini-Grant Program for Non-Profit Organizations

2009-07-29T14:38:38Z

The City of West Sacramento has announced their Mimi-Grant Program for community service organizations with a great program idea needing additional funding.

The City's "Community Mini-Grant Program" provides funds annually to help qualifying West Sacramento non-profit organizations with special funding needs.

This year, thirty thousand dollars is available to non-profit organization applicants that can demonstrate a viable need that benefits West Sacramento and its residents.

Applications for the mini-grant program must be submitted by Sept. 25, 2009, to the Parks & Recreation Department, 1110 West Capitol Ave., West Sacramento, CA 95691.

Once all of the applications are in, they will be reviewed by a Parks & Community Services Commission subcommittee, and the chosen recipients will be announced in the spring of 2010. The selected organizations must enter into a signed contract, after which they will receive eighty percent of the funding. The remaining twenty percent will be awarded when all original receipts are submitted and it is determined that the funds were spent as planned.

To apply, visit the City of West Sacramento's website at www.westsacfun.org and look for “Community Mini-Grants” under Department Highlights, or pick up an application at the Parks & Recreation office on the first floor of City Hall.

For more information or questions, please contact West Sacramento Parks & Recreation at (916) 617-4620.

Krazy Mary's will combine fashion, awareness

2009-07-29T04:46:31Z

Krazy Mary's Boutique is bringing fashion and philanthropy together this weekend.

This Saturday, Aug. 1, from 3 until 8 p.m. the ladies of the trendy boutique and its sister store Sugar Shack will be hosting an awareness and pre-sale event to help bring attention to the popular eco-friendly shoe line's charitable efforts.

Started in 2006, the TOMS footwear line began when founder Blake Mycoskie visited Argentina and was struck by the amount of people who didn't have something that many people take for granted: shoes. He decided to redesign the "alpargatas," the flat moccasin-like shoes typically worn by locals, and started his "One for One" program that donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.

Since the program began, TOMS has donated more than 140,000 shoes to children in countries like Argentina and Africa during their shoes drop tours. Sacramentans will have a chance to contribute to the next one in Argentina, scheduled for September.

Debbie Millanova, a sales associate at Krazy Mary's and the main coordinator for the event, said that the event is important to the boutique not only to meet the recent high-demand of the shoes but because it is for such a good cause.

The shoes normally range from $40 to $70 and are available in a variety of colors and fabrics. Rope, canvas, rubber, hemp are just some of the materials used to design the shoes.

The boutiques began carrying the footwear since fall of last year but experienced dismal sales until TOMS began receiving more public recognition. The shoes have recently been splashed across the pages of fashion magazines, and Mycoskie is currently featured in an AT&T commerical praising the company for their service that helps him do his job.

Seven new styles of the footwear will be brought in for Saturday's event and shoppers will be able to pre-order styles from the not-yet-seen fall collection. While the boutique normally only carries the women's lines, they will be pre-selling and showing men's designs for the first time, after receiving many calls from customers searching for them in the past few months.

A fashion show, with makeup and hair done by Sacramento's Moxy Hair salon, will incorporate the shoes, and DJ Roger will be spinning indi-pop beats throughout the evening. As a reminder that the event is about more than just fancy footwear, a TOMS promotional video explaining the company will be played during the event.

A TOMS rep will be on hand to answer questions about the shoes and the company, and after the fashion show a raffle will be held to giveaway TOMS t-shirts.To beat the heat, ice cold lemonade and fresh fruit will be served to shoppers.

TOMS shoes are also carried at Madame Butterfly in the Pavilions shopping center in Sacramento. Whole Foods Markets sells an exclusive line of TOMS, which are made of hemp and other non-leather materials. The TOMS line also offers childrens shoes, called Tiny TOMS, which can purchased on their website at www.tomsshoes.com.

To learn more about the company and find out how to get involved, watch the TOMS story

Krazy Mary's is located at 2527 J St.

Image of Krazy Mary's current TOMS window display, courtesy of Krazy Mary's

Amtrak locomotive gets an eco-makeover

2009-07-23T07:20:19Z

California's air may start to look a little cleaner, thanks to the California Department of Transportation and its project partners.

Caltrans's revolutionary "green locomotive" debuted Wednesday morning at the Amtrak Sacramento Valley station.

Members of Caltrans and its project partners assembled within the train station at a press release to make statements regarding the new locomotive, considered a major step toward reducing California's carbon footprint.

It is one of the 15 F59PHI model locomotives owned by Caltrans and operated by Amtrak that is now installed with a 710ECO Repower upgrade package. The package is said to consist of the latest microprocessor-controlled locomotive engine technology for lower emissions, increased fuel economy and predictable maintenance costs.

The F59PHI models were initially built by Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. in October 2001 to meet Tier 0 Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards, the minimum EPA requirement for fuel emissions from passenger locomotives.

James Goldstene, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, explained that in other words, the newly-installed technology in the F59PHI model makes the engine run cooler and uses fuel more efficiently, allowing the locomotive to advance from Tier 0 to Tier 2 EPA emission standards, resulting in a 50 percent reduction of operating emissions.

Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson said that the development is "an illustration of our willingness to work with anyone and everyone to clean up the air for Sacramentans." He added that climate change and global warming is an issue that must be addressed at the local level by communities, and that the newly-introduced technology makes riding the train a "smarter and better" decision than ever before.

Following the statements, the representatives of Caltrans, the EPA and other organizations descended into the tunnel beneath the Sacramento Valley rail tracks, resurfacing to stop and admire the "green locomotive."

The retrofitted model has already begun operating on the intercity passenger rail service Capitol Corridor between Sacramento and the Bay Area as of three weeks ago.

The Capitol Corridor serves the Sierra Foothills in addition to Sacramento and the Bay area, and it is operated by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority in partnership with Caltrans and Amtrak.

Along with Amtrak California’s Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin intercity rail line, Capitol Corridor is the third busiest rail line in the nation with a ridership of 1.7 million.

Capitol Corridor alone is responsible for eliminating 559 million miles worth of highway travel, said Eugene Skoropowski, Capitol Corridor managing director.

Caltrans is working to convert the remaining 14 Amtrak-operated locomotives to this upgraded model — which is the cleanest diesel electric passenger locomotive in the country — as quickly as possible, stated Caltrans Division of Rail chief Bill Bronte. So far there is available stimulus funding for seven of the 14, he said.

Money for the project came from the Carl Moyer Program, a partnership between the California Air Resources Board and local air boards in the state that provides grants for projects reducing pollutants from heavy-duty engines. Retrofitting the F59PHI involved both the Sacramento Metropolitan and Bay Area Air Quality Management districts.

Kevin Bahline of EMD said that the company is in the process of launching the eco-friendly technology globally.

See also: Eco train engine unveiled

Photo Credit: Images 1, 2, 4 & 5 by Ed Fogle; images 3 & 6 by Kati Garner.

Eco-friendly biker offers new brand of catering

2009-07-22T04:24:27Z

One would be hard-pressed to find somebody more passionate about preserving the environment than multi-professional bike enthusiast John Boyer.

"I was mad as hell about the treatment of the planet since I was very small," he said. "I've always been an environmentalist at heart."

Boyer Currently holds four occupations: a mechanic at Carmichael Cycle, an instructor at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen, a long-time waiter at La Bohème and now founder of catering delivery business Edible Pedal. Yet despite his loaded work schedule, Boyer said he's able to find solace in his work because of the eco-friendly message it provides the community.

"I bike everywhere," Boyer said. "When I was a child, I was probably the original eco-terrorist because I grew up in Michigan and watched the destruction of my environment at a very young age."

As he grew older, Boyer's distaste for his environmentally unsound surroundings drove him to get on his bike and pedal his way to Portland, Ore. to begin life anew in a community he felt better shared his sentiments. From there, he decided to make bicycling more than just a hobby, but a staple of his business and identity, eventually leading him to Sacramento.

"I had always used a bike since I was little, and I used that bike to get out of Michigan to Portland," he said. "After that, I continued to bike my whole life, one way or another. I want to get people out of their cars."

After working for several years as a bike mechanic and waiter, Boyer recently had the idea to merge the two jobs into an eco-friendly catering business called Edible Pedal, a bicycle service that delivers food from a number of smaller catering restaurants within the downtown grid.

Initiated in January of this year, Edible Pedal has continued to grow in recognition and now delivers for several catering restaurants like Sampino's, Magpie, OneSpeed, Steamers and La Bohème, among others still in the works.

"I sort of married the two concepts," Boyer said. "I also incorporated into that the idea of helping small restaurants market themselves. Delivery's not for everyone, but it also helps expose smaller restaurants to the corporate world downtown and in the neighborhood.

"In the future, I'd like every neighborhood to have a nice quality restaurant deliver either pizza, pasta, family style, or something of that sort," he said. "My goal is to have numerous applications of Edible Pedal."

As the business expands its number of caterers, so too has the distances Boyer needs to travel to deliver the food. As the owner and sole employee of Edible Pedal, Boyer bikes across all of downtown while also covering some of East Sacramento in some circumstances. Although it hasn't been easy, Boyer said he is having a state-of-the-art bicycle constructed just for his delivery service by Whitworth Cycles that will significantly improve his carrying capacity, as well as his time efficiency.

Unfortunately, Boyer said that many restaurants are contracting their operations — not expanding — so it has been difficult for him to negotiate with some establishments. However, Boyer said it has also been a great opportunity for him to pitch his inexpensive alternative delivery service to some small businesses that welcome such ideas, as well as corporations who are on the fence with catering and might consider a more affordable option than traditional delivery.

"Because of the economy, it's been a bad time for me to expand with corporations cutting back, so I've noticed a little dip in my catering, to be honest," Boyer said. "But with that said, it's also an opportunity for businesses to use me as a marketing device that's inexpensive. And I've got some marketing ideas up my sleeve that will hopefully get more corporations to cater to their personnel, because they do better when they eat well," he said.

While Edible Pedal is a dream being lived out, Boyer said he knows that additional help will eventually be needed to help him carry the load, literally. He continues to run his business on his own while also working his other professions, something he said has been rather difficult to manage. In the near future, Boyer said he'd like to hire people to deliver alongside him, but that it's been a struggle locating those willing to put themselves in harm's way for the good cause.

"I haven't had that much success outsourcing my riding," Boyer said. It's something I hope to fix here very soon, but it's hard to find good people that have the karma of never getting hit. The Achilles heel of this business is the liability. I'm wiling to take that risk because I believe in the business, and I know I'll find others who feel the same way."

More information and links to the restaurants Edible Pedal delivers for can be found at ediblepedal.com.

Tony's Fine Foods Expanding "Green" Facilities in West Sacramento

2009-07-20T16:54:51Z

In a combined press release, Tony's Fine Foods and the City of West Sacramento have announced a major expansion of Tony's headquarters and food distribution facilities in West Sacramento. The expansion will accommodate an expanding customer base and new product lines, as well as business acquisitions generating significant growth in market share for the 75-year old, family-owned company.

The company will invest about $15 million to construct a new 77,000 square foot building to house a new freezer and automated distribution warehouse, and renovate existing warehouse and office space. The expansion will increase the West Sacramento company's workforce to 365 fulltime employees, an increase of 75 jobs. The expansion will allow the company to serve the entire California market with an expanded product mix that includes more than 12,000 meats, deli and bakery products, domestic and imported chesses, pastas, catering items, and specialty beverages.

