On a weekend when everyone was giving special thought to Mom, Moms were in turn making themselves heard at a protest over the proposed moth spraying in the Bay Area.
Mothers led a protest in Corte Madera, shouting "protect our kids" in an effort to halt aerial spraying to eradicate the "Light Brown Apple Moth." Read more here.
CCN reported back in March that a group of Bay Area cities were coordinating a lawsuit to halt areial spraying aimed at eradicating the light brown apple moth, also known as "LBAM" )or Epiphyas postvittana for you entomologists).
The city of Pacifica has now joined in the chorus after its council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the use of pheromones to disrupt the mating patterns of the moth -- unless of course its determined the spraying is safe for humans. It's not all about saving the moths, evidently. Read more in the Merc.
The state Senate voted 24-12 Tuesday to approve Senate Bill 1431 (Wiggins) that would enable the California Department of Parks and Recreation to expand the use of conservation easements to protect state parklands. According to the Eureka Reporter, the bill would also enable the Dept. of Parks and Rec to "make grants to a state or local government agency, or a non-profit, to purchase and hold a conservation easement with funds that have been appropriated to the department for land acquisitions."
Get more here.
California City News Contributor On Environmental Issues Bryan Colbert from Siemens Building Technologies attended the Green California Summit and pens this exclusive review of the conference. Bryan Colbert can be reached at Bryan.Colbert@siemens.com or for more information visit the Siemens website.
Green California Summit 2008 was a resounding success. Attendance was more than double that of the 2007 Summit, with many attendees from the commercial sector as well as from state, county and municipal government. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi both toured the exhibit hall, meeting exhibitors and learning about the latest products and services that can help California reach its green goals.
States throughout the country are following California’s lead in implementing controls on environmental contamination and innovative incentives for green building, energy efficiency and recycling. Guided by an advisory board composed of senior state officials, the Summit was designed to forward state and local programs to build clean and sustainable communities.
Continue reading "Green California Summit Conference Reviews Are In" »
The LA Times has a nice rundown of the emerging competition between the cities of LA and San Francisco over who is the "greenest of them all." According to the Times: "Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a plan to slash his city's planet-warming greenhouse gases to 35% below the 1990 level by 2030, and make L.A. the "cleanest and greenest city in the country." San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has a blueprint to cut his city's greenhouse gases to 20% below the 1990 level by 2012, creating "the greenest large city in the United States of America."
So who's plan cuts your carbon the most? Read on...
Leave it to the innovative Aussies - There is revolution going on in waste management, which Big Brother would be proud of.
Tucked away under the rim of wheelie bins found in two Sydney councils are small radio frequency tracking devices collecting information on a household's waste habits.
CCN is wondering when you will be held accountable for not recycling that aluminum can...or better yet, the ensuing scandal of a plastic water bottle appearing in the Mayors waste bin the night after she voted to outlaw them at city council.
One of the city issues CCN has followed closely has been the emergence of local governments either assessing fees on or outright banning plastic bags in their community. Dozens of cities have worked to limit in some way the use of plastic products (namely water bottles and shopping bags). Following that lead, Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles) has introduced legislation assessing a 25 cent per plastic bag fee.
AB 2829, authored by Assemblyman Mike Davis, D-Los Angeles, would mark the most aggressive action by any state to curb the use of plastic bags and limit their impact on the ocean, wildlife and environment.
"This statewide fee would be the toughest statewide policy we've seen to date," said Kirsten James, water quality director at Heal the Bay.
"We've seen a lot of momentum on plastic bags. Communities are starting to realize it is a big problem. Economically, cities are spending millions of dollars to clean up litter such as plastic bags."
The bill would amend a state law, AB 2449, that currently forbids cities and counties from imposing fees for carryout bags.
The money raised by the fee would be used by local governments for litter prevention and reduction efforts. Full story here.
Water rationing continues in cities throughout the country. A small town in Central Florida is considering forcing a 100-gallon-per-person daily limit on water for its residents.
Some residents in Oakland, which is located south of Apopka, are outraged over the proposed limit on water and said the rapid growth in the area must stop until there is no longer a shortage.
CCN suggests water will become the next "growth-no growth" issue - following housing and traffic concerns. Take a look at Florida and take a peek at things to come.
Clean Tech Open, an organization dedicated to helping ideas that will drive the new green economy, has announced the launch of its third annual Clean Tech Open. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed will particpate in the launch of this year's event, slated for Wednesday, April 9th. A proven catalyst for promoting and fostering early-stage companies innovating in the clean technology arena, Clean Tech Open brings together a unique and powerful community of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, business leaders, government officials and others to drive economic growth and ensure environmental sustainability.
Visit www.cleantechopen.com for more information.
Berkeley may be joining several other NorCal cities in suing the state over aerial pesticide spraying. UC Berkeley's Daily Cal reported this week that the Berkeley council voted to give the city attorney authority to join with cities including Richmond, Albany, El Cerrito, Oakland and San Francisco in coordinating a lawsuit to halt spraying aimed at eradicating the light brown apple moth, also known as LBAM (seriously) or Epiphyas postvittana for you entomologists.
