Saturday morning was warm enough to draw more than 38 people to Martin Luther King Junior Community Garden for seminars and discussions on composting, cover crops, vermicomposting and the benefits of ladybug larvae. More than a dozen people attended the first of two composting seminars, led by Bill Maynard, master gardener and director of community gardens for the city. Sacramento waste reduction coordinator Doug Houston opened the 8 a.m. event by speaking about waste reduction and the cost of green waste. Houston told the group that Sacramento pays for green waste disposal. Bins cost residents less money each month, and they are environmentally friendly because green waste is kept out

A free local premier of the film, “Mother...Caring for 7 Billion” will show on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 6pm, at the Turner Library, 1212 Merkley Ave, West Sacramento. The award-winning film focuses on the harmful effects that world overpopulation and overconsumption have on the environment. On a hopeful note, it suggests ways we can act individually to help bring about a sustainable future for our children. The global population is approaching 7 billion, and is growing at the cancerous rate of another Sacramento every two days. Scientists say that world population is approaching the environmental breaking point, or has already moved beyond it. The staggering global population size and growt

Sacramento County has been updating its growth-management plan for the unincorporated area as part of the General Plan. This Plan, which directs future development, is required by law and should be complete by the end of 2011. There were many issues involved with arriving at a new growth strategy, and careful attention was paid to balancing the requests of community members, environmentalists and developers. The grown strategy underwent several changes as the building boom ceased and the County had to address state laws that required lower carbon emissions (AB 32) and encouraged mass transit (SB 375). Multiple public meetings were held to fully understand all the interests and arrive at t

A mural and sculpture artwork more than a year in the making is set to be finished in about a month and will be installed at the Boys & Girls Club of Sacramento to both inspire and educate the children. “I wanted to do something really original and kind of something that’s never been done before and challenge myself,” said 34-year-old Sacramento artist Anthony Padilla, who is known for works such as the murals on Hot Italian in Midtown and the 16th Street Kings mural. His design for the art involves a roughly 27-foot-by-27-foot mural accompanied by a sculpture that uses solar power to charge electronic devices such as laptops and cellphones and even run devices such as boom boxes. “Basi

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

This weekend, the sidewalk in front of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op was defaced with graffiti that included attacks on three individual members of the Co-op, two of whom are Board candidates and one is the sponsor of the Human Rights Initiative. One of the several graffiti statements read “Cody Potter and Susan Bush are bad news.” Potter and Bush are running for two open seats on the Board along with Phyllis Ehlert and two incumbents, Alicia Dienst and Ann Richardson. When asked whether employees were responsible for the graffiti, on-duty store manager Dan Shearer declined to answer on Saturday. Incumbent Board member Alicia Dienst was campaigning in front of the store on Sunday wh

There are six times more fast food restaurants and convenience stores than supermarkets and produce venders in Sacramento. Among all of California’s counties, Sacramento ranks third in the prevalence of obesity among children ages 6 to 11. The availability of fresh food is very low and this is an issue we are trying to address. We would also like to foster unity in the community by getting them to take part in resolving this issue. We are the project garden team (P.G.T.) of Rosemont’s Summer of Service Program. The team is doing a summer project involving Rosemont High School’s community garden. We are choosing to focus on community gardens because people need to invest in their communit

Before a packed room of Co-op Members, shoppers and others at its June 7 meeting, the Board of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op considered three items for the upcoming September ballot. A Bylaws amendment, proposed by Board President Steve Maviglio, would prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions on the basis of “political opinion” or “national origin.” Some members voiced support and several raised objections. One concern was that the proposed amendment could be used to prevent the Co-op from making purchasing decisions related to environmental or social concerns, since these are a matter of “political opinion.” For example, distributors of non-organic produce, Coco-Cola, or

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011, legislation that would require each state’s department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization to put in place a Complete Streets policy that ensures all Federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users. Complete Streets policies ensures roadways are built with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, motorists, freight vehicles, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Congresman Steven LaTourette (R-OH). “Complete Streets policies are a win-wi

The Green California Summit and Exposition returned to Sacramento for its fifth year at the Sacramento Convention Center on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit featured classes, keynote speakers, exhibits and product demonstrations. Exhibits and keynote sessions were open to the public. This year's theme was "Green Paths to Economic Recovery" and the keynote speakers focused on the economic aspects of green technology. Mayor Kevin Johnson said on Tuesday that Sacramento was the leader in California for green job growth over the last decade. "We really want to transform Sacramento into the Emerald Valley,” Johnson said. Tuesday's keynote speaker was Terry Tamminen, the founder and

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is the best place in the state to purchase sustainable seafood, and No. 2 in the nation, according to Greenpeace. “(The co-op) is one of those great stores that has taken amazing steps in realizing that sustainable seafood is incredibly important,” said Casson Trenor, seafood campaigner for Greenpeace. Greenpeace ranks the 20 biggest grocery store chains on how sustainable their seafood is, and Trenor said some smaller grocers are included as well due to their commitment to ensuring seafood is sustainable. Sustainable seafood is seafood that is not being overfished or fished in hazardous ways that deplete the ocean’s stocks or destroy the environment.