The City's Economic Development and Development Services Divisions are assisting Tony's and BTV Development, the construction project manager, to deliver building permits and other city approvals to achieve Tony's operational goals.
Tony's West Sacramento headquarters, a combination of corporate office suites and a perishable food distribution facility, is one of the most modern and efficient in the region.

The 143,000 square foot facility is located on 25 acres. Their fleet of multi-temperature trucks and trailers are carefully designed for hot, valley temperatures. Twenty-three sealed loading bays allow perishables to be kept in a constant 35-degree Fahrenheit climate, whether in storage, on the dock, or in a truck. Tony's plant accurately tracks all products and ensures freshness by using state-of-the-art software for tasks such as radio frequency computers, real-time inventory, and automatic product rotation, voice-activated multiple order picking, and bar code scanning.

In 2007, Tony's sought an innovative technology to hedge against future energy bills, maintain the quality of its perishable food, and provide a clean energy source. Working closely with PG&E, Tony's invested in a 1-megawatt AC photovoltaic system, and applying $3.5 million in PG&E rebates to create the largest, privately owned solar system in Northern California.

"West Sacramento's business climate has allowed us to focus on serving our customers and growing our business," said Scott Berger, Tony's Chief Financial Officer. "We appreciate the City's partnership with us to achieve a phased construction schedule that meets our operational and financial goals."

West Sacramento’s Mayor, Christopher Cabaldon, said, "The City of West Sacramento is proud to be chosen by Tony's for this major business expansion. Like Tony's, The City of West Sacramento prides itself on standing above the competition in providing superior customer service. Tony's success demonstrates that quality, service and integrity, and sustainable building practices are core principles of today's business leaders."

For more information, readers can visit www.tonysfinefoods.com and www.cityofwestsacramento.org/city/depts/redev/ed/.

Gardening to save water

2009-07-18T07:26:17Z

Each morning, Amy Parker and her husband Michael Palmer step from their front porch into a sanctuary nestled among flowers and rocks shaded by trees, luring butterflies and bees to stop and pollinate.

The Sacramentans recently transformed the front yard of their 10-year-old home into an inviting rock garden. Before it became a garden, the space was a lawn with fruit trees. Now it is abundant with colorful plants that require short watering sessions throughout the week.

Currently, city code allows Sacramento residents to water their yards three times per week during the summer. The Sacramento City Council passed additional changes to the outdoor water conservation ordinance, which took effect in June. Maurice Chaney, spokesman for the city of Sacramento, said water waste calls have increased by 70 percent in comparison to last year during the same period.

The Sacramento Department of Utilities projects that landscaping accounts for 50 percent or more of all residential water use. With a garden instead of a lawn in their front yard, Parker and Palmer use less water.

The couple’s sprinkler system is scheduled to turn on twice a week for half an hour to 45 minutes in the summer, and once a week throughout the rest of the year. Watering could be potentially cut to once a month in another year after the garden has had time to mature and the plant roots have deepened, Parker said.

"It is work maintaining it but so is mowing your lawn," she said.

Maintenance includes pruning and weeding about every two weeks. She sticks to hand tools for maintenance and avoids herbicides altogether. "I don't put any kinds of herbicide on plants. If a plant doesn't make it, it doesn't make it," Parker said.

Using western, drought-tolerant plants in her garden requires less water and less work for Parker. It makes sense to maintain a garden of plants native to the region, rather than trying to grow foreign plants unsuccessfully, she explained.

Moonbeam, yellow curry, lamb's ears, pride of Madeira and echinacea are all thriving in her front yard under her low-maintenance care. She also maintains certain plants to support various native species — she said the monarch butterfly favors the milkweed and fennel.

Once a year, Parker will distribute a composted manure or alfalfa meal blend over the garden and provide it with a light feeding in the fall and spring.

Parker and Palmer transformed their lawn into a garden less than two years ago. Like any ambitious idea, Parker said she and Palmer had considered a rock garden in their front yard for a long time but continually put it off.

The majority of the work was finally done over a weekend three or four years ago while Palmer was gone on a scuba diving trip, Parker said. With the help of two others, within two eight-hour days, Parker dug six inches deep into the grass, threw down weed cloth and soil and let the remaining lawn mulch. The rock was delivered from Silverado Nursery and the soil from Hastie’s Capitol Sand & Gravel. She estimates that the project, including the rock, cost approximately $2,000.

Parker explained that there are other advantages to having a rock garden, aside from preserving water. "The thing about a garden is that it creates a space and mood [that] a lawn doesn't," she said.

The addition of a garden can add a lot of character to an ordinary home, Parker pointed out. "It [can] give the impression of a funkier, cooler or more unique house [where] people pull up and say, 'This is a really nice place,’ " she said.

Parker and Palmer’s garden was primarily inspired by a visit they had made to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, where they saw botanical gardens designed with rock and drought-tolerant plants.

Parker said she hopes others will adapt similar eco-friendly front yard alternatives, otherwise, “people will react when they get the bills and start paying through the nose [for water].”

The Sacramento Department of Utilities provides services to households interested in decreasing their water consumption — most recently, it has begun offering water conservation workshops. See link for more information.

Additional Resources:

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/u-media/pubs-imgs/Overwatering_Brochure.pdf

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/u-media/pubs-imgs/Water_Wise_Gardening.pdf

Passionate Gardening: Good Advice for Challenging Climates

Kids Don't Float! Loaner Life Jackets Available

2009-07-15T16:54:59Z

The City of West Sacramento Fire Department wants everyone to know to use life jackets during water recreation!

Keep your kids safe. Free, loaner life jackets are available at the following West Sacramento Fire Stations:
• Station 41, 132 15th St.
• Station 42, 3585 Jefferson Blvd.
• Station 43, 1561 Harbor Blvd.
• Station 44, 905 Fremont Blvd.
• Station 45, 2040 Lake Washington Blvd.

Also, the Bridgeway Lakes Boathouse office, 3650 Southport Parkway!

For more information, contact the West Sacramento Fire Department at (916) 617-4600 . The free life jacket rental program is sponsored by both the City’s Fire and Parks & Recreation Departments.

Rice Exports Soar At Port Of West Sacramento

2009-07-15T16:34:56Z

In May of 2009, The Cunningham Report stated that while container volumes are plummeting at West Coast ports, the Port of West Sacramento - which does not have container facilities - is enjoying a bumper year for rice exports.

Port Manager Mike Luken said that the port is enjoying its best year for bagged rice exports in 15 years. This year, the port expects to export some 339,000 metric tons of bagged rice, which is about double what the port usually handles during the fall-to-fall rice export season.

The rice is moving primarily to Japan and Korea, where demand increased significantly this season.

Kirk Messick, vice president of Sacramento-based Farmers Rice, says the Korean demand stems from an agreement with the World Trade Organization that requires Korea to increase its imports of U.S. rice each year.

The increased demand from Japan is attributed to several factors- including a lack of rice available from China and Egypt following a perceived shortage of rice in those countries.

Harbor Boulevard Interchange Improvements

2009-07-15T16:25:27Z

Caltrans and the City of West Sacramento have jointly announced that on July 29, 2009, Caltrans will begin construction on improvements to the Harbor Boulevard interchange that crosses U.S. Highway 50 in West Sacramento.

The scope of the project includes new alignment and realignment of the freeway ramp access, widening of the roadways, removal of pavement, and overcrossing structure work.

The project is designed to accommodate increases in traffic activity on the Harbor Boulevard interchange.

An information open house will be held in room 157 of the West Sacramento City Hall, 1110 West Capitol Ave., on Monday, July 27, between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the admission is free.

Caltrans staff and City representatives will be on hand to discuss the potential traffic interference, like lane restrictions, speed controls, access, and how you can plan to avoid congestion during construction.

Green Sol water serves up more than H20

2009-06-26T06:02:57Z

Executive Partner of Green Sol Water Dominic Carini pauses halfway through our phone interview to take a business call. Two minutes later he’s back, in slight disbelief.

“I guess I’m one of the officials that’s supposed to water the BET awards, so I’m flying down to Hollywood. It’s crazy what’s going on. I can’t believe this is my life right now,” says Carini.

Carini’s impromptu invite qualifies the kind of splash Green Sol’s movement has had in its first four months of existence. Green Sol Water offers an alternative to petroleum-based plastic through their product's polylactic acid water bottles. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable plastic derived from corn starch.

The movement got its start when longtime friends Carini, a Sacramento native, and Micheal Lacy pitched the idea of an educational approach to spread the word about the patented product to their bottle's manufacturers.

“We asked, 'what would you guys say if we told you we would be willing to divide the team to do events, to do education, to start working on curriculum, and create more of a grassroots motion through schools, through city parks, and hydration of city workers? What if we went that route and you allowed us to privatize this?' And after a couple of months [of seeing] our numbers of proving what we were doing, and literally not stopping, they agreed. That’s now why you’re seeing Green Sol. Now that they’ve given us the ball there’s no way we can stop,” said Carini.

Lacy and Carini brought in financier Steed Hustrulid, whom Carini refers to as "a tremendous add to the team." The three wunderkinds of water set their unique business model in motion, using the product to communicate their message of awareness with educational programs; community and business sponsorships; local- and territory-based wholesale distribution; custom labeling; and bottle recovery logistics.

"We are not just a water bottle company. We are actually promoting the overall conversion, but the most important ingredient is recovery because California state does not have redemption for these bottles; no one is putting anything together for them to get to the composter," said Carini. "Right now, the recovery process is not done curbside or in receptacles. Green Sol developed first bioplastic-only receptilces. If you were to go to the park downtown, you would see Green Sol cans."

The lack of state-provided recovery is the obstacle preventing Green Sol from going retail.

"The plan is to make sure that people understand that the recovery is not in place. We are already talking at the Capitol to make sure that our message with the bottle is that bio-products are still available, but until it's curbside, it’s not going to be readily available,” Carini said.

With the bigger picture in mind, Green Sol is currently shouldering the process of recovery. Two weeks ago at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Green Sol was the sole source of redemption for the entire festival.

"We took all of the bioplastic waste, we took all of the forks and spoons, we chose to become the recovery process that was left short by all the other retailers that were bringing compost to the event," said Carini.

The movement's positive message and dedicated team members leave sizable impressions on event goers. Chris Morrow, who witnessed Green Sol in action at Sacramento's Concerts in the Park, says he was "feeling the Green Sol vibe."

"They’re not promoting a water bottle, a lot of their attention is turned to what’s going in on respect to the environment.." Morrow said.
Green Sol's objectives extend beyond that of making money from selling water, says Carini. It is part of what what he believes will be the total conversion of petroleum-based plastics into materials that are biodegradable. Carini, like his fellow team members, is in it for the long haul.

“I would hope Green Sol to be synonymous with the transition into households, in composts, and as a form of education. Also, that Green Sol's vision would be so everyday that it's not a surprise anymore. It’s a long way off, but I just see it becoming completely mainstream,” said Carini.

To learn more about Green Sol, visit their website at ourgreensol.org.

Green Sol Water will be hydrating and educating at the Sacramento News & Review Music Fest at Cesar Chavez Park, Saturday from 3 - 9 p.m.

Helping the environment

2009-06-22T17:35:45Z

Who would ever think of local scuba divers as Environmentalists?

Well we surprised everyone by removing 60 lbs of trash, debris and metal this Father's day weekend. There was a nice turnout. Everyone was surprised by the "clean" look of Lake Tahoe. When they went under the surface they were surprised to find beer tabs (from the '70's), old cans, sunglasses, a sailboat mast, car parts, tables, chairs, etc.

