Environmental News Blog
S.F. Markets Sewage Sludge as "Organic Compost"
Does your organic compost contain flame retardants, heavy metals and endocrine disruptors? Well it might if you've been getting your compost from the City of San Francisco. Activists poured sewage sludge on the steps of San Francisco's city hall last week in protest of the municipalities practice of marketing sewage sludge as "organic compost." The word from our beloved EPA is that the sludge is safe, but many activists and scientists disagree. The USDA seems to somewhat agree, at least with…
Navajo/Uranium Issue Update
Earlier this year I wrote an environmental justice piece on the uranium disaster occurring on the Navajo reservation lands and other areas of the Four Corners. I say "occurring", because even though this environmental disaster is largely a product of the Cold War it will continue to plague people of the South Western United States for many years to come. There really isn't a cost effective, safe-n-sound method of disposing of or containing radioactive materials and waste. Traces, if not trov…
Obama Proposed Budget Is Step In Right Direction
Obama's new budget proposal cuts $26 billion in oil and gas industry tax breaks. Tax breaks that he says are "unjustifiable loopholes" for that industry. Furthermore, he is pushing to shutdown the planned construction of the Yucca Mountain radioactive waste facility in Nevada and he has proposed to end government subsidies for new nuclear power plants. The proposed budget will also end a research and development program for designing and equipping our Cold War arsenal with new and improved nu…
Budweiser Follows Sierra Nevada's Footsteps
Fairfield, CA - A Northern California Anheuser-Busch brewery in Fairfield has recently installed a six acre solar panel array which is now generating about 3% of the brewery's power needs. Anheuser-Busch also installed a Bio-Energy Recovery System which turns the nutrient rich wastewater from the brewing process into a renewable bio-fuel source which will produce about 15% of the brewery's fuel requirements. Other sustainable projects implemented at the brewery include a steam recovery system…
Berkeley Mayor Gives Up His Car
Today the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 71 year old Berkeley
Mayor Tom Bates has officially given up his Volvo for a public transit
pass and "a sturdy pair of walking shoes." According to the article in
the Chronicle, Bates stated, "I'm trying to reduce my carbon footprint
to the absolute minimum. I figure, if I really want to go someplace I
can just rent a
car." Apparently Bates had started taking public transportation or
walking to work and other events such as city council meetin…
Butte College: Largest Solar Campus in California
Oroville, CA - The Central Valley Business Times has reported that Butte College is
now the "largest solar powered campus in California." This is awesome
news for Northern California as we lead the way in sustainability with
schools like Butte College
We are making an ethical choice to become sustainable and preserve
existence of our earth.
Butte College's solar panel system now produces roughly 44% of the
college's energy needs. Butte College President, Diana Van der Ploeg
has issued stat…
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