I love Top 10 Lists

Communications theory says we can only deal with about 7 ideas at a time. But 10 is such a nice round number! David Letterman's late night talk show delivers the comical side of this human need to organize and prioritize...we'll look at some more life sustaining thought processes:

California's Top Ten Issues in Science and Technology
1. Stem Cell Research
2. Energy Supply
3. Science and Math Teaching
4. Technological Innovation
5. Security
6. Data Integration
7. Identification Technologies
8. Electronic Voting
9. Traffic Congestion
10. Intellectual Property from State-Funded Research

NCSL's Top Ten Legislative Issues Forecast For 2006
1. Planning for Emergencies
2. Closing the Energy Gap
3. Tax and Spending Limits
4. Defining "Public Use" (as in eminent domain)
5. Funding Education
6. Examining Immigrant Rights
7. GPS for Sex Offenders
8. Dealing with Real ID
9. Contemplating Stem Cell Research
10. It's a Campaign Year

What does "Green-e" mean?

Green-e


The Green-e Consumer Product Labeling Program opens up a new communication channel for company promotion of renewable energy purchasing through package labeling and brings renewable energy to the attention of millions of diverse consumers.

This is a program of the Center for Resource Solutions in San Francisco, CA.

Claims such as "Made with Certified Renewable Energy" and "We Buy Certified Renewable Energy" may now appear on consumer products, accompanied by the Green-e logo and website.

The Green-e Consumer Product Labeling Program advances renewable electricity use and builds demand for new generation, by getting in front of millions of Americans through the consumer products they purchase and use every day.

Million Solar Roofs Initiative for California

California Solar Initiative Update: SB 1 Passes California Assembly With Strong Support

Last week, California took one step closer to locking in the California Solar Initiative (aka the 'Million Solar Roofs Initiative'), the nation's largest, comprehensive and long-term solar program when the California Assembly passed SB 1 late last Friday.

SB 1 provides a long-term commitment and over $3.35 billion in funding to leverage private investment to deploy 3,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power systems on residential, commercial and government buildings throughout the state.SB 1 will now return to the Senate Energy Committee for concurrence of the Assembly amendments when the legislature returns from recess.

SOURCE: Renewable Energy Access

Shop for Recycled Recycled Products

The Recycle Store is a showcase of innovative recycled-content products and the directory puts you in direct touch with their manufacturers.

Whether you are a wholesale buyer or an individual consumer, use this catalog to discover a variety of quality recycled-content products designed with your needs in mind! In fact, some manufacturers can personalize their products to your specifications.

A few examples:

Picture frames
Trash bins
Tote bags
Polo Shirts
Flip Flopps
Hydroponic Gardens
Bird House
(a really cool...) Folding Barrel Stave Chair
Garden Design Magazine ... how promotional ;-)
Pampered Pet Bag

...and more in Apparel, Building Materials, Children's products, Containers, Furniture, Gardening, Gifts, Household, Industrial, Jewelry, Office, Pets, Promotional, and Sports.

Enjoy shopping online -- it's a mind bending experience!

CalMAX - recycle business materials & equipment

CalMAX ... a free service designed to help businesses find markets for nonhazardous materials they have traditionally discarded. CalMAX helps businesses, industries, and institutions save resources and money.

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/CalMAX/

One business' trash is another business' treasure". Business, schools, and nonprofits can utilize CalMAX to search for available and wanted materials.

And the Recycled-Content Product Directory by the State of California is also helpful:

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP/Search.asp

Recycling has become so much easier -- especially when you have to pay to dump waste products and even computers!

Recycling is gaining momentum

The number of plastics recycling businesses has nearly tripled over the past several years, with more than 1,700 businesses handling and reclaiming post-consumer plastics.

If you'd like to find some recycled products...check out this directory:

Recycled Plastic Products Directory

The American Plastics Council and the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC) of Canada are pleased to present this Recycled Plastic Products Directory to help private and public sector buyers identify products made with or packaged in recycled plastic. The information presented is current as of March 2000. You can search for recycled products in the U.S. and Canada based upon four different directories.