I first suggested Hurricane Bay after diving there last year and observing the ammount of trash in such a popular fishing site. With all of the moorings and boat usage it is not a wonder how much debris is there.

After our work, we all enjoyed a bbq and played in the water. I would like to thank SACSCUBA, Andy's Scuba World and Fish Eye Scuba for helping out by sending divers. Keeping our environment clean and making an effort to recycle as much as we can I believe really helps out. As an avid boater and diver, I would like to remind everyone to have fun on the lakes this summer. Please also take the time to haul out and separate all of your trash.

I look forward to seeing more people taking an interest in keeping our trash out of the lakes, streams and oceans this summer as we all enjoy our water. Remember a little bit of effort goes a long way and that is what made this Father's day such a fun day. Our trail walkers, bike riders, snorkelers and divers each had a great time helping out. Even the kids and dogs were excited to help clean up. Enjoy the summer.

Sacramento Prepares for Urban Ag Day

2009-06-15T06:12:14Z

Backyard chickens. Frontyard gardens. Crop swaps. Fruit gleaning. The Good Food Movement, or movement towards a sustainable food and food production, is growing in Sacramento. And residents are seizing on the City's soils and politics to make Sacramento a living laboratory for a new wave of urban agriculture.

"Urban agriculture is providing the forum for a larger social discussion," said Jennifer Lee of EAT Sacramento in an email. "Sacramentans increasingly understand that how we eat and how we grow has profound implications for our health, our communities and our environment."

On July 11th, these efforts will culminate in Urban Ag Day. Participants will have an opportunity to ride their bike around town and visit examples of Sacramento's urban agriculture through the "What's Growing On?" bike tour, watch films like FRESH, and participate in workshops on composting and gardening. These tour stops and events will take place largely in Midtown and Oak Park, some of the greatest hotspots of Sacramento's Urban Ag movement.

Later that evening, at the Common Table celebration, participants will have an opportunity to eat a multi-course local and organic meal in the Fremont Community Garden, and listen to movement speakers, including Brahm Ahmadi of the People's Grocery. According to event organizers, tickets are limited and selling quickly. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Sacramento Hunger Coalition and Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition.

The event is more than just a fundraiser. According to a Slow Food Sacramento press release, "the goal is to raise awareness about local urban gardening and food programs, as well as to advocate for improved city, county and state food policies that enable more locally grown foods in urban locations." These goals touch on those recently outlined by

Valley Vision

in the paper "Food Access in the Sacramento Region," and speak to the shake-up taking place in the food system.

Urban Ag Day also demonstrates how a diverse coalition of organizations is contributing to the Good Food Movement. Slow Food Sacramento, the Sacramento Hunger Coalition, the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, Pesticide Watch Education Fund, the Health Education Council are all participating in the event.

Tickets to the day's activities can be purchased through Slow Food Sacramento.

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento

Port of West Sacramento Channel-Deepening Funding in Obama's 2010 Budget

2009-06-03T00:48:49Z

     Mike Luken, Port of West Sacramento Manager has announced that the Port of West Sacramento has been included in President Obama’s proposed 2010 Civil Works budget for $10 million to re‐launch its ship‐channel deepening project.
Inclusion in the President’s budget proposal is a key step in securing the federal funding needed to move the $80 million channel‐deepening project forward.
     By deepening the 43‐mile ship channel connecting the Port to San Francisco Bay from 30 feet to 35 feet along its entire length, more than 75 percent of fully loaded oceangoing freight ships will be able to serve the Sacramento region, compared to less than 40 percent currently.
     Luken indicates that the project is a partnership between federal, state, and local governments. U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson, Ellen Tauscher, and Dan Lungren, who represent the Port in Congress, along with U.S. Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, championed the deepening project to bring it back online.
     The project also has received strong support from members of the Sacramento region state legislative delegation, including State Senators Lois Wolk, Darrell Steinberg, and Dave Cox, and Assembly members Mariko Yamada, Dave Jones, Roger Niello, and Ted Gaines.
     “This project is a great partnership between the Port, the federal government and the state, which is investing $10 million through the Trade Corridor Improvement Fund created with voter approval of Proposition 1B in 2006,“ said Senator Wolk, who represents the Port and West Sacramento.
     “We’re anxious to get the channel‐deepening project underway and pleased to know we have the President’s support at this critical juncture,” said Mike McGowan, chairman of the Sacramento‐Yolo Port Commission. “We need to get the project launched soon to help the Port remain viable as a key Northern California goods movement facility.”
     “This project is an excellent example of the federal government’s priority on restoring the nation’s infrastructure. It will help to generate tremendous private investment in Northern California and create the family wage jobs that are greatly needed to restore our nation’s economy,” said Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of the City of West Sacramento and member of the Sacramento‐Yolo Port Commission.
     In addition to federal and state funding, the Port is investing up to $10 million in the project. Additional federal funding for the next phases of the deepening project will be requested through future budget processes.
     The channel‐deepening project, which was initially started in 1989 but later stopped due to since‐resolved utility issues, is scheduled to begin in 2010 with completion targeted for 2013. The federal Civil Works funding would support the first phase of construction.
     The channel‐deepening project is led by the US Army Corps of Engineers with the Port of West Sacramento serving as local sponsor. The deepening project is a top regional transportation priority of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, Stevedoring Services of America (SSA), and the California rice industry, the Port’s beneficial cargo owners and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). All of these organizations played a pivotal role in moving the channel‐deepening project into its first phase of construction.
     Mike Luken stated that the project would reduce regional freeway congestion and air emissions; enhance cargo exports, such as rice; facilitate the import of cement, steel, large equipment, biofuels, and bulk fertilizer that support Northern California and Central California agriculture; bulk construction materials for private and public projects; and create habitat areas in the Sacramento River Delta.

Our aquatic environment and you.

2009-06-02T17:00:52Z

Here in Sacramento, we are fortunate enough to have access to many, many parks, lakes and rivers. We are minutes from the Sierras and a couple of hours from the Pacific Ocean. Living and playing in this area affords us the unique opportunity to discover and play locally in our aquatic environment. To date, there are more than 17 Parks and Recreation centers that have a pool for our neighborhoods. Activities that are often overlooked in these environments are snorkeling and scuba diving.

For me, scuba diving and snorkeling uniquely offers the ability to transform a person in four ways: immersion, active participation, environmental relationships and emotional well-being.

Immersion is a three-dimensional realm. The three dimensions are the physical dimension, sensory dimension and experience dimension. These three combined make a total experience for the snorkeler, skin diver or scuba diver.

Active participation provides a range of experiences from relaxing to high adventure. If you are looking to relax, a dive in Lake Tahoe, a local quarry or a Mexican Cenote could be more to your liking. If you are looking for high adventure, then the real possibility of meeting a shark outside of San Pedro in Los Angeles could be in your future.

Environmental relationships go hand in hand with scuba diving. You can help clean rivers or protect coral. Fish counting offers interaction with other people and life forms such as fishes, turtles, dolphins or mantas. Discovering how we can help keep our environment clean may be in your plans for your next vacation, or you can check on the website of Project Aware (http://www.projectaware.org) for a local cleanup. Think about helping locally in our rivers before, during and after the holidays.

Emotional well-being/self-esteem. Diving and snorkeling can enrich a person’s sense of purpose and self. Again, doing something to help the environment or volunteering to assist a class of disabled students could be something that helps. There are also the physical aspects of just getting out and moving. It’s nice to see the Discovery Channel, but actually taking a picture while snorkeling can be something you cherish and show to your peers.

Our 17 parks and recreation departments help prepare us for swimming, snorkeling, life guarding and boating safety. There are many other dive shops, private pools and professionals in the area who are there to demonstrate how much fun snorkeling and diving can be. We live in an area that is full of adventure begging for active participation. Helping keep our environment safe builds up our sense of self and is a great cause. Take a look and deciding to stop by and discover diving or snorkeling can lead to an exciting vacation, “staycation” or simply enriching oneself at a local resort. You are never too old to learn or too young to experience our aquatic environment. Ask your local shop professional or myself if you need assistance with getting started. Check your localparks and recreation department for classes starting in your neighborhood.

Here are the parks departments links:
http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/parks/Pages/OtherParkDistricts.aspx

Have you ever wanted to ask the California Governor a question?

2009-05-20T17:11:05Z

Well here is a chance. DiGG DIALOG digg.com/dialogg/Arnold_Schwarzenegger_1 will be interviewing California Governor & actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and asking the most popular questions as submitted and voted upon by you live from the Capital Building in Sacramento, CA. From now until Tuesday, May 26th at 12:00pm PDT, you can submit and Digg up questions to decide which will be asked.

Join them and post your questions soon. I have and hope that his administration and the rest of our "leadership" will be put to the test as well.

Good Luck.

Is Anyone Paying Attention?

2009-05-14T16:34:51Z

As a new resident to the Sacramento area, I recently discovered and fell in love with Mckinley Park. Yesterday, was my third visit; unfortunately, it may also be my last. What I witnessed yesterday was nothing short of appalling and disappointing—appalling because it appears that Sacramento residents do not care about wildlife or the environment, and disappointing because it appears that the City of Sacramento does not care about wildlife, the environment, or the residents of Sacramento.

The above photos clearly illustrate what I witnessed yesterday at the duck pond. Loaves and pieces of bread were left on benches, inside the pond, and all around the pond. Empty plastic bags that once held loaves of bread were inside the pond. We also fished out aluminum can tops and straws. It almost felt as if an entire elementary school visited the park and every classroom left pieces of bread for the wildlife. I have no idea how or why so many people displayed the same irresponsible and non eco-friendly behavior.

As I said, this was my third visit to the park, but it was only my second to the pond. My first visit to the pond was in early spring, just as the ducklings appeared and the rest of the wildlife appeared "twitterpatted." During that first visit, there was some debris in and around the pond, but the scene did not compare to the atrocity that we witnessed yesterday. I found myself walking around the pond in disbelief, and immediately ran back to my car to retrieve my camera. I knew that I had to speak out to the community regarding the present state of this beautiful Sacramento landmark. Something must be done to clean the pond area and deter people from feeding the ducks, leaving opened and unopened loaves of bread in the pond area, and throwing trash in or near the pond.

I urge each person who desires to keep McKinley Park safe and beautiful to contact the city's Park and Recreation maintenance department at (916) 808-6305. You can also contact Mary Lynn Perry, City-wide Volunteer Coordinator, at (916) 808-8317, Fax: (916) 808-1907
Email: mperry@cityofsacramento.org, for volunteer opportunities.

Let's continue EARTH DAY

2009-05-07T15:02:58Z

SACSCUBA Dive for Earth Day continued at HURRICANE BAY LAKE TAHOE. We will be making a Splash

Lake Tahoe, CA– This 21st day, 2009 June, SACSCUBA and community volunteers will join in the action for Project AWARE Foundation’s global Dive for Earth Day events continuation. More than 300 collective events will take place in over 100 countries around the world and SACSCUBA will make a local splash for this conservation celebration.

Join SACSCUBA hikers, bikers, walkers, divers and snorkel volunteers to keep Lake Tahoe clean. Let’s start the summer off right! We will be meeting at 9am. Please stop by Sacramento Scuba World, Sacramento or Fisheye Scuba, Folsom.

Each year, divers and water enthusiasts worldwide make a splash for water conservation in partnership with Project AWARE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to underwater conservation. This year events include shoreline and underwater cleanups, coral reef surveys, AWARE Kids projects, mooring buoy installations and more.

