Will alternative energy ever become as popular as alternative music was in the 90s? Talking with Arnie Jensen, who co-owns an auto   repair shop called El Camino Smog and Repair, I get a sense that alternative energy shifts in the automotive world are already  happening, whether they are being noticed or not. In a SacTV.com video Arnie gives his views about the direction green cars are alreadymoving and where they are headed in the future.      Arnie compares different types of engines from steam to hydrogen to magnetic. He also explains  the concept of an emissions-free engine. It shows how far alternative culture has come since Nirvana blasted onto the scene in 1991, ushering in an era

Sunflower Farmers Market opened a long-awaited new grocery store in the Land Park neighborhood on Wednesday morning. Over 400 people waited at the entrance for the 7:00 AM ribbon cutting ceremony. The first 200 customers in line received a canvas grocery bag filled with food products. Steve Black, Vice President of Operations for Sunflower Markets, said the earliest customer had arrived at 3:15 AM. Several customers in the line were still wrapped in blankets. Sunflower Markets is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has 37 stores in eight states. The Land Park store is their third store in California and the company is in the process of opening several more in the state this year. The n

EXPERIENCE A DAY ON THE FARM! Learn, Eat & Celebrate! Sunday, May 20, 2012 A Day on the Farm, Sunday, May 20, 2012, at Soil Born Farms’ American River Ranch is an enjoyable day on the only organic farm in the area, plus an educational opportunity for the entire family. Sponsored by the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, the 40-acre farm serves as a living educational resource, with emphasis on food, nutrition, ecological farming and sustainable living. The day includes a wide variety of farm life-oriented, engaging events and hands-on activities tailored for both youth and adults. The Sacramento National Food Co-op sponsored event charming landscape, and activities that focus on good health

Indie music is commonly thought of as edgy hard rock off-limits to the mainstream. That's the exact stereotype that has kept its culture under the radar for so long. it's perfectly hip to go along with that notion if that's what your small circle of friends are telling you and you happen to like music that is built on aggressive electric energy. The problem is, most people don't really like hard rock. Let me say that again. Most people do not like hard rock, even though some of the top selling bands of the past two decades fit that category. But as album sales have diminished over that same timeline, the overall indie scene has grown, but not because of punk or anything hardcore. The top

Watching Maggie Coulter in action at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op becomes a study in the use of propaganda, and a challenge to those of us committed to the idea that reasonable people can work out their differences. The challenge, one soon learns, is that Maggie’s BDS ensemble is simply not available for a reasoned search for agreement. Instead, dialogue is a mere platform for additional misinformation and historical distortion, offered loudly and dramatically, in search of their audience. While it may be tempting to ignore this behavior and hope it goes away, when the lies and distortions get big enough, it is necessary to speak out and help people figure out what’s going on. So, fo

French chef Daniel Pont has passed his tiny La Bonne Soupe Café on to a couple who bring the same passion for French cookery. Chef Ed Stoddard and his fiancée, Leah Brown, are not related to 72-year-old Pont, who sold them the downtown soup and sandwich shop he created and operated on his own for six years. Nor are they French. Starting Monday, the Midtown couple will continue to offer the same gastronomic experience, following in Pont's footsteps as closely as they can. Stoddard describes the food as good, honest French cooking and the place itself as a French cookery. "A cookery is a place where you don't just go to eat food. You go there to meet people and learn about food," he said.

