Equinox center

Varner: Access to nature for personal, community health Posted March 18, 2010

The city of San Diego owns almost 40,000 acres of park land and open space including beaches, mesas, canyons, and mountains. This broad range of geography presents a wide variety of recreational opportunities that unfortunately are not accessible by all San Diegans.

Low income communities, particularly those with disproportionately large populations of people of color, suffer from lack of access to recreational opportunities. A report to be released this spring by The City Project and The San Diego Foundation will analyze this issue in depth. Until then, this blog presents some of the concepts involved and describes how San Diego Canyonlands and other organizations are working to improve our communities’ access to park land and nature.

Natural spaces provide a venue for improving human health, including both physical and mental well-being. Natural areas also provide environmental services such as storm water conveyance, air filtration that combats climate change, and vital habitat protection to resident and migratory wildlife. Parks are a source of community pride and serve as places where San Diego’s diverse cultures can be celebrated. Additionally, parks and natural areas are an important economic stimulus in San Diego by raising property values, enhancing local businesses, and creating jobs.

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-03-17/blog/a-more-perfect-union/varner-access-to-nature-for-personal-community-health#ixzz0iYtUcDtK

Sanders announces 12.6 percent drop in water usage Posted March 18, 2010

Overall water use was down 12.6 percent citywide in February compared with the same month last year, marking a big drop from January when there was a 1.5 percent spike in consumption, the mayor said Tuesday.

Mayor Jerry Sanders thanked San Diegans for heeding the call to conserve water.

“Clearly, all of the rain in February had an impact on our latest numbers,” Sanders said. “The more it rains, the less water we use for watering our lawns and other things. But we had a lot of rain in January too, and I think people sometimes need to be reminded they need to turn off their sprinkler systems.”

Commercial customers used about 9.4 percent less water in February, compared to the same month last year, and irrigation fell 35.5 percent during the same period, according to the mayor’s office.

Pooling resources to clean up Lake San Marcos Posted March 18, 2010

Noxious algae blooms and fish kills that have plagued Lake San Marcos are now a target of an unprecedented public-private collaboration to rehabilitate the body of water.

The 80-acre lake in the southwestern part of San Marcos is the only lake in the county that has documented a strain of toxin-producing blue-green algae, said Chiara Clemente, senior environmental scientist for the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the agency that is overseeing the cleanup.

The organisms tend to show up in dry weather and are sometimes so dense that they turn the lake pea-soup green.

“It’s a nasty odor. It’s something you just don’t want,” said Eli Whitney, chairman of the Lake San Marcos Community Association’s water quality committee. The association represents 2,300 homeowners.

But the foul smell isn’t the only problem. Fish are dying, and experts haven’t determined the cause.

http://www.equinoxcenter.org/articles-admin/article-add.html?pid=15

CCC allows city to continue pumping sewage into ocean Posted March 15, 2010

The California Coastal Commission has agreed to allow San Diego to continue to pump 50 billion of gallons of partly-treated sewage deep into the Pacific Ocean each year, five miles off Point Loma, a decision San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office called a victory for the city, it was reported Saturday.

Acting Friday in Santa Cruz, the Coastal Commission voted to allow San Diego to avoid any of the recommendations made by a $2 million study of wastewater recycling options, the newspaper reported Saturday.

http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-03-13/environment/ccc-allows-city-to-continue-pumping-sewage-into-ocean#ixzz0iGzsjNwL

SDG&E Gets OK to Use Renewable Energy Credits Posted March 14, 2010

After four years of often-contentious regulatory proceedings, the California Public Utilities Commission voted yesterday to allow San Diego Gas & Electric Co. and other California utilities to use tradable energy credits to meet state requirements that they obtain an increasing amount of their power from renewable energy.

California utilities need to secure 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by the end of this year and 33 percent by 2020. Using the credits could help them meet that goal without forcing them to build facilities or introduce other measures that could drive energy prices higher.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/12/sdge-gets-ok-use-renewable-credits/

EPA to allow states address rising ocean acidity Posted March 11, 2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will consider ways the states can address rising acidity levels in oceans, which pose a serious threat to shellfish and other marine life.

The agency's decision was announced in a legal settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity. The environmental group sued the EPA last year for not requiring Washington state to list its coastal waters as impaired by rising acidity under the Clean Water Act.

"It's one of the most important threats to water quality right now," said Miyoko Sakashita, a senior attorney at the group's San Francisco office. "It's affecting waters around the world, and it's particularly stark in the waters off the West Coast."

Oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere — a problem Sakashita referred to as "global warming's evil twin."

The changing chemistry of the waters affects many types of sea life, but especially anything that grows a shell or hard covering. Some scientists believe it is likely to blame for die-offs in Northwest oyster stocks over the past several years.