Please contact: John Day at SACSCUBA to take action for our Earth Day continuation this year. We really need folks to help on the shore, bike path and bushes.

Earth Day began in the United States on 22 April 1970 to raise the status of environmental issues to the global stage. In 2000, Project AWARE began to help dive volunteers put aquatic issues on the Earth Day map. Since that time thousands of divers in 115 countries around the world have helped protect underwater environments and educate local communities each April.

This year SACSCUBA decided to keep up the effort and add a Local clean-up at Hurricane Bay Lake Tahoe.

Project AWARE Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. www.projectaware.org.

Contact: JOHN DAY, SACSCUBA
Email: divetraveltrain@gmail.com

City’s first ‘Green Street’ project gets underway

2009-05-05T22:30:25Z

NEWS RELEASE

Date: April 30, 2009

Contact: Linda K. Tucker ltucker@cityofsacramento.org
(916) 808-7523

The City of Sacramento Department of Transportation is constructing the City’s first “Green Street” on Dixieanne Avenue, between Evergreen Street and the Swanston Light Rail Station. The project is sponsored by District 2 Councilmember Sandy Sheedy and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.

Councilmember Sheedy brought the idea to her district after seeing Green Streets in the older neighborhoods of Portland. “It not only looks good, it’s environmentally sound and will do wonders for this neighborhood,” Sheedy said. Dixieanne Avenue is the gateway to the neighborhood and light rail station with both residential and light manufacturing businesses.

The pilot project means sidewalks for residents in areas that have never had sidewalks, new sidewalks in others and a planter strip featuring several varieties of trees, shrubs and grasses planted over a new storm drainage system along all five blocks. Streetscape elements designed by local artists will also dot the planter strip.

In addition to the greenery, the storm drainage system beneath the planter strip is a sustainable feature because the collected storm water run-off eliminates the need for irrigation. The storm water also is treated as it percolates through the soil, as opposed to flowing straight into the neighborhood’s drainage ditches.

The overall project cost for design, environmental clearance and construction is about $2 million. Work on the new drainage system got underway Monday. The project is expected to be completed by the end of August. A grand opening event will be scheduled.

City outlines upcoming climate change plan

2009-05-01T06:36:04Z

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 will begin in July and will be developed over a two-year timeframe, Pace said.

Sacramento is examining federal stimulus dollars marked for energy efficiency programs as a funding source for the local climate program.

As part of the first stage, Sacramento would calculate the levels of greenhouse gas emissions that come from all sectors of the local economy, Pace said. The analysis would include data from energy use at households and businesses, as well as automobile traffic.

Sacramento would study the possible outcomes of what would happen if it does not take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the second stage, the city would choose a goal for the amount of emission reductions it wants to reach by a certain year.

At the least, Pace said, the city will be required to match its emissions reduction goal with AB 32, the state’s 2006 global warming law. By 2020, California must have cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, the state law states.

Sacramento will need to decide if it wants to pursue a more aggressive goal than the state’s goal, Pace said.

Sacramento will choose various actions to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the third stage, he said. In this stage, the city would also work out how the actions would be funded.

For the fourth stage, the city would put its new rules and actions into effect. Pace said some examples of the kinds of actions Sacramento could take include: energy efficiency improvements at the city’s water facilities, public transit enhancements, and retrofitting street lights.

Sacramento would monitor and verify the results of its program in the fifth stage, Pace said. For example, city personnel would examine whether Sacramento is achieving its emission reductions goals, he noted.

Coalition Says "Modernize Chicken Laws"

2009-04-23T00:52:42Z

On Earth Day, Sacramento residents decided to take action in their yards, both front and back. In Oak Park, Environment and Agriculture Taskforce (EAT) Sacramento, a network of activists and organizations, issued a report and called on the city to "modernize" chicken laws by allowing residents to keep a limited number of egg-laying hens. The group also layed out part of a roadmap for achieving greater food security, as well as adressing global warming.

The group also suggested that the city could do more to support and encourage more "green thumbs" through continued gardening trainings, zoning changes, and better use of vacant lands. Citing the need to "fix", or capture carbon dioxide pollution, the group called for more Carbon Gardens and Carbon Farms throughout the city and county. The movement is definitely catching on. First Lady Maria Shriver and First Lady Michelle Obama have planted their organic, or Carbon Gardens, in the last month.

Members of EAT Sacramento have already begun discussions with councilmembers, hoping to build support for a practical chicken law by summer.

“Creating a local environment that allows people to feed their families will make Sacramento a much more sustainable city,” said Sacramento Councilmember Rob Fong.

The report, "The Kitchen Sink: Building a Healthy Food Community", suggests that local governments, in tandem with residents and an existing network of organizations need to:

(1) Help residents reclaim their yards through updating outdated ordinances on water use, animals, and land use.

(2) Build more community food networks through continued support and incentives.

(3) Make Sacramento the carbon capital by piloting projects throughout the city and county, and supporting gardening and composting trainings.

For more information about efforts to modernize chicken laws, visit www.EATsacramento.org.

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento

Photos courtesy of Katie Towers

Earth Day 2009: Christmas for the environment-not!

2009-04-21T14:25:25Z

A couple of bromides to ponder:

In the nineties I interviewed activist Darryl Cherney, who lives north of here. During an interview with me he said he appreciated the awareness that Earth Day engenders, but with the orgy of green consumerism each year, the day is not "Christmas for the environment."

We cannot buy ourselves into sustainability.

Amen!

Earth Day in Sacramento will be observed on Saturday, April 26th from 11-6 at Southside Park.

Organizers describe the Event as featuring "Over one hundred booths/vendors, good real food, interactive activities for all ages, and amazing performances, including Northern California reggae artists Zion Roots."

The free event is brought to you by the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and Friends of ECOS.

As part of its activism, a few years ago, ECOS developed a 50-Year Transportation Vision, which emphasizes walking, biking, public transit, and better road maintenance on existing roads rather than new road construction or expansion.

Elsewhere in town from the news page at the website of Sacramento State:

"CSUS will celebrate Earth Day on campus with a series of events in the Library Quad from 11-2 on Wednesday, April 22.

Sponsors will offer a rock-climbing wall, door prizes including three Peak Adventure trips and a bicycle, trees from SMUD and live music from student-run radio station KSSU. Tote bags, organic fruit and water bottles will be available to the first 500 students at the event.

Guest speaker Don Lotter will be in the Orchard Suite of the University Union at 6 p.m. to discuss genetically modified foods. Don Lotter will be in Eureka Hall 107 at 7 p.m. for a screening and discussion of the movie “River of Renewal: Myth and History of the Klamath Basin.”

“This event may only take place one day a year, but it is important for us to remember that we need to nurture our planet every day,” says Kathryn Kay, Associated Students vice president of Academic Affairs."

See you at both since every day is Earth Day.

Creek Week

2009-04-18T05:05:56Z

As pleasant springtime weather becomes more and more common, many Sacramento residents head outside for relaxation and fun, especially to city waterways. This Friday, April 17, marks the begining of Creek Week, an event intended to make sure those waterways are still serviceable.

Creek Week is an event sponsored and organized by the Sacramento Area Creeks Council, to draw attention to the condition of Sacramento's creeks. A week of activities, including tours of the Mather Field vernal pools and a "river-friendly" landscaping workshop, culminates in a day of volunteer cleanup work on Saturday, April 25.

The Creeks Council emphasizes the benefits of well-maintained creeks, citing their usefulness as a source of drinking water, flood control and relaxation spots.

Alta Tura, President of the Creeks Council, said that the primary goal of Creek Week was "to give everybody in the community the opportunity to do some service work, to clean up man-made garbage out of our urban creeks."

Tura said that the volunteers would be working mainly on Steelhead Creek, Arcade Creek and the American River, but efforts would also be made in various other local streams. Cleanup work will entail the removal of garbage and recyclable materials, in addition to targeting Red Sesbania, an invasive plant, for removal, and planting native flora.

After their work, volunteers are encouraged to gather at American River College for a celebration of clean creeks. Free food and drink will be provided, and attendees can participate in a number of activities, from interactive exhibits about creek health to a "junk and gunk" sculpture contest where contestants will be judged on art made from garbage and recyclables pulled from creeks. Prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges to the best sculpture.

Readers looking for more information on events, or on how to sign up for volunteer work, should visit creekweek.net.

Learn to Snorkel

2009-04-10T21:36:42Z

Start snorkeling today. Seems simple enough! Why do I need a class to, “Learn to Snorkel?” Snorkeling may seem easy enough, except when you realize you are in the Ocean and there is a problem.

I found that “Education today” and practice really allowed me to enjoy my trip to Mexico. Training allowed me to solve my own problems. I saw so many other “cruisers” who hated the experience, because they had an issue and didn’t know there was a simple fix.

My training allowed me to learn in a pool; make mistakes and solve problems. I found out that taking a snorkeling class before my cruise to the Mexican Rivera helped me really enjoy my days on the beach and in the water.

The instructor told me how to find a good fitting mask and fins. I learned to clear my snorkel and breathe easily. I received some information about what I would see in the water in Mexico. I learned how to safely feed the fish for great photos.

In the class I got safety tips and signed up for a 1st aid class to help myself and my wife – should something happen. Nothing did, but I was prepared and that felt good.

I am fair skinned, so the instructor gave me some useful advice about exposure protection and exposure suits. He gave a talk about heat exhaustion and heat stroke, so that I would protect myself and NOT spend the trip, bathed in Aloe or worse yet, in the infirmary.

After the pool training my wife and I signed up for his ocean exploration class in Monterey. Monterey was great. It was a small romantic weekend along with some fun exploration.

While in Monterey, we learned more about exposure suits; an area called Breakwater cove, Jellyfish, sea otters, California Sea Lions, an old pump house, Kelp and soft corals. After 2 hours in the morning exploring “The Pipe” – a great area to see many things, we had the afternoon off.

My wife and I explored Cannery Row and the Aquarium. Wow, is the Monterey Bay Aquarium cool. There was so much to see and do. Around 6pm everyone in the class met up for a great dinner at London Bridge on the Wharf – for clam chowder. The dinner, conversation and other people were very fun and interesting.

On Sunday we met at 10 am and there were divers coming out of the water. Our Instructor and a couple of others offered to take us on a tour. We were going to snorkel while they dove down to the bottom. We split into small groups and followed the divers.

The water was so clear it was like swimming in the aquarium. Some people had a problem with their mask and snorkel, but they applied their new skills and enjoyed the adventure.

I found that I enjoyed watching the fish follow the divers. Our Divemaster or DM, as the instructor referred to him, brought up “rocks”. The “rocks” turned out to be Decorator Crabs. The life in the water made the weekend very cool.

It really was a great class and an enjoyable weekend. I found that my new skills came in handy during my cruise. My trip was fabulous – we had one good day and one day where the weather dictated we stay on the ship. Next time I will tell you about my snorkeling experience in Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe.

Would you like to see more of the world? If so, learn to snorkel. Contact: SACSCUBA (http://sacscuba.synthasite.com), your local Parks and Recreation District or
PADI (http://www.padi.com)

Some local places to snorkel in Sacramento are: Folsom Lake, Ice House, Lake Tahoe, Sly Park, The American River and many more. Also, you can snorkel up and down the California coast. Remember to get proper training.

Legislators Get Educated in Second Annual Oceans Day in Sacramento

2009-03-28T08:03:03Z

Missy Howard, development director of the Marine Science Institute, stood outside the state capitol early Wednesday morning with land program manager Doug Zoebst while managing a miniature interactive aquarium of starfish, baby sharks, and sea urchins. Occasionally, an intrigued passerby would stop and admire the sea creatures nestled inside the water tank.

