This Weekend Only: Oscar Documentary Shorts Nominees Two weeks ago, in my regular column, I described the process through which the Oscar-nominated short films are selected. At that time, I reviewed the five animated narrative shorts and the five live action narrative shorts. Those two programs continue in regular release at Sacramento’s historic Crest Theatre. Additionally, this weekend, for two days only, the Crest will screen the five documentary shorts nominees. Shorts, in Academy terms, are shorter than feature films but can still reach 40 minutes in length. This year’s nominees are collectively long enough that the Crest will screen them in two programs this weekend, on Saturday an

For the fifth consecutive year, Dart Container is bringing foam recycling (often mistakenly referred to as “Styrofoam”, a registered trademark of Dow Chemical), education, and volunteer efforts to the Great American River Clean Up. Last year, over 2,200 volunteers removed more than 15,000 pounds of trash and debris in just three hours. On Saturday, September 15, employees from Dart’s Lodi manufacturing facility will join thousands of other volunteers as they pick up trash and debris from the American River Parkway, enhancing a 23-mile stretch of the river. In addition to its support of the Clean Up, Dart is hosting a one-day foam collection where residents can recycle their used foam and

This week brings more solid waste discussion at the City Council with a new twist: Will the city augment service from the claw with “dump coupons?” The City Council discussed proposed changes to the city solid waste and recycling program in March, including changing curbside recycling to every-other-week collection, implementing year-round containerized yard waste collection and retiring loose-in-the-street pickup by the claw for all but three months of the year. Now, after months of community outreach on the proposed changes, a new idea is being floated based on public comments from those discussions: dump coupons. The idea stems from the proposed return of the Neighborhood Cleanup Pro

"Local business owner profile" is a regular column highlighting local business owners, the backbone of our community and economy. Each column explores the personal stories of the owners and the businesses they built. Jack Duncan says that the auto wrecking and dismantling business is in his blood. His grandparents owned a car dismantling business in the 1920s and 30s. Jack spent many hours there as a kid and wrecked his first car there too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a car meant for wrecking, but his grandparents' own Studebaker. The car was parked on the top of a hill where little Jack clambered into it and pretended to drive. Somehow, he released the emergency brake and the car zipped do

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

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

My recycling container has disappeared again.  It's only the second time in nine years and, frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened more often.  But it's still annoying.  This isn't helped by the fact that the last time I needed to get a new container, the City couldn't seem to figure out that I lived on a street corner and needed the new container where my driveway is (and where the other containers are) and not halfway up the front path on the way to the front door.  It took three attempts to get a broken container replaced for the same reason. I haven't even requested a new one this time.  I live about a block and a half from a commercial recycling center and this neighborhood is gro

More residential waste is created during the holiday season than any other time of the year, so the cities and counties in the Sacramento area are encouraging residents to recycle as much as possible. Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period, the California Department of Resources Recovery and Recycling (CalRecycle) reports. This extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons, per week nationwide. With this in mind, local governments are urging residents to reduce, reuse, and recycle during this holiday season. "The amount of garbage sent to the landfill increases dramatically during the holiday season," sa

Some thieves steal cars, others rob banks. In Sacramento, the big-ticket item lately is copper wire, and local copper thieves have hit the central city hard. Why steal copper wire? “Because it’s easily accessible,” said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit Thursday, “and there is plenty of it.” With miles of copper wire found in streetlights, electrical boxes, buildings and vacant foreclosed homes – places thieves won’t usually be deterred by watching eyes – copper wiring is easy pickings. And, at roughly $2.75 per pound, copper theft can be a lucrative business. According to a recent district letter from City Councilman Rob Fong’s office, copper wire thieves hit

Sims Recycling Solutions, the global leader in electronics reuse and recycling, is partnering with Sims Metal Management, KCRA-TV and the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds to host a community-wide electronics and appliance recycling event to celebrate “America Recycles Day.” The event will raise money for the Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and will be held on Saturday, Nov.12, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the California Exposition and State Fairgrounds located at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815. Items for recycling will be accepted at Parking Lot E off of Ethan way across the street from the Century Stadium 14. “Sims Recycling Solutions is thrilled to participate

“Part of being green is dealing with the mess we’ve already made,” said Brittney Dastmalchi, project coordinator and founder of The Paint Co-Op Project, a small business that gives out a variety of green recycled materials every day that are acquired from foreclosure sites around California. “This is the first time in our economy that something like this has needed to exist – people don’t realize how many foreclosures are sitting on the market,” she said. The Paint Co-Op was born out of a Sacramento-based company called Nationwide Secure in an effort to recycle reusable full or partially used materials that could be hazardous to the environment if improperly disposed of. Nationwide Secu