In a small family acreage in nearby Capay Valley, farmers Annie and Jeff Main have worked their land for more than 30 years so they may provide diverse, organic produce to the local community. But the threat of increasing costs, commercial development and their approaching retirement motivated the Mains to take action and collaborate with the community to preserve their farm, Good Hummus Produce.  Starting about 10 years ago, the Mains have devoted themselves to not only preserving their own land, but making all family-operated farmland accessible and affordable for future generations. Realizing the challenge that the community faces as the owners of local organic farms reach retirement

If you are looking for a healthy alternative, try The Green Boheme, a raw cafe located on Del Paso Boulevard. Just look for the lime green umbrella located on the streetside patio. Chef and owner Brooke Preston took over Richard Hensley’s restaurant after he moved on to new things, and changed it to The Green Boheme five months ago. The raw cafe offers organic, artisan vegan cuisine that has zero gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and pesticides. It is the only completely raw restaurant in the area. The menu changes often, sometimes daily and sometimes weekly. Some components take up to three days to make, and since each dish takes several days to prepare, once it runs out it comes off the me

 The availability of locally grown and organic fruits, vegetables and other food preparation items seems like it is exploding in the Sacramento region. An excellent way to learn how to prepare new and interesting meals with this abundance is to attend a cooking class at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op’s Community Learning Center and Cooking School. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op has long been an advocate foreducation about local, organic and sustainable food production, so it is not surprising that the staff wants to help you use what the co-op and other supply. The Community Learning Center and Cooking School is in a small storefront on Alhambra Boulevard next to the main store.

Slicing off the side of a 28-pound halibut is just another day at the office for Danny Johnson, co-owner and butcher at Taylor's Market in Land Park. It’s a skill he was happy to share with a dozen Sacramentans on Saturday for one of several Butchering 101 workshops his store has held since January. The class members bombarded Johnson with their seafood, poultry and butchering questions. He didn't let them down. "Everything I tell you, it's how it works (at Taylor's)," Johnson told the class. They started with poultry. Johnson explained where dark spots on chickens and turkeys come from, the current controversies with organic labeling, and good handling and knifing technique. He showe

More than 4,000 people gathered Sunday at Soil Born Farms' 40-acre American River Ranch for the second annual "Day on the Farm." The family-oriented festival celebrates farming and gardening and emphasizes the importance of eating locally grown food. Along with tours, classes, music and a farmers market, 35 community organizations passed out information on healthy living and being conscious of the environment. The day began with the "Veggie Chase," a 5K run in which children chased runners dressed as giant vegetables. Other physical-fitness possibilities included rock climbing, yoga, martial arts and an obstacle course. There were offerings for the mind as well as the body, with classes

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 poss

The organic purist, eco-conscious, thigh-conscious and dietary trendy may rejoice that Rick's Dessert Diner on K Street has a new neighbor with a new selection of baked treats. Sugar Plum Vegan, a vegan and wholesale bakery that offers fair-trade coffee and organic ingredients, has opened its doors for service. The cozy spot, situated below what was True Love Coffeehouse, has just enough capacity to hold five small tables and a very friendly staff, unfazed by transition issues with the ATM and continuous stream of customers placing to-go orders. "We want those that are hard core vegans as well as those who are just curious to feel comfortable here" said Owner and Chef, Melissa Sugar. T

Come join us in celebrating 22 years of the Hoes Down Harvest Celebration in the Capay Valley (Yolo County).  This celebration will promote agricultural arts and sustainable rural living through two fun-filled days of workshops and events.  Located within two hours of San Francisco and Sacramento’s busy metropolitan areas, the rural Capay Valley region is home to many small farms that supply Northern California’s families, restaurants, and neighborhood grocery stores with fresh organic produce.  The Celebration will offer the public a special chance to enjoy rural life and deepen their understanding and connection to the local food system. On Saturday, October 3rd, the Harvest Festival at

In a celebration of Urban Agriculture Day, Slow Food Sacramento hosted a series of workshops and tours throughout the day Saturday to benefit Sacramento Hunger Coalition and Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition (SACGC). For $25, ticket holders were able to choose from an itinerary of workshops, tours and movie screenings after either touring Soil Born Farm or cycling around town on the "What's 'Growing' On" Bike Tour. The morning cycling tour led roughly 25 cyclists on a 10-mile guided trek around local community gardens, starting at Southside Community Garden and making stops at McClatchy Park Farm Stand, David Lubin School Garden and the Sacramento Food Bank's garden along with

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 thei

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 Sustainabil

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