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Far From Gulf, a Spill Scourge 5 Decades Old: An Oil Spill Unnoticed Posted June 17, 2010

BODO, Nigeria — Big oil spills are no longer news in this vast, tropical land. The Niger Delta, where the wealth underground is out of all proportion with the poverty on the surface, has endured the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every year for 50 years by some estimates. The oil pours out nearly every week, and some swamps are long since lifeless.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?ref=science

SAVING THE WORLD FOR A ROLL OF TP : The climate bill would cost you up to $146 extra a year; what does that mean? Posted June 17, 2010

Yesterday, EPA released its long-awaited analysis of the American Power Act, Kerry and Lieberman's Senate climate bill. What most journalists and pundits have seized on is this finding: between 2010 to 2050, the legislation would cost the average American household between $79 to $146 extra a year.

By David Roberts

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-06-16-climate-bill-cost-you-up-to-146-extra-a-year-what-does-that-mean/

Oh, the Humanity: Why our reaction to the oil spill absolutely terrifies me. Posted June 17, 2010

Take your pick on what's most infuriating about the oil crisis in the Gulf. There's the growing evidence that the platform blowout that caused all that crude to erupt out of the ocean floor was entirely preventable and should never have happened in the first place. BP cut corners on safety to save money, and regulators barely seemed to care. And now no one has any real clue how to contain the spill—we just have to watch helplessly as the ever-expanding oil slick poisons fisheries and kills off marshlands and coral reefs.

http://www.tnr.com/article/environment-energy/75591/oh-the-humanity?page=0,0

San Diego Vaults into Solar Energy and Green Jobs Future Posted June 9, 2010

Two of the world’s solar energy leaders have just announced major plans to bring new solar energy technology and green jobs to San Diego. The Sanyo Electric group has embarked on a three year, $3 million partnership with the University of California, San Diego on next-generation solar energy systems and management, and in a separate development, solar cell efficiency wizard Kyocera has started up a solar module manufacturing plant in the city, aiming to produce about 30 megawatts annually.

http://cleantechnica.com/2010/06/05/san-diego-vaults-into-solar-energy-and-green-jobs-future/#more-10845

UCSD engineers, Sanyo to work on solar power Posted June 9, 2010

A new generation of solar technology could emerge in San Diego after two major local players announced a three-year, $3 million research partnership Thursday to more efficiently harness and use the sun’s power.

“We expect San Diego to be the most advanced green city in the world,” said Hiroshi Hanafusa, a top official for Sanyo Electric in Japan.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/04/ucsd-engineers-sanyo-to-work-on-solar-power/

Rezoning By Ballot and What Voters Don’t Know about San Diego Landfills Posted June 9, 2010

Almost no information is available to voters about Proposition A. The East Otay Mesa Recycling Collection Center and Landfill Ordinance, a countywide proposition on the June 8 ballot, requires a simple majority to pass. Aside from approving a new landfill, the proposal will rezone 450 acres and amend the San Diego County General Plan. Because the proposition has been buried in silence, many voters will be divining rather than reasoning when it comes time to vote on this measure.

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/jun/02/city-light-2/

State Plastic Bag Ban Gaining Support Posted June 2, 2010

California would be the first state to ban plastic and most paper bags from grocery, convenience and other stores under a proposal that appears headed for a major legislative victory this week.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/02/MN6N1DO77G.DTL&type=printable

Del Mar firm signs deal for Mexican wind farm Posted May 21, 2010

A Del Mar company said Wednesday it plans to spend up to $1 billion to build as many as 500 wind turbines on the mountains between Tijuana and Mexicali to provide power to the United States and Mexico.

Cannon Power Group said it signed a 10-year deal with Spanish wind giant Gamesa for the wind turbines, technical support and additional work on the 1,000-megawatt Aubanel Wind Project.

If built as planned beginning next year, the project will dwarf wind farms proposed for the mountains of San Diego County and will put towers as high as 25-story buildings with blades bigger than the wings of a Boeing 747 on desert ridges in a region of striking wind-carved rock formations spread over 140 square miles.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/20/del-mar-firm-signs-deal-for-mexican-wind-farm/

San Diego Explained: Recycled Sewage as a Water Source Posted May 20, 2010

Examining and explaining San Diego's study of sewage as a source to boost drinking water supplies.

Reclaiming the Streets Posted May 20, 2010

Cars promise mobility, and in a largely rural setting they provide it. But in an urbanizing world, where more than half of us live in cities, there is an inherent conflict between the automobile and the city. After a point, as their numbers multiply, automobiles provide not mobility but immobility, as well as increased air pollution and the health problems that come with it. Urban transport systems based on a combination of rail lines, bus lines, bicycle pathways, and pedestrian walkways offer the best of all possible worlds in providing mobility, low-cost transportation, and a healthy urban environment.