Howard and Zoebst were recruited on behalf of Oceans Day, an annual event organized by environmental advocacy group Environment California, aimed toward educating lawmakers about threats to the ocean’s health in an effort to convince them to take action in upcoming legislation to restore and preserve the ocean.

Howard explained that the interactive aquarium, which allows passing individuals to stop and hold live sea creatures, serves as a way to bring legislators direct contact with ocean life and let them see first handedly what is in the ocean environment. Through this awareness, the institute hopes that lawmakers will come to understand what is being affected by their decisions in the legislature, according to Howard.

Wednesday marked the second year that Environment California has held Oceans Day in Sacramento. The day’s events included meetings between environmental organizations and legislators, an educational seminar on the ocean impacts of climate change, and an “ocean appreciation” reception open to the general public that included a film screening of the newly-released IMAX film Under the Sea 3D.

Special guests that appeared at the film screening included world-renowned ocean explorer and environmentalist Jean Michel Costeau—founder of the Ocean Futures Society, Assemblymembers Pedro Nava and Ira Ruskin, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, Secretary of Natural Resources Mike Chrisman, and musician Lukas Nelson.

“I think it was very impressive to see how strongly people continue to feel about the ocean’s crisis,” stated Nava, reflecting on the day’s events.

“I think what’s important about Oceans Day is it continues to inspire those of us in the legislature to fight for coastal protection and to help educate other members in the legislature of how important it is.”

Three awards were presented to California’s “ocean champions” in government and business. The recipients were: family-owned and operated company Klean Kanteen, a stainless steel canteen distributor based in northern California; Senator Fran Pavely (D-Agoura Hills), who is also a member of the California Ocean Protection Council; and Jonathan Bishop, Executive Officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Although Senator Pavley was unable to appear at the reception, her environmental policy director Adrienne Alvord made a statement on the Senator’s behalf, stating that “A good environment is the basis of a strong economy.”

Senator Pavley later expressed her gratitude for the award.

"I am so honored to receive this award, because the organizations that gave it are among the most effective and respected environmental advocates in California. They not only have done vital work to protect our beaches and ocean resources, they have also won major victories combating environmental toxins, supporting climate initiatives, reducing garbage and debris, protecting and conserving watersheds, and a host of other initiatives.”

Costeau delivered a powerful presentation before the film screening that involved video footage of his findings on ocean endangerment. One clip discussed the growing problem of fire retardants that are manifesting in people as well as whales. Another clip showed Costeau on a trash-strewn beach, where he said he had found 52 countries represented amongst the debris.

“We’re using our ocean as a trashcan,” said Costeau.

He told audience members “Do everything in your power to tell people we need to take care of our oceans…It starts with education on the consequences of the mismanagement of our resources.”

Several proposed assembly bills aimed at protecting California’s coast—anticipated to be heard later this month—were also mentioned at the reception. AB 1358, introduced by Assemblymembers Jerry Hill and Pedro Nava, bans the use of Styrofoam food containers in food packaging, regarded as a problematic pollutant of California beaches. AB 68, introduced by Assemblymember Julia Brownley, will place a 25-cent consumer fee on single-use plastic bags distributed by various supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores. AB 283, introduced by Assemblymember Wes Chesbro, will implement “extended producer responsibility” on producers of waste in order to encourage the production of more sustainable products.

Over 20 environmental organizations were recruited to participate in the event and address these bills, including The Natural Resources Defense Council, Heal the Bay, Ocean Conservancy, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Surfrider Foundation, Marine Science Institute, and Save the Bay.

NRDC Oceans Policy Analyst Leila Monroe said that the ocean impact of climate change was a significant issue the environmental groups were trying to raise awareness about on Wednesday.

“Climate change has a very significant impact on the ocean in terms of ocean acidification, which can potentially unravel the entire food chain, and have significant impacts on our coastal communities,” said Monroe. Monroe identified other key issues discussed throughout the day, including the Marine Life Protection Act, which she described as an effort to create underwater parks, and offshore energy development.

“We want to ensure that there’s no more oil and gas development off our coasts, and to ensure that ocean renewable energy, if it’s developed, is done in a very sound and intelligent way, avoiding protected areas and sensitive areas.”

Lauren Gillian, member of the Santa Cruz-based non-profit organization Save Our Shores, said that her organization lobbied for action on marine debris in approximately ten different meetings with legislators on Wednesday, trying to provide incentives to use reusable bags, and provide free reusable bags to low income areas. She said the group showed samples from the North Pacific Gyre, the large garbage patch said to exist in the ocean off the coast of California.

“It’s just a plastic soup out there. There’s six times more plastic than plankton. The ‘trash island’ as we like to call it, is twice the size of Texas.”

Event organizer Gina Goodhill, ocean advocate for Environment California, said she was satisfied with the event’s turnout. Goodhill said that there were 49 meetings held throughout the day with legislators, and estimated that there were 320 attendees of the reception, including approximately 50 chiefs of staff for various legislators.

“I feel like a lot of new information was put out there that [legislators] didn’t necessarily know about…I think that it gave insight into the fact that all these issues in the environment are created, and that really where one problem ends another one begins, etc. So it’s hard to separate something as a preservation problem, or as an ocean problem, or as a global warming problem, when a lot of times these issues are all connected.”

National Ag Day: Local and Organic In Sacramento

2009-03-20T04:03:27Z

In Washington, D.C., Friday marks National Agriculture Day. While this event is primarily sponsored by and profiles industry heavyweights like the Farm Bureau, Dow AgroSciences and Archer Daniels Midland, Sacramento residents are celebrating in their own way.

“Sacramentans are rebuilding our food system,” said Paul Schramski, State Director of Pesticide Watch. “Facing an increasingly unhealthy food system, and lack of access to more healthy foods, Sacramento residents are embracing a new urban agriculture.”

On any recent weekend, Sacramentans could be found participating in sustainable, urban agriculture. Neighbors in East Sacramento, spearheaded by the Sacramento Urban Fruit Sustainability Fruit Project, harvested fruit from backyards for donation to local foodbanks, while others tended plots with the Sacramento Area Community Gardens. Meanwhile, Soil Born Farms and Oak Park’s Crop Swap are gearing up for new seasons of selling food at farm stands, farmer’s markets, and neighborhood “swaps”.

This scene contrasts dramatically with neighboring industrial agriculture. Just across the Sacramento River, in Yolo County, large-scale farms have begun to spray aerial pesticides for wheat and alfalfa. For the past several days, residents of the Pocket neighborhood have been reporting adverse health effects. “Aerial spraying of the agricultural fields is excessive and I will continue to fight this imminent health risk,” said a resident from the neighborhood who wished to remain anonymous.

Multiple government and scientific research sources including the University of Minnesota and U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, estimate that about 40 percent of an aerial pesticide application leaves the “target area” and that less than 1 percent actually reaches its target. In addition, airborne pesticide drift is responsible for acute poisonings – more than half of agricultural pesticide poisonings reported in California between 1997 and 2000 – and for chronic illnesses including asthma, cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects, miscarriages, and other reproductive effects, according to articles recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Several pieces of statewide legislation, notably The Clean Air for Children, Seniors and Working Families Act (Swanson), as well as two bills recently introduced by Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Bill Monning, would challenge industrial agriculture, by creating health-based information and stronger health protections in cases of pesticide exposure.

Meanwhile, Sacramentans are getting some guidance from the Whitehouse in their efforts to create sustainable, urban agriculture. In a New York Times story earlier today, Michelle Obama announced plans to plant an organic vegetable garden on the Whitehouse lawn. Local elected officials have offered similar advice. “As the economic downturn continues, more Sacramentans will look for ways to cut costs. Please consider a vegetable garden. In World War II they were called Victory Gardens. Today the victory should be for pesticide-free growing,” said Sacramento Vice-Mayor Lauren Hammond in an e-mailed statement.

George Davidson is an intern at Pesticide-Free Sacramento, a coalition of civic, health and environmental organizations working to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the use of pesticides in the Sacramento region.

Photo Courtesy of David Baldridge

NAST caught in state budget process, but wins mitigation for Highway 50 expansion

2009-03-04T01:20:11Z

As everyone who reads the news or watches TV knows, California’s budget process has been a disaster. This is not too surprising considering the state of the economy, the fact that it takes a two-thirds majority to pass the budget, and the inability of the Democrats and Republicans to work together on anything. But what was surprising was that a recent transportation lawsuit won by Sacramento neighborhood and environmental groups was unexpectedly caught up in the middle of it.

In June of 2007, Neighbors Advocating Sustainable Transportation (a coalition of Sacramento neighborhood and community groups, and the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)) filed a lawsuit over Caltrans’ inadequate Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for widening Highway 50.

Caltrans plans to add an additional lane to Highway 50 in both directions between Sunrise and Watt Avenue; the lanes would become high occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) also known as carpool lanes. In July 2008, Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley agreed that Caltrans had not complied with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and ordered Caltrans to complete a new EIR.

One of his requirements was that the new EIR include an alternative that could reduce traffic congestion on the Highway 50 Corridor without adding lanes to Highway 50. In other words, a mass transit alternative. In addition, the judge ordered Caltrans to analyze the greenhouse gas emissions that would result from more cars using the widened freeway.

NAST and ECOS were starting to look into such a transit alternative when Governor Schwarzenegger announced that he planned to exempt Highway 50 and ten other highway projects from CEQA. His reason: without CEQA, all 11 projects could begin construction immediately and thus qualify for federal stimulus money. The unsavory catch for legislators and the public: the Governor was asking the legislature to use its powers to overrule the court's decision on the Highway 50 CEQA lawsuit, a very worrisome precedent.

Budget negotiations dragged on. There was a lot of lobbying about CEQA: Democrats wanted no changes to CEQA; Republicans wanted to get rid of it completely, not just exempt 11 projects. State and national environmental organizations weighed in. As the state’s economy continued to worsen, Democrats were under increasing pressure to compromise in order to get a budget passed.

Finally NAST and ECOS were asked if they were willing to negotiate with Caltrans for projects that Caltrans could do to address the problems found by the judge and mitigate the negative impacts of widening the freeway.

After much soul searching, NAST and ECOS agreed. They did so for two reasons: First, it was quite possible that the legislature would simply override their lawsuit and they would be left with nothing. Second, winning an EIR lawsuit doesn’t stop a project, it just means that a new EIR must be done. Hopefully, the new EIR will result in an improved project that fully addresses negative impacts. But, no matter how compelling the new EIR’s findings, the agency in charge of the project, in this case Caltrans, can still ignore them, claim “overriding considerations," and build the project without addressing the public’s concerns.

The NAST/ECOS negotiations were attended by representatives from Regional Transit (RT), Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), the legislature, and state environmental organizations, all of whom had an interest in the outcome for their own reasons. In the end, NAST/ECOS agreed to ask Judge Frawley to vacate his ruling (which he subsequently did) in exchange for major project mitigations that CalTrans would not otherwise have provided: 1) Three years ($3.6 million) of RT’s operating costs for double tracking light rail from downtown to Folsom (this money will leverage construction funds and mean that the double tracking can occur sooner than would have otherwise been possible); 2) $3.9 million in signal improvements that will increase frequency of service from Hazel to downtown and allow for additional peak period express trains from Folsom to downtown and 3) find $820,000 for construction of a bicycle pedestrian crossing over Highway 50 near Mather Field Road to provide better access to the Mather Field light rail station.