"Protection of the nation's water quality, including the health of our ocean waters, is among EPA's highest priorities," the agency said in a statement. "EPA is interested in learning more about how to protect our ocean and coastal waters from acidification."

Previously, states have taken steps to address rising acidity levels in lakes and streams under the Clean Water Act, but this is the first time the EPA has agreed to consider ocean acidity. The Center for Biological Diversity is petitioning each coastal state to address the issue, Sakashita.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100312/ap_on_bi_ge/us_epa_acid_oceans;_ylt=AmmCCskShfZkqteiKeNTojVpl88F;_ylu=X3oDMTJvZzcxMTk4BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzEyL3VzX2VwYV9hY2lkX29jZWFucwRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNlcGF0b2FsbG93c3Q-

Interior: Climate change threatens migratory birds Posted March 11, 2010

Global climate change poses a significant threat to migratory bird populations, which are already stressed by the loss of habitat and environmental pollution, according to a report released Thursday.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar joined scientists and conservation organizers at an Austin news conference to release the study, "The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change."

The report says oceanic birds, such as petrels and albatrosses, are at particular risk from a rapidly changing marine ecosystem and rising sea levels.

Birds in arid regions and forests show less vulnerability to climate change, but the report says many species struggling in arid regions now, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo in Texas, could be further imperiled by shifting climate conditions.

"Birds are messengers that tell us what is going on in our environment," Salazar said. "For too long, in my view, we have stood idle as the climate changes and as the crisis has grown."

A 2009 report on bird populations found nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in decline due to challenges such as the loss of wetlands, commercial hunting and pesticides.

Last year's "State of the Birds" report also mentioned climate change as a threat to birds. But the 2010 report focuses on that factor as a significant danger to their habitats and food supplies.

http://www.equinoxcenter.org/articles-admin/article-add.html?pid=15

Future Looks Bright for Solar Industry’s Commercial Sector Posted March 9, 2010

After suffering a brutal year for business in 2009, the commercial solar industry is starting to see the sunlight again. Signs of a stronger economic forecast, combined with federal, state and local solar tax credits and incentives have local solar companies beaming, especially as commercial clients turn toward the sun for their energy production needs.

“In 2009, nobody made any money in this industry,” said Marty Reed, CEO of San Diego-based Sequoia Solar. “Some of the market is starting to come back. In the fourth quarter of 2009 and at the beginning of this year we have installed half a dozen commercial projects.”

Founded in 2008, Sequoia specializes in the design, installation and maintenance of turnkey, energy grid-connected, solar photovoltaic, or PV, power systems for residential, commercial, state and federal agencies, schools and nonprofits.

On the commercial front, Reed pointed out that under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009  solar owners can apply for a grant from the Treasury Department in lieu of the former 30 percent Investment Tax Credit, which was passed in 2008. This means that a cash grant, equal to 30 percent of the cost of eligible solar projects, can be recouped by system owners. Projects must start construction in 2009 or 2010.

Now, the available state rebate and federal grants subsidize the entire cost of solar PV installations by as much as 80 percent, Reed said. The California Solar Initiative is also helping stimulate the commercial market for the solar industry, he said. The initiative calls for a goal of 1 million solar roofs, or 3,000 megawatts of solar, by 2018.

http://www.sdbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=145480

New Tactics In California To Reduce Ocean Trash Posted March 9, 2010

Environmental groups struck out last year with legislative efforts in Sacramento to reduce the sources of ocean garbage. But this year, several groups are adding a new strategy.

Environmental groups say plastic does not biodegrade and is bad for marine life and the health of the ocean.

Research shows nearly 80 percent of the plastic found in the ocean comes from activities on land.

Legislative efforts to pass bills to reduce plastic pollution at its source have been unsuccessful.

Gina Goodhill works as an Oceans Advocate for Environment California.

"In 2009, several environmental groups, including Environment California, were really working on a slew of bills on the statewide level," Goodhill said.

The failed bills included a plastic bag fee and a ban on single-use Styrofoam take-out containers.

Goodhill said the groups are not giving up on legislative efforts in Sacramento.

But she said this year they're trying a new tactic.

"We think the local level is actually the way to go," Goodhill said. "Because even though the state hasn't realized it, cities are realizing it. That plastic is pervasive in the environment, it's harming the oceans, it's harming their communities and their tourism and they need to actually start taking a stand on this issue."

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/mar/09/new-tactics-california-reduce-ocean-trash/

Methane seen as growing climate risk Posted March 4, 2010

Methane, a potent global warming gas, is bubbling out of the frozen Arctic faster than had been expected.

Methane had become trapped in the permafrost over time and a warming climate is now resulting in its release, researchers report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

"The amount of methane currently coming out of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf is comparable to the amount coming out of the entire world's oceans," said Natalia Shakhova, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center and the co-author.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/04/methane-seen-as-growing-climate-risk/