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Sustainability Blog

Our blog focuses on innovation and real stories of businesses, community organizations, local governments and devoted citizens doing their part to enhance San Diego’s quality of life. We also highlight new research and emerging sustainability trends from around the globe, and engage you in the issues of the day.   

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Factoid Friday: San Diego Outranks LA County in Vehicle Miles Per Capita Posted February 3, 2012

Our 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard findings show that San Diego County outranks not only the California state average, but also San Francisco, Orange County, and even LA County when it comes to VMT per capita per day.

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Press Release: New Equinox Center Quality of Life Dashboard Shines Spotlight on 2012 Election Blind Spots Posted January 24, 2012

Regional Report Card Reveals Soaring Cost of Living, Traffic and Waste as Key Priority Areas

2012 Quality of Life DashboardJanuary 24, 2011 (San Diego, CA) – The third annual report card of the San Diego region’s quality of life was released today by non-partisan research group Equinox Center, revealing that current election rhetoric is out of synch with critical regional priority areas. The 2012 San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard identifies three key trends in which the region has moved in the wrong direction in the past year, threatening economic prosperity and environmental health: soaring cost of living and rising traffic and waste production.

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The Cost of Living Domino Effect: 10News Previews Our 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard Posted January 23, 2012

Be sure to watch Channel 10News tonight for a preview of another key finding from Equinox Center’s 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard to be released tomorrow.

Among key findings in the 2012 Dashboard? More than half of all San Diego households are feeling the pinch of high housing costs right now.

The percent of households who spend more than a third of their income on housing is a key indicator of our region’s housing affordability and also our overall quality of life. And that number has risen yet again in San Diego County.

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The Bottom Line: A Breath of Fresh Air, DPR Construction’s San Diego Headquarters Exemplify Green Building Posted January 18, 2012

Imagine you’ve just finished a long day of meetings in a cooped-up conference room with stale, air-conditioned air and are now stepping out into the fresh air and sunshine. Now imagine this happens in reverse: this is how you begin every day as you enter the office. Not bad for morale, eh?

This is what all 60+ employees who work in DPR Construction's net-zero energy regional headquarters in San Diego experience every day.

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10 News Takes a Sneak Peak at Our 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard Posted January 18, 2012

Encinitas resident Carris Rhodes is conducting an unusual experiment. She calls it the “Pack Your Trash Experiment,” an invitation extended to all San Diegans to join her in eschewing garbage cans and collecting all trash they produce in one week.

“I am fascinated with trash,” Rhodes says. “Where does it go? How can we reduce, reuse and recycle? Why is there so much of it!?”

Having attracted some 50 fellow “Pack Your Trash” experimenters, Rhodes’ campaign also attracted the attention of KGTV San Diego’s Channel 10 News. (Click here to watch!)

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Test Your Quality of Life IQ, Enter to Win Prizes from Patagonia, Mitch's La Jolla and More Posted January 17, 2012

Equinox Center will be unveiling our new 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard for the San Diego region next week!

Before we do, you can test your regional “quality of life IQ” and enter to win prizes from Mitch’s La Jolla, Patagonia and National Geographic. See below for prize details and...

click here to take the quiz!

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Factoid Friday: “Don’t mess with Texas!?” A Dubious Honor... Posted January 14, 2012

Factoid Friday by Equinox Center

(Oops: we’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on our 2012 Quality of Life Dashboard –- check back on January 24 to download it hot off the press! -- so Factoid Friday comes out on Saturday this week.)

Where do most industry-produced greenhouse gas emissions in America come from? New data released by the EPA shows that power plants are responsible for 72.3 percent of reported emissions.

And who has the highest total emissions from power plants and refineries? Don’t mess with Texas, indeed! 294 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are spewed into the atmosphere each year through Texas’ power plants and refineries alone.

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There's Still Time to Voice Your Choice for San Diego's Future Posted January 11, 2012

Our Greater San Diego Vision

If you haven't voiced your choice yet, it's not too late! Here's our earlier blog posting about what it's all about:

By now many of you have heard about “Our Greater San Diego Vision,” an unprecedented effort to engage tens of thousands of San Diegans to create a 50- to 100-year vision for our future.

We just went through the process of “voicing our choice” at http://ourgreatersandiegovision.org/equinox. Here’s how it works . . .

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Factoid Friday: San Diego's "Foreign" Water Dependency Posted January 6, 2012

Factoid Friday by Equinox Center

More than 80 percent of the San Diego region's water supply is imported. Some studies estimate that up to 10 percent of that is wasted in transmission due to leaky pipes and aging infrastructure.

What can you do about it? Support efforts to expand our local water supply.

 

More than 80 percent of the San Diego region's water supply is imported. Some studies estimate that up to 10 percent of that is wasted in transmission due to leaky pipes and aging infrastructure.

What can you do about it? Support efforts to expand our local water supply.

 


Source: Equinox Center, 2011 San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard

Click here to have Factoid Friday delivered directly to your email inbox each week.

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Equinox Profiles: Ashley Phillips, Volunteer Posted January 3, 2012

Equinox Center has always been powered foremost by the incredible network of people behind it. Through this ongoing series, we introduce you to some of the thousands of individuals who make up the Equinox network.

"I want to help them change San Diego for the better so that generations to come can enjoy the city we love."

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