Budget negotiations are now over. California has a new state budget. Unfortunately, it is one that leaves much to be desired in terms of neighborhoods, the environment and transportation.

RT’s Folsom line is better off because of NAST/ECOS’ lawsuit and negotiations. But 11 major highway projects, all with the potential to increase green house gas emissions and increase the number of cars on our roadways, will soon be under construction.

The new state budget eliminated all state money for public mass transit. The Highway 50 HOV project will cost $145 million, money that could have been used to give Sacramentans real alternatives to their cars. Hundreds of millions will be spent on the ten other, now CEQA exempt, highway projects.

The Highway 50 project goes as far Watt Avenue. SACOG and Caltrans still want to bring the widening downtown and also add HOV lanes to I-5 and I-80. And Sacramentans who want to use transit are still left with very few alternatives. NAST and ECOS aren’t going away and neither is the fact that Judge Frawley’s ruling was the first time that a judge said that a freeway project EIR needs to look at greenhouse gases and transit alternatives for relieving highway congestion.

The bottom line for NAST is that no additional money should be spent on expanding streets and highways until our region has built a transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation system that provides people with real alternatives to cars. Such a system would reduce traffic congestion on our existing highway system so that, when you need to use a car, you still can. For more information about NAST and to get involved, go to www.nastsacramento.blogspot.org.

Neighbors take action to improve Sacramento transportation system

2009-03-04T01:16:15Z

Sacramento is a city with limited transit options and lots of freeways, a city at the absolute downstream end of freeway rivers flooded with vehicles. Light rail only serves some portions of the city, and farther out along the light rail lines, many neighborhoods are not connected to stations, forcing residents to drive downtown.

Buses are few and far between. There aren’t enough bicycle routes. Pedestrians take their lives in their hands when they cross the street, even if crossing on a green light with a walk sign. Freeways and streets grow more congested every year and, at least in the Central City, parking grows ever more expensive and difficult to find.

Air pollution is getting worse. Green house gases are rising and people who don’t own cars or can’t drive any longer are finding it difficult to get to work, school or daily errands.

Sacramento is a city badly in need of a transportation make-over of the kind that would provide the average person with a viable alternative to his or her car. Unfortunately, that isn’t the direction in which we seem to be heading.

The Sacramento Council Area of Governments (SACOG), the agency which is responsible for determining how state and federal transportation dollars are allocated, continues to put the bulk of the region’s resources into expanding existing freeways and highways and building new ones. One of the major goals in its 2035 transportation plan is to add so called "high occupancy vehicle" (HOV) lanes, or carpool lanes, to all of our freeways. That means an additional lane in both directions on Highway 50, I-5 and I-80 from outlying areas to downtown. It also means “flyover bridges" that will allow HOV lane users on one freeway to transition onto another freeway without ever leaving their special lanes and new HOV on and off ramps along the WX portion of Highway 50.

SACOG justifies all this on the grounds that HOV lanes will encourage more car pooling and, thus, reduce congestion. But there is no evidence to show that car pool lanes really do get more people to car pool and, except for morning and afternoon peak periods (a total of six hours per day), anyone, solo drivers included, can use the lanes. SACOG’s plans, if carried out, will result in our region spending hundreds of millions of dollars on freeway expansions which will serve only the needs of people who own cars while leaving little money to spend on a multi-modal transportation system that would serve everyone and be more cost effective and efficient.

The first freeway targeted for expansion in the SACOG plan is Highway 50. The potential impact of the Highway 50 widening, including the proposed “fly over” lanes and new, elevated on and off ramps along the WX, galvanized the community into action. Neighborhood associations on both sides of the WX realized that, not only would this project give more money to freeways at the expense of other forms of transportation, but the increased traffic that it would generate, together with the increased noise and visual blight that would result from the elevated fly over lanes and on and off ramps, would seriously impact their neighborhoods. They organized a coalition of neighborhood and community groups called Neighbors Advocating Sustainable Transportation (NAST) to fight back.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that any construction project that has the potential to significantly affect the environment must undergo an Environmental Impact Review (EIR). The purpose of an EIR is to review all the potential impacts of a proposed project -- if and how those impacts can be mitigated, and what possible alternatives there might be to the project. Caltrans' stated purpose for the Highway 50 HOV project was to relieve traffic congestion on the highway by widening it. Caltrans prepared the EIR for the first phase of the project, HOV lanes from Sunrise to Watt Avenue. Although EIR’s are supposed to include alternatives, Caltrans did not think to include the obvious alternative of expanding the capacity of mass transit along the Highway 50 Corridor.

NAST and The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) reviewed the EIR, found it did not analyze a transit alternative, nor did it address the increased air pollution and green house gas emissions that would result from more vehicles using the widened freeway, and decided to sue. The suit was filed in June of 2007 and on July 15, 2008 Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley ruled in their favor.

Caltrans was ordered to prepare a new EIR and to include an analysis of how much additional green house gas would be emitted if the project were built and how enhancing mass transit in the Highway 50 Corridor would compare to widening the freeway. The judgment was groundbreaking in that it was the first time that a California judge had said that greenhouse gases must be considered as part of an EIR. And it provided NAST and ECOS an opportunity to work with RT to develop a public transit alternative that Caltrans could use for its analysis.

NAST came into being because of the proposed Highway 50 expansion, but NAST members quickly realized that Highway 50 was just one part of a much bigger problem and that it needed to broaden its goals from stopping Highway 50 to fighting for a transportation system that 1) focuses on moving people in the most efficient ways possible rather than solely on moving cars; 2) creates a series of transportation options that will benefit everyone at any time of their life and no matter the price of gas; and 3) protects neighborhoods and business districts from the impacts of traffic and freeways, thus helping them become livable, walkable and bikeable.

The bottom line for NAST is that no additional money should be spent on expanding streets and highways until our region has built a transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation system that provides people with real alternatives to cars so that traffic congestion is reduced and people who can’t or don’t want to drive can get where they need to go.

For more information about NAST go to www.nastsacramento.blogspot.org.

Event champions local food and organic efforts

2009-03-03T03:53:25Z

On Thursday night, Sacramento residents will gather to celebrate a new brand of "localism". Increasingly, Sacramentans are redefining it's traditionally negative conotations of narrow-mindedness and stubbornness. Instead, "Sacramento localism" is about efforts to build a healthier, more sustainable community, including reducing pesticide use and increasing food security.

Thursday's event, entitled “Organic Sounds,” will highlight two local efforts that are setting precedent for the entire state: the Pesticide-Free Sacramento and the soon-to-be-launched EAT (Environment and Agriculture Taskforce) Sacramento projects. Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong and Chef Michael Tuohy of the Grange Restaurant will be the featured speakers, sharing words about both efforts.

Sacramento localism is more than just lectures. Residents at Thursday's event will also hear performances from Sacramento Americana bands Rowdy Kate, Starts & Garters and regional blues musicians Spotted Dog. And they will also have a chance to taste food from Del Paso gourmets Magpie Catering and Synergy Chef, providing local and organic food. And, not to be outdone, regional wineries Orleans Hill and La Rocca will be providing organic wine.

“Sacramentans are challenging the way toxics pesticides are used in their backyards and finding creative solutions to fix an increasingly broken food system,” said Paul Schramski Towers, State Director of Pesticide Watch, the organization behind the event and organization supporting the two local efforts. “By investing in local food and organic places, we can create a healthier, more vibrant community.”

Over 3.2 million pounds of pesticides are used in Sacramento County, including thousands of pounds in urban homes, schools, parks and workplaces. Area organizations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility, Mothers’ Support Network and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op launched Pesticide-Free Sacramento as a comprehensive effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate pesticide use in the region.

EAT Sacramento is a more recent effort, emerging from efforts of the members of Organic Sacramento and the Sacramento Area Community Gardens Coalition, and supported by Pesticide Watch. As Sacramento residents face water shortages and increasing food prices, EAT Sacramento promotes new ways to grow your own local food, as well as support and enlarge local, organic farms. This effort will be more formally launched later this month.

Sacramento localism is an exciting movement to reinvest in a healthy, new Sacramento. "Sacramento residents have decided that we not only need green jobs, but we also need green thumbs," Towers added.

For more information about Organic Sounds, visit www.pesticidewatch.org.

Unsustainable Waste Disposal Practices

2009-01-31T01:40:23Z

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 to the city’s request for proposals. We were obviously disappointed in the Council’s decision to table any further action on this matter for the time being due to their concerns with the City’s handling of the vetting process. However, we remain committed to helping the City find alternative solutions to trucking and landfilling 400 tons of garbage each day. We also believe this can be done in a way that delivers significant economic benefits to Sacramento in the form of hundreds of jobs, substantial corporate tax revenues and millions of dollars in savings to ratepayers. Not a bad “green” deal in the midst of an economic crisis.

As many readers likely recall, over a year ago the City Council requested alternative proposals to the current unsustainable arrangement of shipping our non-recyclable trash to landfills. Understanding the city’s environmental and economic objectives, USST responded to the request with a proposal to implement a WTE facility using a state-of-the-art high-temperature gasification technology. This environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for disposing of the City’s municipal solid waste was approved time and time again by the City Council.

However, as the process unfolded, it became clear that some were unhappy with the process itself and there were a litany of city political concerns at play behind the scenes. All of this eventually led to the unfortunate tabling of the proposal.

We are engineers and scientists, not politicians, so it’s difficult for us to be certain exactly how and why this effort became so politicized and eventually got derailed. However, as a Sacramento-based company and as private citizens of this great city, we are concerned about what hasn’t been derailed: the trucking of this massive amount of non-recyclable waste to landfills over the mountains. We’ve presented an approach that would end this practice, to the benefit of the City, ratepayers and the environment. A high-temperature gasification WTE facility represents a scalable integration of proven technologies that, taken together, represents a practicable, safe, and efficient solution. The high-temperature gasification technology proposed by USST is proven, offers no financial risk to Sacramento, and is now being touted by many experts around the world as the best available technology for 100% conversion of garbage to commercial products like electricity and transportation fuels.

In fact, in an uncertain economic climate and in the midst of California’s unprecedented budget crisis, the proposed WTE facility would afford many benefits to the City:

A savings of millions of dollars for Sacramento citizens, notably on the trucking costs to Nevada;
The potential generation of substantial amounts of tax revenue for the city;
The creation of hundreds of new jobs throughout the conception, construction, and operation of the facility;
Assistance in helping the City meet its stated “green initiative” objectives; and
Quantifiable reduction of green house gas emissions and waste.

We are a local company of engineers, scientists and business leaders committed to environmental solutions in the waste-to-energy sector. We continue to offer a solution that we sincerely believe would be effective, environmentally and economically beneficial, and would present absolutely no financial risk to the City of Sacramento.

But regardless of the solution, Sacramento and its residents should not and cannot ignore the issue at hand. We hope the City Council puts this issue back at the forefront of the City agenda. In the meantime, we will continue exploring ways to help the city meet its environmental and economic standards while also developing and delivering a feasible solution to the unsustainable practice of landfilling 400 tons of Sacramento’s non-recyclable waste each and every day.

Central plant work could stop

2009-01-29T01:48:12Z

Construction on the new central plant in downtown Sacramento, one of the biggest public works projects in the state, may halt next week if the budget crisis is not resolved.

The stoppage of construction could idle as many as 300 construction workers, and delay the completion of the plant, which is currently scheduled to begin operation in May of this year. When finished, the building would be one of the few LEED Gold certified buildings in the country.