Recycled Plastic Lumber for Railroad Ties

This story isn't directly about California, but since we have railroad tracks...I thought it is good info.

From PlasticsResource.com:

Plastic Railroad Ties

For example, the railroad industry replaces approximately 14 million wooden ties a year out of the nearly 700 million ties used annually and this number is growing. It is estimated that replacement and installation of new wooden ties, which only last an average of seven years and as little as three, costs the railroad industry over a billion dollars a year. Since 1994, the Army Corps of Engineers, Rutgers University, Earth Care Products, Conrail and Norfolk Southern have been working on a project using recycled-content plastic railroad ties as an alternative to traditional wood ties. The railroad ties market is huge since each tie requires 200 pounds of plastic -- equaling 1,200 bottles! At Conrail's Altoona, PA train yard ten 100-percent recycled ties were intermingled with wood ties in October 1995. The plastic ties' performance so impressed the company that in 1996, they installed six more plastic railroad ties on the main line between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Additionally, the Association of American Railroad's Transportation Technology Center located in Pueblo, Colo. tests trains almost 24 hours a day and now has 25 plastic railroad ties in place along the toughest part of the training loop with no signs of deterioration.

Internationally, the use of plastic lumber for railroad ties is not a new concept. Japan, for instance, uses composite ties made from virgin materials -- foamed polyurethane with a continuous glass reinforcement, which help the trains run quieter. The appeal for recycled-content plastic railroad ties is due to the fact that wooden railroad ties - like decks - need regular maintenance and eventually need replacing.

....isn't that fantastic! What a huge application for recycled plastic. Think I'll go throw a few more bottles into the recycle bin! :-)

Oops -- Is California Losing Our Edge in Wind Power?

August 02, 2006

Texas is now the nation's largest producer of wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). AWEA's Second Quarter Market Report, released on July 25th, finds that the Lone Star State now hosts 2,370 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity, besting the nation's historic wind power leader, California, by 47 MW. According to AWEA, California has led the nation in wind power capacity since 1981, when the first commercial wind projects were built there.

At one time, more than 80 percent of the world's wind power capacity was located in California. Since then, the world and the rest of the United States have caught up to the Golden State.

AWEA says a total of 822 MW of wind power have been installed thus far in 2006, including wind projects in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas.

California is a leader...that we know. This is a legacy we can be proud of. But what's next on our agenda of cultural leadership?

Renewable Energy Projects in California

Today we seem to be focusing on alternative energy. Energy topics really excite me because our use of electric lights, and the miles we drive are DIRECT conservation options for you and me! Every saved kilowatt and mile makes a difference.

A number of recent actions by California regulators, transmission system operators, and utilities are effectively rolling out the red carpet for renewable energy projects.

California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) assured utilities that they can recover their investments in new transmission lines to access known renewable energy resources. The CPUC noted that the Tehachapi area in Southern California could produce more than 4,000 megawatts of wind power, but new transmission lines to access that resource could cost as much as $1 billion. The CPUC decision gives utilities confidence in pursuing such projects, since they can recover their costs in customer rates.

Meanwhile, the California Independent System Operator (ISO), which manages the flow of power on the state's power grid, has established a four-point program to assure that the grid can accommodate new renewable power plants.

Southern California Edison (SCE) announced in May that it has reached an agreement with its four largest renewable energy suppliers to establish a fixed price through 2012 for its purchases of small hydropower and wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal power. The agreement establishes a price of 6.15 cents per kilowatt-hour, increasing by 1 percent per year, and eliminates any tie to natural gas prices, which had previously caused prices to vary widely. The agreement was reached with Caithness Energy, LLC, which owns wind and geothermal plants; Colmac Energy Inc., which owns a 47-megawatt biomass power plant on the Cabazon Indian Reservation near Mecca; Ormat Technologies, Inc., which owns three geothermal plants in the Imperial Valley; and FPL Energy, which owns wind and solar thermal power plants. In June, six subsidiaries of CE Generation, LLC, all of which own geothermal plants, also signed onto the deal.

