HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, STRONG ECONOMY, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES
Areas hard-hit by the U.S. automakers' slump are pitching themselves to
green technology firms. Workers and machines that used to crank out
cars are now making parts for solar and wind power plants.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rustbelt-greenbelt23-2009nov23,0,3232106.story
According to “Oceans Under the Gun”, a new report written by
Environment America and the Sierra Club, California’s clean beaches and
oceans support a vibrant coastal tourism and fishing economy that
generates $55 billion per year in California, verses the $22 billion
that the federal government estimates California has in oil and gas.
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/oceans-under-the-gun#WjVe5aGgPRlxJDotJO8Z4g
After months of negotiations and meetings, a network of marine
protected areas - or underwater state parks - have been decided for
southern California’s coast. These areas are designed to limit
fishing, in order to allow for diminishing fish stocks to rebuild.
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/new-protections-for-southern-coast-decided#Wch3BsPMjetr7ke5unlndA
No one uses more water in San Diego than the city government itself,
which consumes more than 3 billion gallons annually. And in the last
two years, no single user has cut consumption more than the city, which
trimmed its use by 293 million gallons annually -- enough water to
supply 1,800 homes for a year.
A look at the top 10 users in San
Diego, though, shows mixed results. Since the call for conservation
began in 2007, four of the largest users have consumed more.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/11/20/environment/833water111909.prt
California's biggest statewide problem is -- and always has been -- how to share water. But it's really a local issue.
Years ago, pundits and pols began redrawing the California political map with an east-west divide, erasing the historic north-south split. Now they can partition it north-south again, at least in mapping the reignited water war.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap16-2009nov16,0,2900641.column
There are taller buildings in Tijuana. And far more colorful ones. But in a corner of the city’s Rio Zone, the developers of a 14-story office building are striving for a different kind of distinction: becoming the first certified “green” structure in northwest Mexico.
Via Corporativo, a high-end corporate office building made of steel and concrete, has skylights, open-air bridges, a vast central “air-and-light” chamber, and an aluminum skin that filters out ultraviolet rays. The aim is to minimize the building’s environmental impact and meet stringent certification standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/16/builders-set-a-pioneering-green-goal/
The staff of the California Energy Commission is recommending licensing a new 540-megawatt power plant on the Carlsbad coast, over the objections of city officials, who don’t want more heavy industry marring the beachfront.
The staff concluded that the proposed plant complies with all the city’s regulations and standards, and that it would control pollution in its stacks.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/13/new-power-plant-recommended/
Southern California's first major seawater desalination plant moved
forward Tuesday when it won public subsidies that could eventually
amount to $350 million.
Years in the planning, the private San
Diego County venture would be capable of producing enough water to
supply about 100,000 homes.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-desalination11-2009nov11,0,1148730.story
More telecommuting, more traffic circles and more mass-transit options will help the county reduce emissions of climate-warming gases, according to a new report from the University of San Diego School of Law that recommends solutions large and small for policymakers.
In a companion study, the researchers also said retrofitting buildings to improve energy efficiency and installing more solar panels are important ways to curb the region’s contribution to global warming.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/05/suggestions-offered-reduce-emissions/
The Legislature yesterday passed a sweeping package of policies and a massive bond measure that together represent the most significant breakthrough on water management in nearly 50 years.
But amid celebration in the Capitol, there was broad recognition that steep challenges loom before California can recover from years of paralysis over how to improve water supply, distribution and conservation.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/05/hard-won-water-deal-still-faces-hurdles/