J.B. Hall, foreman for contractor Skanska USA Building, Inc., acknowledged that his workers could be idled as soon as next week, but he couldn’t go into any detail. Several workers on the site were well aware that things could stop on a job they’ve been working since it broke ground in November 2006.

“We’re hearing all sorts of things,” confided one hardhat who declined to give his name. “We’ve been working on this a long time, it’s a good job, and this would be a big loss for us. We’ve got families.”

Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the Department of General Services, which oversees the project, said Wednesday that “millions of dollars of public works projects are on hold right now, from CalTrans to public school construction,” and that it was a “possibility” that the construction of the new central plant could halt. (The current central plant, built in 1968, continues to provide heat and cooling to state offices.)

He also confirmed that work had already been halted on the environmental retro-fitting of the twin towers known as Office Building 8 and Office Building 9, in the block bounded by 7th and 8th, and P and Q Streets. Adjacent to the central plant, which is one block west, the two towers are among the state’s oldest buildings. Retrofitting on Office Building 8 had already been completed late last year.

The new central plant was touted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger when the structure was “topped” (structurally completed) last October. The plant is a keystone of Schwarzenegger’s attempt to “green” as many state buildings as possible. When finally completed, it will likely be given a Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Like its predecessor, the plant will provide the steam and chilled water to heat and cool more than 5.5 million square feet of office space in the state Capitol and 22 other state-owned buildings downtown. It will do so using just 10 percent of the water used by the current plant, which is located in the same block but which was built in 1968.

When it goes online, some 22,000 state workers will enjoy the new plants’ heating and cooling effects.

But the plant’s short-term fate rests on a resolution to the state’s ongoing budget mess.

Urban legend? Cocoa mulch poisons dogs

2009-01-23T18:30:20Z

There have been emails going around for perhaps as many as nine years in which dog owners are urged to beware of cocoa mulch and dog poisoning. A link to a website on urban legends in usually included for reference. Those who forward the message are rightfully concerned but looking a little deeper we find that while caution is indicated; panic is not.

In 2007, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) handled 26 cases of cocoa bean mulch ingestion—a third originating in California. “Dogs are attracted to the fertilizer’s sweet smell,” says Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA Veterinary Toxicologist and APCC Director, “but like chocolate, cocoa bean mulch can be too much for our canine companions.”

A call to Sacramento's phone service 311 yielded no information on dog poisonings in the city and the website of Animal Care and Control also had no specific mentions about cocoa mulch.

No question about it, chocolate and other products made from cacao beans — e.g., cocoa mulch — contain substances toxic to certain animals, including both dogs and cats.

Building a new world with broken bikes

2009-01-17T19:17:33Z

The Sacramento Bike Kitchen (SBK) has been open for a week and the buzz is all over town. A DIY bike workshop that spreads bike culture with its unique approach to getting 'er done. Volunteers help YOU know your bike by showing you how to fix and maintain it. The result is that you are much more at cause over your 2 wheeled friend NOT the effect. Your affinity skyrockets for all things bicycling and simply cannot go anywhere unless it's on a bike. Well alright thats a little over the top but I hope you get my point.

At the kitchen we have a theory that most entry level bicyclists have had their hearts broken with the box store variety of bicycles that are not long for the dumpster. Poorly fitted and ill advised in keeping their bikes in working condition, most bikes from Walmart, Kmart etc. end up given away or even abandoned on the street. A once promising idea of going green filed away in the bad idea category of our memory banks.

We highly recommend one find a local bike shop and let them earn your business with their great service. Many come to mind like Steve Loebach from Carmichael cycles, Whit Brooks from the Bicycle Chef and Terry Cox from College Cyclery, just to name a few. These tireless experts can assist you in making your cycling goals come true. Others like Steve Rex can build a bike that's so beautiful you will never want to drive a car again.

The SBK is a nonprofit organization built on the goodwill of area bike enthusiasts. Our shop subsists or thrives on the donations of like minded folks that want to spread the idea that the bike is the most genius from for moving the body from A to B. We here have plans shoulder to shoulder with the local bicycle shops to increase the numbers of commuters that will make Sacramento the place it should be, a great place to live, work and play. A place free from noise polution, congestion, bad air and most importantly the disconnection from our fellow man. You see, a cyclist is more likely to wave at complete strangers on the road. He has so much fun he or she must share it with someone else!

Here at SBK our natural enemies are pollution, obesity, body apathy and doing nothing for the greater good. Our friends are all people who want to make a difference including those here at Sacpress who have given us the chance to blow our horn.

Please join us in making Sacramento the greatest biking city in California and then who knows what other goals we can tackle.

Portland and Amsterdam watch out!

John Boyer

SBK donations
1915 I street
(916)-442-3177

Donations gladly accepted 8-10am M-F and Wed,Thurs and Friday evenings 6-9PM

Christmas tree waste

2008-12-31T21:30:43Z

Every year after Christmas until the first of the year arrives, neighbors all over town take their Christmas trees down and put them out on their front curbs.

Yesterday I saw many lonely trees that were no longer useful. What should happen to these trees that we spend years growing, just to be chopped down, put in a warm home for less than a month, and finally, kicked to the curb.

Apparently, when put out on your curb, these trees are added to the landfills like any other trash. I have been researching and have discovered some solutions on how to put these trees to good use yet again.

According to the county of Sacramento, Waste Management and Recycling, on December 27 and January 3 only, the city will come pick up your Christmas tree, making sure it is turned to mulch and then used as fertilizer. Though the city will come take your tree, you still must cut it up and fit it into your green waste container.

There's another option: Boy Scout Troop 215 will pick trees up from Sacramento County residents by appointment on December 29, 30 and 31, and on January 5, 6, 7 and 13. They only thing you have to do is call 916-491-5420.

In addition, the troop will host a Christmas tree drop-off at Sunrise Mall (Southeast side) on December 30 and 31 and January 6 and 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The troop asks for a small donation for both the pick-ups and the drop-offs. The website suggest five dollar donations for drop off and ten dollars for pick up.

Hopefully this year Sacramentans will follow the green trend a find a useful way to dispose of our lovely Christmas trees.

LEAF Steward Training for Community Volunteers

2008-12-11T18:56:49Z

Do you love trees? Do you want to volunteer to improve your neighborhood's tree canopy? You can play a key role in helping the Sacramento Tree Foundation educate neighbors about the multiple benefits of trees, tree planting, pruning basics, and tree care. Learn how increasing the urban tree canopy can improve our built environment, health and save energy.

Join a series of classes to learn tree care, pruning, planting techniques and more from area professionals in a weekly series of hands on class activities, discussion and field trips presented by the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s new LEAF (Leading Education Awareness in Urban Forestry) Program. New classes start for 8 weeks on Tuesday evening, January 13 in Sacramento and Wednesday, January 21 in Rancho Cordova. Classes combine hands on activities, lecture, discussion and field trips led by area tree care specialists.

Upon completion of the course, LEAF Stewards will choose from a variety of education and outreach activities that connect their neighbors, co-workers and communities to the urban forest, while fostering an ethic of community service, leadership and civic pride. This award winning program is modeled after the highly successful UC Master Gardener Program

Help change the landscape and mindscape of your urban forest community; become a LEAF Steward! Contact the Sacramento Tree Foundation at (916) 924-8733. to find out more. Or check the website at www.sactree.com and select Programs & Services link to read about the program and download an application.

One-bag lady

2008-12-09T00:40:57Z

My first shopping trip to Safeway with a reusable shopping bag of my own proved to be very successful. I finally used my Sacramento Press grocery bag to get a few necessities and was pleasantly surprised by how much I could fit into it.

Exactly how much did I fit into the bag, you ask? Let me count the groceries:

3 boxes of cereal
A half gallon of milk
4 frozen dinners
3 bags of frozen vegetables
9 yogurts
2 packages of cheese
1 loaf of bread
1 package of tortillas
5 cans of soup

The Safeway bagger made it all fit perfectly. While it was heavy I was happy to be only carrying one bag and more importantly knowing that bag was not plastic.

If I had a family of five to feed, this might be more difficult to accomplish, however with multiple bags and a cart – it could be possible.

Have you made the switch to reusable bags? Have you seen other people doing it? Do you think it will catch on? Would you like to make fun of the food I eat?

Please comment below.

Sacramento Waste-to-Energy Facility

2008-12-05T19:04:16Z

In 2007, the City of Sacramento generated an average of 750 tons/day of solid waste. About 348 tons/day (46%) of this was recycled, leaving 402 tons/day to be trucked across the Sierra Nevada mountains and buried in the desert at the Lockwood Regional Landfill in Sparks, Nevada. The City, consistent with its sustainability initiative, has been exploring more environmentally sound alternatives for the unrecycled portion of the waste, including the prospect of converting it into energy and other useful products. On August 24, 2007, the City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to attract a development partner to build, own, and operate a resource recovery and waste-to-energy facility in Sacramento that would meet five specific goals: (1) be environmentally friendly and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (2) be economically viable and cost-neutral to rate-payers; (3) leave little or no residuals requiring treatment or landfill disposal; (4) continue the City's existing recycling program; and (5) utilize a proven technology at a commercial scale.

Eleven companies responded to the RFQ, proposing a total of five different technologies. The City then formed an independent, cross-functional committee to review the RFQ responses and recommend a development partner to move forward with. The committee was comprised of staff from the City Manager's Office, the Solid Waste Division, the City Attorney's Office, the Sacramento County Department of Waste Management and Recycling, and professors from the California State University College of Engineering. In November 2007, the committee determined that the plasma gasification technology proposed by US Science & Technology (USST) would best meet the City's goals indicated above. On February 26, 2008, following further research and due diligence, the City staff recommended and the City Council unanimously approved the project concept and awarded USST an exclusive right to negotiate Principles of Agreement with the City for the development of a waste-to-energy project. The City Staff's Report to Council provides more detail on the project and the rationale for selecting USST. This article describes the technology proposed and its environmental impacts and benefits.

The specifics of the technology, and how it's implemented, are incredibly important. Beneficial outcomes and environmental challenges are entirely dependent on the composition of the feedstock (garbage, in this case) and the specific chemical processes employed. Some comparisons have been made between our process and other technologies (e.g. plasma gasification and incineration) that are completely baseless and without fact; the processes employ different chemistry and yield very different results. Even technology comparisons within the field of plasma gasification can yield very different results, depending on the design of the process equipment and the specific chemical process steps employed. This article intends to make our proposed process more clear, so that useful comparisons can be made.

The "How Stuff Works" web site has an introductory article on plasma gasification that can be helpful for understanding the technology in general. The most detailed public description of the process USST is proposing for Sacramento is provided in an independent analytical report by Juniper Consultancy Services, Ltd. It provides a candid, in-depth examination of the technology provided by Alter NRG and Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, including emissions data from existing facilities. It is important to note, however, that the system design proposed by USST (and reviewed in the analytical report) makes significant improvements compared to the design of the existing facilities.