Why is this important to consumers? We can buy alternative power credits and help foster a growing share of energy from these renewable resources. It does cost a bit more than traditional energy -- but think of it as an investment in lower doctor bills from air pollutant problems like respiratory problems, asthma and smog!

We'll be including those alternative power credit resources in our SoCalNature.org database!

Geothermal power in California

A renaissance in geothermal power production is underway, as new geothermal power plants are proposed or under construction in both new and old locations.

PG&E has also signed a contract for geothermal power in southern California. Iceland America Energy (IAE) plans to build a 50-MW plant near the Salton Sea in California's Imperial Valley. Meanwhile, a Canadian company plans to bring geothermal development back to California's oldest geothermal site, The Geysers in northern California.

SoCalNature Launches First "Solution" Articles

Progress! A growing library of sustainable "solution" articles are being added to the Southern California Nature Network website.

These overviews of sustainable topics include such titles as:

Trains in Southern California - Alternatives for Consumers and Goods

Why support sustainable food systems?

Sustainable Food Sources

Urban gardening and agriculture helps children

Buy local to support local economy and food quality

Sustainable Clothing, fabrics, style and resuability

Organic Pet and Animal Food

Alternative Energy Overvies

AIR, WATER and LAND Sustainability for Quality of Life in SoCal

Most articles contain "QUICK LINKS" to Southern California resources and information websites. These will get you started while we build the comprehensive database of Southern California providers.

IF YOU KNOW SOME GOOD FOLKS offering sustainable goods, services and education...please add a "COMMENT" to ANY of these BLOG MESSAGES with come contact information. And if you offer sustainable services in Southern California, please give us your information for the database.

We're here to connect people and sustainable resources of all types!

Hybrid School Buses for California

School buses are a significant transportation segment, and their fuel emissions are of major concern for children's exposure to pollutants that affect asthma, among other problems. By converting to alternative energies, our children both on the buses and living in the areas will benefit from cleaner air. Here is one example of alternative energy applications for school buses.

Hybrid technologies are finding their way into large, heavy-duty vehicles, including school buses. IC Corporation, North America's largest school bus manufacturer. The buses combine a V8 diesel engine with an 80-kilowatt Hybrid Drive System developed by Enova Systems, Inc. The system is based on a parallel architecture, allowing it to use both diesel and electric power in a highly efficient manner. IC Corporation claims that the buses will achieve up to a 40 percent increase in fuel efficiency. The company is a subsidiary of International Truck and Engine Corporation, which is also developing hybrid utility and delivery trucks.

The hybrid bus development was in response to a request for proposals from Advanced Energy, a non-profit dedicated to pursuing innovative and market-based approaches to energy issues.

For its hybrid electric bus project, Advanced Energy created a Buyer's Consortium that includes school districts, state energy agencies, and student transportation providers. The project was supported through an $840,000 grant from the State Technologies Advancement Collaborative (STAC), a five-year pilot program funded by DOE.

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If you'd like more California news about energy efficiency and renewable energy, check out www.eere.energy.gov

California establishes 29 marine protected areas

MONTEREY August 2006 -- The California Fish and Game Commission banned or severely restricted fishing across nearly 18% of the waters off Central California, beginning to roll out the nation's first network of marine reserves next to a heavily populated coastline.

The commissioners settled on a network of 29 marine protected areas, stretching from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz counties, that collectively cover about 200 square miles of state waters. About half are reserves that forbid any fishing; the other protected areas ban commercial fishing or impose other restrictions. Some of the areas are off Point Sur along the Big Sur coast, Ano Nuevo in northern Santa Cruz County, Piedras Blancas near San Simeon and Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc.

This set of reserves, more than six years in the making, is expected to be a model as additional reserves are created along the entire California coast to help depleted fish populations rebound.

Southern California waters, from Point Conception in western Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border, will be the next battleground in this innovative approach to ocean management.

