Towels, toiletries, luggage needed for foster youth United Way’s Women in Philanthropy will be holding their annual Spring collection event to aid the foster youth in the community. The group will be collecting luggage, toiletries, and towel sets which will go towards the Sacramento County Emancipation Basket program. This program provides necessities to foster children who are aging out of the foster care system. United Way is making it pretty easy to donate. Anyone who wants to can do so directly through the United Way Women in Philanthropy wish list (link). The group will also be accepting donations at the event on May 16th. The Spring collection event for the Sacramento County Eman

The Sacramento Zoo sponsored a full day of discover planet earth activities on Saturday, April 6, 2013. From learning how to protect the environment to appreciating the diversity of animals on the planet, all aspects of celebrating planet earth were offered at the zoo. Numerous presenters and exhibitors showed off commercial, government, and research products and projects that enhanced the way we understand and interact with the earth. I was able to photograph many of these displays, along with the people and children that were willing and enthusiastic participants.   Exhibitors display earth oriented products and services.       Touching and learning about tortoise and turtles.

Northwest Land Park LLC held a private demonstration and preview of one of its “net zero electric” home of the future yesterday at the corner of 3rd and V Street in Sacramento. The Northwest Land Park project is one of the first to test Sacramento’s model for infill development and lays out a plan to develop nearly 1,000 medium and high density homes in the area northwest of Land Park. To date, two homes of net-zero electric high efficiency have been completed. Northwest Land Park’s home of the future offers new efficient building material, LED lighting and a Wireless Home Control System. “Rebuilding our urban neighborhoods with sustainable compact energy efficient homes is a continuing

Northwest Land Park LLC is inviting community leaders and members of the media to a private demonstration and preview of its “net zero electric” home of the future tomorrow from 12 to 2 p.m. A public viewing event will follow that evening from 5 to 7 p.m. Northwest Land Park’s home of the future offers new efficient building material, LED lighting and a Wireless Home Control System. “Rebuilding our urban neighborhoods with sustainable compact energy efficient homes is a continuing challenge for our community,” said E. James Murar, President of Northwest Land Park. “Our team at Northwest Land Park LLC has undertaken the challenge and will share our results at our demonstration preview.”

The 17th annual Sacramento St. Patrick's Day parade was held Saturday March 16, 2013 in Old Town Sacramento. Several thousand people watched as hundreds of marchers, floats, horses, clowns, and vehicles wound their way through the streets of Old Town. It truly was a sea of green with many parade watchers following the lead of the leprechaun and dressed in Irish spirit. Here are photos of the festivities, some of the marchers, floats, and parade watchers.                        Even the volunteers from Old Sacramento Living History got into the spirit.     City Council member Kevin McCarty added his greetings to the festivities.   Look Mom......   a clown!

Don your green and get into the St. Patrick's Day spirit this weekend! Sacramento celebrates everyone's favorite Irish holiday this Saturday and Sunday with a slew of entertaining events. In addition to the ones listed below, see even more selections in Sacramento365.com's Holiday Events section. Family-friendly fun: -17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade: Old Sacramento; Sat 1pm Hundreds of colorful marchers dressed in green, along with Irish and Highland dancers, pipe and drum bands, historic re-enactors, and a variety of cultural organizations, will all join together to be a part of the 17th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. -St. Patrick's Day at the California Automobile Museum: Ca

Trained Professionals Help Residents Create Beautiful, Sustainable Landscapes   Top names in the sustainable landscaping industry recently gathered to celebrate new Green Gardener graduates. Green Gardeners are landscape professionals that undergo an intensive, 10-week training course in sustainable, River-Friendly landscaping. During the course, participants learn principles and practices that can help reduce urban runoff and conserve water. "The Green Gardener program is important to the Sacramento region because it trains landscaping professionals to garden responsibly and to protect our resources, especially our waterways," said Debbie Flower, Horticulture Professor at American Riv

Media Release from the City of Sacramento Office of Media & Communications   SACRAMENTO, CA. – The meaning of a large, 30-foot cube was finally revealed today, at Cathedral Square in downtown Sacramento. The giant cube, representing the volume of one metric ton of carbon dioxide gas, was the centerpiece at a kickoff event for the Cut Your Cubes campaign. The campaign is geared to build awareness of how Sacramento residents and businesses can reduce their contribution to climate change by adopting simple changes in lifestyle. This large cube helps residents visualize the significant volume of greenhouse gases generated by a typical four-person household in one year—which equates to 40 cu

Mild SPOILER WARNING. If you do not want to know anything going into this movie I recommend you do not read this review until AFTER you’ve seen the film. Alright, let’s start the review... First of all, yes, Prometheus is indeed set in the same universe as the 1979 classic Alien. But it does not have anything to do with Ripley, Dallas and the other doomed space truckers of that film. This story is about a group of explorers looking for the Creator and the horrible things they find along the way. The film opens with a very intriguing scene that I won’t spoil here. It then jumps to Scotland where a team of scientists are exploring an old cave. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), our optimistic

The Fourth annual Urban Ag Fest to be held on Saturday will not just be your garden variety fundraiser, but an evening of education and feasting. The event will take place at Rosemont High School, located at 9594 Kiefer Blvd. In an effort to raise funds for edible schoolyard projects, Slow Food Sacramento has teamed up with Rosemont’s Green Academy, an organization that teaches students about the environmental implications of their choices. There will be a reception showcase in the school garden in which 11 groups of representatives from schools in the Sacramento and surrounding areas will man booths displaying the highlights of their gardens. Such treasures are set to include seed sta