The waste-to-energy facility proposed for Sacramento includes three major sections: (1) gasification, (2) syngas cleaning, and (3) power generation. The plasma gasifier uses plasma torches with an external energy source (electricity) to heat the waste to very high temperatures in an oxygen-starved atmosphere (less oxygen than is needed for complete combustion). The chemical bonds in the waste material are broken down and very simple molecules are formed: carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), nitrogen (N2), water (H2O), hydrochloric acid (HCl), etc. This mixture of primarily carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases is often called synthetic gas, or "syngas", and it exits the reactor at about 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. The inorganic materials in the waste flow out the bottom of the gasifier as an inert volcanic glass and liquid metal, in two separate phases, at about 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some of the more volatile metals, such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn), are vaporized and exit the gasifier with the syngas. These metals are removed in the syngas cleaning stage, along with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sulfur compounds, namely carbonyl sulfide (COS) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

The syngas cleaning section of the facility is focused on cleaning the syngas so that it has a purity about like that of natural gas. This is done to protect human health, the environment, and the most expensive piece of equipment in the facility: the gas turbine. The syngas cleaning section has multiple operations, each designed for a specific purpose. The first step is a venturi scrubber, which ensures thorough mixing of process water and syngas. This step, along with the following step, a spray tower, are focused on rapidly cooling the syngas and capturing particulate matter and hydrochloric acid (HCl). Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is added in the spray tower to neutralize the acid and form sodium chloride (NaCl), also known as regular table salt. The syngas is then sent to a wet electrostatic precipitator as a "polishing" step for further removal of sub-micron particles. At this point, the syngas is fully saturated with moisture (100% relative humidity). It is sent to a condenser, where the syngas temperature is further reduced to about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and on to a compressor, which raises the pressure to about 350 psig and condenses even more moisture out. Process water from these steps is sent to an on-site water treatment plant, where the water is purified and reused in the facility (and incidentally, the facility is slightly net-positive in water production; it comes in with the solid waste and is formed in some of the chemical reactions). The cooled, compressed syngas is then sent through a pair of activated carbon beds for 99.75% removal of any mercury (Hg) that may be present in the syngas. The final step in the syngas cleaning section of the facility is focused on removing sulfur. This technology is commonly used to remove sulfur from natural gas, and it involves both a carbonyl sulfide (COS) hydrolysis reaction to convert COS to hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and a subsequent step wherein the H2S is removed from the syngas and converted into elemental sulfur crystals. At this point, the syngas has been thoroughly cleaned and is ready for use as a fuel in the power generation section of the facility.

The power generation section of the facility is based on a conventional combined-cycle power plant. These are typically fueled with natural gas, and are some of the cleanest and most efficient power plants in existence. Just such a facility was recently built in Roseville; it began operation in 2004. Our facility would be fueled primarily with clean syngas; natural gas would be used as a supplemental fuel for start-up and shut-down of the gas turbine and to even out natural variations in the real-time production of syngas which would be expected with the variability in municipal solid waste. The fuel gas is burned in a gas turbine, where the expanding gases spin the turbine and power an electric generator. The hot exhaust from the gas turbine is directed to a steam generator, which produces steam that drives a steam turbine and another electric generator. An oxidation catalyst would be used to remove any trace amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) that may remain in the exhaust, and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) would be used to remove nitrogen oxides (NOx, or smog) before sending the exhaust up a stack. In a generic reference design for a 750 ton/day facility similar to the one described here, the gas turbine generator produces 44 MWe, the steam turbine generator produces 22 MWe, and the facility uses 13 MWe to run the plasma torches, motors, etc. In that design, 80 percent of the electric power produced (53 MWe) is available to be put on the electric grid, and 20 percent (13 MWe) is used internally to run the plant. The total capacity of the facility proposed for Sacramento has yet to be determined. The emissions would be about what you would expect for a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant, except that most of the carbon dioxide (CO2) would come from a renewable energy source: municipal solid waste.

The solid residuals from the plasma gasifier (metal and glass) would be recycled. The glass portion is particularly interesting, in that it can be used to manufacture higher-valued products, such as rock wool, stone tile, and other construction materials. The solid residuals from plasma gasification of municipal solid waste have been proven to be non-toxic; they easily pass the EPA's Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). In fact, plasma vitrification is sometimes used specifically to render ash from municipal solid waste incinerators non-toxic.

Sometimes innovative, game-changing technologies seem too good to be true, but a review of recent history proves that innovative technologies can and do change our lives for the better. The primary challenge for a facility like this is the capital cost to build it. It's very expensive, and investors need assurance that there will always be a waste stream for the facility so that the long-term investment can pay for itself. That's why a long-term waste supply agreement is so important; it makes the funding possible. And we're finding that there is a tremendous level of interest in the financial community for funding renewable energy projects. If the City will supply the waste, we can make it happen.

About the author: David Prinzing is Vice President and Chief Engineer for US Science & Technology. He is a registered Professional Engineer (Chemical Engineer) in the States of California and Washington, and has more than 20 years of diverse technology experience, including combustion, chemical, nuclear, and environmental engineering.

Waste-to-energy: Too good to be true?

2008-11-20T00:07:19Z

Each night, two dozen diesel trucks are loaded up with Sacramento's trash and sent on a journey to the Lockwood Landfill located in the Nevada desert. The trek is a whopping 282 miles round-trip, which is a huge expense for vehicles that only get five to seven miles per gallon.

Wondering if there will ever be an alternative to dumping endless piles of waste in landfills? Recently, Sacramento has been debating whether to jump on the bandwagon.

In August 2007, the idea was proposed to create a "waste-to-energy" facility. This got the gears moving, and in February 2008, Sacramento granted exclusive negotiation rights to U.S. Science and Technology.

The technology is called Plasma Gasification. Using temperatures almost as high as those on the sun's surface, gas is heated and vaporizes trash. This creates a type of synthetic fuel which can then be used as a source of power.

This process is supposedly an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional methods of waste disposal.

An environmentally responsible way of turning trash into power: Is it too good to be true? An article published earlier this week in the Sacramento Bee, called "Sacramento Trash-to-Energy Plan Raises Red Flags" seems to think so.

Critics also point out that although this is touted as being environmentally friendly, this is up for debate. For one, the process uses a lot of energy. There are also concerns about toxic fumes that may be released into the air during the process.

This project was attempted in two other locations, and the results have not been promising.

In St. Lucie County, Fla, the developer—GeoPlasma—has had to scale back the project by about 80 percent, because it just wasn't working. GeoPlasma also proposed the idea to Los Angeles County, and it was refused immediately.

A Plasma Gasification plant for the Sacramento area is currently under discussion. How do you feel about this? If this technology works as well as its proponents claim, why are other cities not taking advantage of this opportunity? Do you feel that this is an appropriate solution? What do you feel are the major problems with this idea?

*Photo courtesy of this Web site
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

The Docks' DEIR: part II

2008-11-11T23:01:15Z

In my previous story, The Docks' DEIR: part I (which you can find by clicking the "storyline" tab), I summarized the possible harmful impacts that the Docks Plan could have on the environment. The last article was all about aesthetics, light and glare, air quality, and biological resources. In this article, I am going to discuss three more areas of environmental interest: cultural and historic resources, hazards and hazardous substances, and hydrology and water quality.

"Cultural and Historic Resources" is the fourth topic of chapter five. It basically deals with any artifacts, sites, objects, etc., that are either at least 50 years old or have sacred or religious meaning. The main issue is that construction and demolition of the site could result in the loss of undiscovered artifacts that have prehistoric or historic value. In order to mitigate this, construction workers will work with an archeologist, testing the site before construction begins and learning how to identify cultural artifacts. If any artifacts are unearthed, construction in the area will stop immediately in order for excavation to take place.

The next section, "Hazards and Hazardous Substances," details the possible effects of contaminated soil and groundwater on both construction workers and future homeowners. The site currently holds plots of contaminated soil left over from the Pioneer Reservoir and a PG&E natural gas tank. In order to lessen the severity of the impact, measures will be taken to follow a health and safety contingency plan, as well as state and federal laws, in the process of removing the contaminated areas.

The sixth section elaborates on the possible impacts on "Hydrology and Water Quality." In implementing the Docks Area Plan, new sources of polluted water and run-off could contaminate existing water quality standards. In order to circumvent this issue, construction will include two new storm drain pipelines - one for drainage and one for sewage collection - that will connect to the existing line. To curb run-off water from storms, bioswales and rain gardens will be included into construction plans. In-line detention systems will also be installed, to store run-off water for other uses, like irrigation.

There is still more of the DEIR to come. My next story will detail the final three analyses of possible environmental impacts, and what the city proposes to do to lessen the severity.

To read the DEIR, click here.

ECOS' 1st Annual Fall Festival

2008-11-06T23:37:45Z

Every year for 36 years, ECOS has presented the “Environmentalists of the Year Awards.” This year is the first year that they have turned the awards ceremony into a full-blown celebration with the introduction of their 1st Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 25. By creating a celebratory atmosphere, ECOS was hoping to bring more people out to the event as well as encourage people to bring their kids. Family-oriented activities included a crafts table and endangered species face painting.

The festival featured two local bands: Schwamigos and Hard Clumpin’ Litter. The music set the tone for a relaxed and joyous occasion. I would characterize both bands as being a bit rock and roll, with some twang. There was tons of local wine, beer and food. Local food vendor sponsors for the event were Synergy Catering, Sampino’s Towne Foods and the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop. The food was delicious, and included in the ticket price of $25. There was more food than people to eat it, so it was basically and all-you-can-eat buffet of really high quality and wholesome food.

The event was organized by ECOS's Program Director, Jaclyn Hopkins, "with a little help from [her] friends." There were tables and couches to sit, eat and enjoy the music. Also, several organizations came out and set up tables with information for festival-goers. Some of the organizations that made it out for the event were Peak Adventures, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates (SABA), Friends of the Swainson's Hawk, Save the American River Association (SARA), the California Native Plant Society (CPNS), and SMUD. All of them had an incredible wealth of information and pamphlets for people.

Several of the tables had fliers advertising an upcoming event. On November 15th the City of Woodland will be hosting a Green Summit: State of Our Environment Conference. The conference will be held at the Woodland Community & Senior Center from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Most of the groups in attendance for the ECOS festival will also be present at the Green Summit, along with several others including the Sierra Club, Putah Creek Council, and the Sacramento Tree Foundation. This is a great opportunity for people who missed the ECOS event and are interested in understanding where we as a community stand on environmental issues or how you can get involved. Tickets are are $15 and can be orders online at www.tuleyome.org or by calling (530) 350-2599.

Aside from the tables and great food and drink, one of the purposes behind the festival was to present the Environmentalists of the Year Award. The awards were presented to Neighbors Advocating Sustainable Transportation (NAST) for their work and victory opposing CalTran's plans to add a carpool lane to Highway 50. Also, Eric Davis, the ECOS President, received an award for his work in cooperation with NAST on the same issue.

Carol Witham and Keith Wagner were also awarded for their work in protecting a vernal pool habitat, which was threatened by the approval of Rancho Cordova's development project, "The Preserve at Sunridge." Witham is the President of CPNS and has been a long time advocate for protecting the diverse ecosystems of vernal pools. Wagner is a lawyer and represented CPNS in their lawsuit challenging the development project.

Finally, the last award went to LJ Urban, the developer who is responsible for "Good," a new green residential development in West Sacramento. This is the first ECOS Green Business Award, and it seeks to honor businesses who take the risk and display the innovation that is required for green business. For more information about this exceptional new development, visit Good's Web site.

After the awards were presented, the music resumed and guests were encouraged to return for seconds and thirds at the food table, as there was a ton of food left. People began to put stuff away and Hard Clumpin' Litter played a few last songs. My friend and I decided to call it a night, gathered up our goodies, which included three plants and too many handouts to count, and headed home. The festival was very fun and we got to meet a lot of really interesting people. Where you there? What did you think of it?

If you missed it, you can see some pictures of the event by looking at my Flickr photostream and viewing the set called "ECOS 1st Annual Fall Festival."