Marine reserves represent the most restrictive effort to revive plummeting fish stocks, some of which, experts say, have fallen by as much as 95% in recent decades. Regulations that limit the number of various types of fish that can be caught have failed to stave off the decline marine scientists fear could lead to a collapse of marine life. The reserves, by making all fishing off-limits, are designed to protect every marine creature in them -- from the biggest bass to the smallest snail -- and their oceanic habitat.

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This resource will help reestablish fish populations and hopefully, reduce pollutants in these areas as well. Pollution from sunken boats, runoff from the surrounding urban areas, as well as agricultural runoff have severely impacted marine wildlife populations. Nature can begin to heal herself when given the chance.

Natural Rivers save Money as well as Natural Resources - Santa Monica Bay & Los Angeles River Project

The L.A. County Public Works Department study released August 6, 2006 analyzes three scenarios for cleaning up the County's polluted runoff that now fouls Santa Monica Bay, and beaches.

The results show great advantages of natural river restoration. This scenario is the least expensive and
has the most benefits.

Scenario three is strictly river restoration with treatment wetlands and parks along the rivers.

Scenario one is similar to the plan L.A. City has been pushing as part of their TMDL and integrated resources plan with numerous mechanized runoff treatment plants and cisterns throughout the city and minimal land purchases.

Scenario two is a hybrid of #1 and river restoration concepts with large basins and treatment wetlands scattered throughout the county, but not along the major waterways, and would require a lot of land acquisition.

Scenario 1 costs $47 billion and has $7.5 billion in benefits; scenario 2 costs $53 billion and has $8.1 billion in benefits.

Scenario 3, river restoration costs $27 billion and has $12.5 billion in benefits. River restoration and natural treatment of urban runoff is not only the best plan, it's also least expensive.

SOURCE: Restore Ballona blog

Solar Powered Car Wash in Southern California

Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys will clean SoCal autos using solar power. The owners get a 42% rebate from Southern California Gas Company on the $677,00 cost of installation, and will save in the long run with the photovoltaic supplementation to their grid power.

CONTACT:
7530 Van Nuys Blvd,
Van Nuys, CA 91405
818 997-7600

WorldWater & Power Corp., developer of high-powered solar energy systems was the power behind the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system that was field-engineered, custom-designed system which was integrated into the existing facility without interrupting Valley's on-going operations.

WorldWater has completed several other commercial and residential installations in Idyllwild Water District (CA. The Company has many other projects in pre-engineering or under construction, including: Farm ACW (CA); L.A. Baking (CA); West Pico Foods (CA); CIT Fresno (Center for Irrigation Technology under the auspices of California State University - Fresno) (CA); and an architectural model mansion in Rancho Santa Fe (CA).

The one-thousand acre Farm ACW avocado ranch project in Fallbrook, California is expected to be the largest farming operation in the world to be powered by solar electricity. The one-MegaWatt project is scheduled for completion in the 4th Quarter or early in 2007.

Promoting Southern California Blogs

Do you publish a blog about Southern California quality of life? Especially about nature, sustainability or green lifestyles? I'd like to add your blog to my favorites list. Just add a COMMENT to this message with your URL and I'll check it out.

You're welcome to add this blog about sustainable resources to your blog as well -- in fact, I'd be mighty pleased if you did! :-)

Technorati Profile

SoCal Audubon Chapters - for birds and people!

Audubon is a leader in fostering understanding of nature
through conservation, research and environmental education programs for children and adults. This is accomplished with classes, publications, and volunteer opportunities.

With chapters across the country, Audubon is able to sponsor significant "citizen science" projects that protect habitat, monitor populations of birds, and educate the public about local and regional wildlife and habitat issues.

Southern California is blessed with an abundance of chapters who are very active in monitoring habitat and wildlife status and educating our SoCal population. And the comraderie is just fine, too!

You can sign up for their email newsletters to educate yourself about area resources, and then visit your nearby chapter ... you'll find interesting information and lots of stories! As well as nature walks, hikes and projects that make a difference.

Here is a list of SoCal Audubon chapters on BackyardNature.com