Mayor Kevin Johnson joined public utility officials and private business developers at Depot Park Tuesday for a ceremony to dedicate the largest private solar project in the Sacramento region. The 3-megawatt project, located in the Depot Park business complex on Florin-Perkins Road, includes an array of 12,600 solar panels and is designed to meet nearly 40 percent of the annual power needs for the 3 million-square-foot facility, according to information released by the mayor’s office. “I believe this area has the opportunity to be the greenest region in the country and a hub for investment in clean technology,” Johnson said in his prepared statement. “Today’s dedication demonstrates that

Four Sacramento council members will discuss ideas for growing the number of community gardens in the city on Tuesday afternoon. City Council members Jay Schenirer, Sandy Sheedy, Darrell Fong and Steve Cohn sit on the Law and Legislation Committee, which analyzes ideas for local ordinances. The committee will examine ways to regulate community gardens and increase their presence. Councilman Rob Fong spurred the committee’s discussion, according to a city staff report. The city should do everything it can to encourage community gardening and to explore urban farming, Fong said Monday. “I just think we need to utilize our spaces well,” Fong said. Committee members will evaluate a propose

A city staff proposal to eventually stop loose-in-the-street green waste pickup and move to container pickup will not work for all city residents, Interim City Manager Gus Vina said in an interview Thursday. In tree-laden areas such as Midtown, a container is not adequate to hold all of the fallen leaves, Vina said, explaining why he pulled the green waste issue from the City Council’s agenda on Tuesday. “I want to make sure I’ve challenged staff enough on creativity and the solutions that are possible,” Vina said. The plan that Vina delayed would have encouraged moving away from loose-in-the street pickup and raised rates for residents who continue that method of pickup. Assistant City

On a rainy, windy night the City’s Park Planning and Development department held a public community meeting about Conergy’s proposed Sutter's Landing Solar Farm. If Conergy is able to negotiate city requirements and neighborhood concerns, they will break ground in spring 2012. Sacramento has a rare opportunity with this project to earn national recognition. If we can build a world class solar farm and maintain wildlife habitats, we will be the go-to city for infill green projects that preserve and sustain neighborhoods and open spaces. The question is: can we seize the day? Councilmember Steve Cohn reviewed the city’s concept to build the project on the former 28th street landfill. In 19

Sacramento City Unified School District is getting some national help to renovate and make some of its more than 80 campuses more eco-friendly. A full-time sustainability officer will help schools meet LEED standards as part of a program through the U.S. Green Building Council, said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools, which is based in Washington, D.C. “(We) were impressed by your community’s enormous undertaking to become the greenest region in the country,” Gutter said, adding that beginning districtwide sustainability measures takes a large amount of time and money. The Green Schools Fellowship Program aims to help improve school sites to make them more environme

Another year and Christmas has come and gone. Relatives are heading home, the piles of leftovers get smaller with each meal and in just a matter of days it will be time to vacuum up those little green needles and say goodbye to this year’s Christmas tree. Each year, tens of thousands of trees are purchased in the Sacramento area. While they can be thrown out in garbage cans or taken to landfills, the city of Sacramento and a few other local programs are offering easy and convenient ways for people to recycle their once bright and beautiful living room centerpieces. Recycling your Christmas tree will not only keep landfills from overflowing, but will also allow what’s remaining to be reuse

Wooden boxes of chard, kale and collard greens on Charles Mason’s front yard in Oak Park are likely to be installed at dozens of spots in Sacramento next year and into 2012. Mason, the founder of environmental nonprofit group Ubuntu Green, is organizing a project to place up to 60 small gardens in an area that includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Lemon Hill and Fruitridge Manor. The home gardens project, funded by the California Endowment, is one of three programs Ubuntu Green will focus on in 2011. Ubuntu Green will work next year on a land-use environmental project with eight neighborhoods as well as host an annual event in September on environmentally friendly living.

New environmental rules for the Sacramento sewer district mean that local residents and businesses will be forced to pay high fees, according to opponents of the regulations. But the new restrictions approved Thursday night will likely be viewed by many others as a big win for clean water and the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Five members of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, a state regulatory body that oversees water quality in the region, unanimously set new restrictions on the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District just before 11 p.m. on Thursday night. A crowd of more than 330 people gathered for the meeting in Rancho Cordova, which starte

As a fan of 1960s muscle cars, getting me excited about electric vehicles isn’t easy. But on Friday, I was handed the keys to something that makes my ’66 Mustang feel lethargic and a Prius look like a gas guzzler. And at $138,000, it should. Miki Sofer of Tesla Motors brought one of the company’s Roadster 2.5 models to the Sacramento area, and I was one of the lucky ones to take it for a spin. With an advertised 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds, I was all but drooling over the electric car that can travel 244 miles on a single charge that, according to Sofer, costs as little as $5 to replenish. “There are more and more charging stations in the Sacramento area,” Sofer said, “so we’re really