Jas is a giant puppy dog. He is my roommate's dog, and Antonio's biggest nuisance. He has the sweetest disposition and would never hurt a fly on purpose. He is enormous, energetic and clumsy, so accidents do happen. My roommate, Jenna, adopted Jas when he was 5 months old from the Sacramento SPCA. He had been neglected by his prior owners, and as a result was starved for attention and had some behavioral problems. A stipulation for adopting a puppy like Jas is to participate in mandatory training through the SPCA's training courses. Jas was awarded "Most Improved" in his beginners class. Jenna told me that when he first came home, Jas was very rambunctious and a bit whiny. As soon as he

Tucked away at the outskirts of Southside Park just before the freeway tangle of 80, 5 and 99, there is a little oasis: the Southside Park Community Garden. The garden is bordered by an iron fence and located on the corner of 5th and W Streets. In that garden you can find a series of plots that gardeners rent out for their own private use. Some grow flowers, many grow food, and all share in the numerous gifts of the garden. I met up with the Master Gardener, Bill Maynard, who is the Community Gardens Coordinator for the 5 community gardens in the greater Sacramento area. I arrived at the garden just as Maynard and 20 volunteers had finished working on several large planters. I peaked ar

When my roommate came home with Antonio he was just a little ball of fur about the size of a tennis ball. She had been driving down Longview Drive when she noticed that the orange center line was moving. She slowed and saw that a tiny orange kitten was walking along the paint. She threw on her hazards, jumped out and scooped him up to take home. Antonio was only about 3 weeks old, and she got him just in time. He was covered in burrs, hungry, thirsty and confused. His eyes were still that clear-blue of a newborn. We gave him water and a bath before we went out to the pet store in search of kitten milk and a dropper to feed him. We did an online search before we went to find out what the

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, wi

This past weekend at The Crest theater, the Environmental Council of Sacramento, or ECOS, hosted a special screening of an incredible film called FLOW: For Love of Water. The film was directed by Irena Salina and has won a slew of awards including Best Documentary at the United Nations Association Film Festival and was an official selection at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. One of the executive producers for the film is Stephen Nemeth, who also produced Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Why Do Fools Fall in Love and Dogtown and Z-boys among others. The film discusses the current worldwide water crisis as well as the issue of water privatization. The engaging narrative, which characterizes