Anne Dunlap-Kahren’s old refrigerator was in her kitchen for 13 years. She bought a new one and relegated the old one to a place where a lot of old refrigerators go, the garage. The problem is these older refrigerators use more household energy than anything else in the home. They use as much as three times the energy of newer models, and can cost up to an additional $125 per year to run. When Anne heard about SMUD’s Refrigerator Recycling program, she called to make an appointment. Within a few days, JACO Environmental, a SMUD recycling contractor, was at her door to pick up the old one and give her a $35 check for it. By recycling, Anne is saving money, energy and the environment. “Fo

The Department of Waste Management and Recycling (WMR) is making changes to current routes and material collection days, impacting approximately 75,000 residential customers throughout Sacramento county. “This route change will allow the Department to save over $1 million per year by combining current collection routes,” Paul Philleo, director of Waste Management and Recycling, said in a press release Monday. The route changes will also reduce the number of collection trucks on the streets, Philleo said, reducing street and vehicle repairs and lessening impact on the environment. Postcards notifying affected customers of the changes were mailed out last week, and another notice will be

The California Product Stewardship Council's announced that nominations are being sought for the annual Arrow Awards, recognizing business and industry leaders for outstanding leadership, innovation and partnerships in product stewardship and green design. Any business entity, division or facility located in California is eligible to apply. Third-party stewardship organizations and non-profits are also eligible. “This is our opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of California businesses with innovative product stewardship programs, outstanding partnerships that make product stewardship possible, and to inspire others to integrate the principles of product stewardship into their bus

The City of Sacramento Department of Utilities will launch the 2011 Recycling Incentive Awards, sponsored by AT&T Real Yellow Pages and the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station on May 2, 2011. Each week through June 27, the City will randomly select recycling containers in a selected Council District and check it for proper recycling. If the container holds only clean recyclables, the City will award owners of clean recycling bins with $100 and the chance to win an iPad2. “Recycling right is the right thing to do. Clean, dry and usable recyclables limits waste going to the landfills and is a win for the environment,” said Marty Hanneman, Director of the Department of Utilities. "So m

Now that the gifts have been unwrapped, the holiday parties have been held, and the Christmas tree has come down, do you know how to recycle all the holiday trimmings? “By properly disposing of all of the trash left over from the holidays, we can help save valuable landfill space and keep our environment clean ,” said Paul Philleo, Director of the Sacramento County Department of Waste Management & Recycling.” We are generally slower this time of year, which means quick turn-around for customers, so it’s easy to be green after the holidays.” Below are tips for holiday recycling: Don’t add your Christmas tree to the trash. Bring it to one of the six locations throughout Sacramento County

Give Smart Sacramento promotes waste free experiences in place of traditional holiday gifts What was your favorite holiday gift of the past? Was it a sweater from J.Crew three years ago? Or maybe it was the CD-Man you got in ’95? I’m guessing it was something that hasn’t gone out of style or become obsolete. My favorite gift in recent memory was a family membership to Fairytale Town. I will always remember the time spent with my children and my family at Fairytale Town, because the memory will never go out of style, be shoved in the back of the closet or go in the "Goodwill" pile. This year, the City of Sacramento Department of Utilities is challenging you to replace at least one out of

Helping the Environment and the Economy All at the Same Time. Set It Aside is a local curbside recyclables purchasing company who was born as the economy turned south and has helped local efforts raise thousands of dollars through recyclables. Now the fledgling company is on a quest to help thousands of people who have lost their livelihoods in the oil spill. Set It Aside is the brain child of SIA Professional Services who have been serving the Sacramento area for over a decade and a half. As the market soured the B to B company started looking at a small project that could have major positive effects on the economy. The company began picking up recyclable materials from homes, selling t

The "City of Trees" just got a little bit greener. RecycleBank, a nationwide recycling incentive program, launched a pilot program May 24 in the South Meadowview neighborhood. Participants earn points for their neighborhoods recycling properly. Blue recycling containers often line the streets, but Jessica Hess of the Department of Utilities said they're often not used correctly. "There is a high amount of contamination," she said. "Many residents use the blue (recycling) containers for their extra garbage." Contamination occurs when nonrecyclable or unclean items are placed in recycling containers. When sorted, these items are taken to a landfill, which costs money and hurts the environ

The Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento has a hand in 10 local restaurants and hopes to reach more with its mission of establishing a sustainable restaurant industry. GRAS is "dedicated to making Sacramento a leading sustainable food community and a leader in the green-restaurant industry," according to its website. The year-old organization helps restaurants reduce waste by composting food scraps and biodegradable material. "This is not a brilliant idea, it's being done worldwide," said GRAS co-founder David S. Baker. "Why can't it happen in our town?" The 10 members of GRAS are Hot Italian, L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, Mulvaney's B & L, One Speed, Selland's, Grange, Ella, Tuli