More residential waste is created during the holiday season than any other time of the year, so the cities and counties in the Sacramento area are encouraging residents to recycle as much as possible. Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period, the California Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling (CalRecycle) reports. This extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons, per week nationwide. With this in mind, local governments are urging residents to reduce, reuse, and recycle during this holiday season. "The amount of garbage sent to the landfill increases dramatically during the holiday season," sa

It may sound cliche, but I love America. Not for what she is, or the thing she’s done, but for what she represents: the idea that we are born free, that every citizen is free to pursue their own path to happiness, and that in this land one is free to speak their mind, whether or not that opinion is popular. America is more than the earth between its borders. It is hope. Hope that shines like a beacon into the darkest corners of this world, calling to those who want more for their destiny than their homelands can give them. The best and the most determined to succeed from all over the planet come here to learn, to raise their children, and to hope for a better future. When the brave are c

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 vo

The Problem with Food Waste       Lift the lid to your garbage can, ugh! It stinks. The scraps from Monday’s dinner are the culprit. By the end of the week, when it is time to take the can out to the curb, the stench can be difficult to bear.       Once that trash gets picked up, the smell is no longer your problem; it is gone, far, far away to stink somewhere else. That stinky food waste goes with the rest of your trash to a smelly transfer station and then a stinkier landfill. Statewide, food waste accounts for more than 15 percent of what is sent to landfill, according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s (CIWMB) 2008 Waste Characterization Study.       Sacramento resi

Sometimes when things happen gradually it’s easier for us not to take notice. Take for example the new Target Store under construction at 65th and Broadway: A large chain-link security fence surrounds the perimeter of the work site, and a few enterprising folks have decided said fence would make for a good billboard.  One after another signs were erected, tied to this fence.  At first I hardly noticed.  Illegal signs are all over the Sacramento Region, promising everything from Weight Loss Patches to Lower Mortgages to Baseball Signups, etc.   Why should my neighborhood  be any different?  I guess it’s just harder for me to let things go. Everyday I have a 10 mile each-way commute, throug

We at the Sacramento Press have already spent several hundred words poking and prodding you readers to imbibe in the blood-soaked, cleavage-filled, heavy-metal hilarity that is the Trash Film Orgy. Now, we have escalated to drastic measures and must insist that you attend the last TFO screening of the season Saturday at the Crest Theatre -- at the stroke of midnight. If you have ever yelled at your television, scoffed at overacting, jeered at cornball love scenes, marveled at excessive violence and explosions or shrieked with laughter at super low-budget special effects, the TFO is for you. For the last nine summers, TFO has shared its impressive collection of exploitation, grindhouse and

The ninth annual TRASH FILM ORGY series is halfway done, with three weeks remaining in this year's blood-soaked rock & roll monster extravaganza! If you haven't had a chance to visit this year's TFO, you already missed FLASH GORDON, SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS and CHOPPING MALL...but it's not over yet! This week's offering is the original theatrical version of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER! If you haven't been to the Trash Film Orgy before, it is more than just a movie--it is a whole experience! The "Trash Action Sideshow" features fun activities in the lobby, the "Retro-Trash Lounge" features entertaining artifacts from RETROCRUSH.COM, and pre-show and intermission on-stage performances and contests

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 wou