First came green roofs; now edible walls join pioneering urban farming trends

By Gayle Falkenthal

May 8, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) -- Plenty of people told Jim Mumford he was nuts building a green roof project in the middle of a Kearny Mesa industrial park. Three years later, the roof is thriving and Mumford’s GreenScaped Buildings is a pioneering venture and he's earned a reputation as leader in this segment of the green building industry.

Ironically, it was the destruction of his Muth Valley home near Barona in the 2003 Cedar wildfire that got East County resident Mumford thinking about the environmental future and more seriously about sustainable growing practices.

Employees Illegally Dumped Pesticides and Hazardous Chemicals

May 3, 2010 (San Diego) -- San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis (photo, left), California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and 18 other District Attorneys throughout the state announced today that a $27.6 million settlement has been reached with Wal-Mart for violations of environmental laws and regulations. It is one of the largest environmental settlements of this type brought by a prosecuting agency in U.S. history.

April 30, 2010 (El Cajon)—The City of El Cajon invites the public to its 13th year of receiving the Tree City USA award and the 21st Annual Arbor Day ceremony. Festivities will begin at 3:00 p.m., next to the Ronald Reagan Community Center, located at 195 East Main Street. In celebration of Arbor Day, over 125 trees will be planted at El Cajon Parks, public grounds, parkways and schools.

April 6, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The U.S. Forest Service has proposed a 5,000 acre “Mount Laguna and Pine Valley Community Defense and Healthy Restoration Project” to include prescribed burns, tree thinning and shredding of brush to “reduce the risk to life, property and resource values from an unusually severe wildland fire event, and to improve fire suppression abilities and fire fighters safeties” according to Marian Kadota with the U.S. Forest Service in Carpinteria.

But the California Chaparral Institute has sent a letter to the Forest Service seeking changes to prevent damage to chaparral.

Event highlights water conservation, cultural conservation, and Cuyamaca College’s biggest plant sale of the year

April 3, 2010 (Rancho San Diego) -- On Saturday, April 24, from 9am-4pm, Cuyamaca College’s campus will bloom with activity as three of its on-campus venues—the Ornamental Horticulture Department, the Water Conservation Garden, and the Heritage of the Americas Museum—invite the public to celebrate spring at their 17th annual Spring Garden Festival.

“Conservation in Bloom” is the theme at this family festival that includes tips on green living. Admission and parking are free. A range of crafters and vendors from throughout San Diego County will be featured, in addition to activities ranging from live music to a birds of prey show.

Empowered Energy Solutions finds hot market for rapid residential audit program

 

By Dennis Moore

March 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Saving money while converting to green energy sources is viewed by many consumers as both desirable and a necessity in this day and age.

At the forefront of this movement is Empowered Energy Solutions, a Solana Beach, California based business that is helping homeowners county-wide save money from day one on sustainable, energy efficient projects for their homes, offices and commercial buildings, from small restaurants to huge factories. One of the company’s diagnostics was on a building that previously had an annual electric bill of $11.5 million a year.

“Right now in San Diego, thousands of homes are running inefficiently, wasting their owners’ money,” Ted Torre-Bueno, president and founder, told East County Magazine. “Dollars spent on energy efficiency have the highest return on investment and in effect, are free for the homeowner and for the community. If we can reduce power use, we save on utility bills and help eliminate the need for new power plants in the future.”

Attendees Eligible to Win Home Landscape Re-Design

March 18, 2010 (El Cajon) -- San Diegans are invited to attend this year’s spring gardening season kick-off event on Saturday, March 20, 2010. The Water Conservation Garden, in partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric will open the spring planting season by offering a large variety of elegant drought resistant plants and providing expert gardening advice.

March 16 program to explore link between water use and demand

By Anne Tolch

County argues timely removal of dead trees is needed to prevent devastating wildfires; opponents say plan destroys wildlife habitat with no public review

February 20, 2010 (San Diego ) - “San Diegans can learn about a new fuel cell technology for home and business applications that supplies clean base and load power 24/7, while reducing grid dependence and lowering carbon dioxide emissions, “ says Chuck Colgan, public relations representative for the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE). CCSE is hosting two workshops on fuel cell technologies on Monday, March 8th.

"The year in which we were supposed to send U.S. and Russian astronauts to Jupiter began with two death blows to the biodiesel industry."--Tyson Gustus, broken-hearted Jezebel admirer/owner

By Tyson Gustus

I love my car. I even named her. Jezebel. Jezebel and I go back a long time. (In today's disposable society, seven years is a long time.) The story of Jezebel is a simple one. Back in late 2002, I decided to trade in my Jeep Wrangler for something more fuel-efficient, comfortable, and overall better-to-commute in. I was also in a long distance relationship at the time, so that only amplified all of the above needs.

San Diego, CA (Feb. 9, 2010)—A full-color plant list with photos, called the Nifty-50: Plants for Water Smart Landscapes, is now available to the public through the Water Conservation Garden and participating nurseries.

“This is a major initiative about the future of East County,” -- G. Cole Davis, El Cajon Community Development Corporation

By Miriam Raftery

February 4, 2010 (El Cajon) – On Saturday, community leaders from throughout East County convened in El Cajon for “The Challenges and Opportunities of Imaging the Future of the Greater San Diego Region.” The event was the seventh such function held around the County by San Diego Foundation’s Civil Society. The goal?

To create a Regional Vision Initiative with a 50-to-100 year strategic plan that will encompass the shared values and priorities of residents.