Bobby Cary from Woodcreek High School in Roseville has been named the grand prize winner in the Water Spots Video Contest, sponsored by the Regional Water Authority and Sacramento Bee Media in Education program. Cary's video was one of nearly 90 half-minute spots submitted in the first annual contest designed to teach kids about using water efficiently. Celebrity judges narrowed the videos submitted down to 11 finalists, and the public voted Cary's video their favorite. The finalists and grand prize winner were unveiled on Raley Field's Jumbotron before a Sacramento River Cats game. The top three winning students and teachers also received cash prizes. Cary's winning video is now part of

The Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) has been awarded $795,000 in funding from the Strategic Growth Council Urban Greening Grant Program (Prop 84) for the 16th Street Greenscape Project. CADA was one of the few agencies to receive funding over $75,000 and was one of 50 projects selected out of 260 applicant proposals. The purpose of the 16th Street Greenscape Project is to: • Reduce storm water runoff from 16th Street and its sidewalks and reduce water pollution flowing to the Sacramento River • Significantly increase the amount of permeable landscaped space in the public right-of-way • Reduce air pollution and increase shade • Educate the public about the environmental benefits

In an effort to educate the public on how to make our world greener, various exhibits set up booths on the west steps at the State Capitol for the California Green Fair on Wednesday, May 16. The various demonstrations included green ideas for the workplace and at home such as installing low-flow shower heads, washing vegetables in a container instead of under running water and turning off water when soaping hands. Information was also given as to why more people should abstain from eating animal products, namely meat. As quoted in the "Eating Sustainably" brochure available at this event, " A 2007 journal published by the American Dietetic Association states that researchers found 'meat

Area residents can get answers to their most vexing landscaping questions and check out beautiful, low-water use plants at "Ask a Green Gardener Day" on Saturday, May 19. May is “Water Awareness Month." To celebrate, the Regional Water Authority and local water providers are partnering with nurseries throughout the Sacramento region to host "Ask a Green Gardener Day." Green Gardeners are landscape professionals that undergo an intensive, 10-week training course in sustainable, River-Friendly landscaping. They include maintenance professionals, contractors, designers, arborists and irrigation experts. During this free event, visitors will have the opportunity to meet qualified Green Gard

For many, the bicycle is viewed as a toy or a piece of exercise equipment, but John Boyer, owner of the Edible Pedal bicycle shop and food delivery service, said that people should view it as a mode of transportation, and since May is Bike Month, now is the time to act. “We have a disconnect of being around people,” Boyer said Wednesday. “We’ve had such a car-centric society for so many decades that people don’t recognize and talk to each other. In the bike world, it’s different: we make eye contact, wave hello and ask, ‘How are you?’ “ Boyer added that he thinks bicycles will only become more widespread, and the benefits are many – from exercise and connecting on a more personal level t

Climate change is a "low grade fever for the planet and for our environment, and it weakens the planet's immune system and makes all other environmental stresses more significant." With those words, Dan Adler, President of the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), began his keynote speech at the 2012 Green California Summit and Exposition on Thursday at the Sacramento Convention Center. Adler described a "Green Bank" for California, a funding model for clean energy initiatives that would return the benefits to Californians. He said, "There is a way that we can collectively participate in the economic development that this environmental policy will yield." In its sixth year, the Green Ca

Representatives from the California Energy Commission and SMUD are coming to City Council Tuesday, March 20, to congratulate the City for taking advantage of one-time programs that cut energy consumption and sustained jobs. The commission will present a check to the City Council for $589,200 and SMUD will present one for $465,508. The City received the money through rebate and incentive programs to switch out the lights to the doubly efficient LEDs at the City’s eight parking garages and install new heating and cooling systems at the Central Library, and Samuel C. Pannell Community Meadowview Community Center. All the work has been completed. Estimated energy savings is expected to rang

Sacramento is coming alive this weekend for St. Patrick's Day! To build upon the great round-up of events included in this article, here are a few more to consider for this Saturday. Block Parties & Pub Parties: -St. Paddy's R Street Pub Crawl: R Street Corridor (14th-15th Streets), Sat Noon-1am Come celebrate St. Paddy's Day at your favorite R District bars: R15 Bar, Ace of Spades, Burgers & Brew, and the Shady Lady. Enjoy a performance by The Cheeseballs, drink specials, and Irish grub at all locations. -St. Paddy's in The Sutter District: The Sutter District, Sat Noon-1am Come celebrate St. Patrick's Day at your favorite Sutter District bars: Ink Eats & Drinks, Blue Cue, BarWest, Mon

You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day March 17, and you don’t have to be Irish to join the Shamrock Club of Sacramento – you just have to enjoy all things Celtic and want to have fun. The Shamrock Club was started in 2005 by Sacramento resident Chris Brown and C.J. Kennedy to keep Irish culture and history alive in the region. According to the Shamrock Club website, there are eight other affiliated Shamrock Clubs on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The club promotes awareness and appreciation of Irish/Celtic culture, history and tradition and provides educational and entertainment opportunities for club members and the community. The Sacramento Press sat down with Brow

New Website Showcases Achievements, Interactive Map and Constituent Resources Now, there is a new website that showcases Sacramento County’s green strategies, achievements and helpful information. The website – Green Sacramento County – features an interactive map to pinpoint green activity and provides constituents with green news, tips and resources. “Sacramento County can be proud of its commitment to sustainability and smart environmental practices. Our green practices used within our organization and in neighborhoods across the County save money, energy and the environment,” said County Executive Brad Hudson. Green Sacramento County Website Features Green Map is a fun way to see g