January 28, 2012 (San Diego) – With a focus on the San Diego region’s job growth, smarter technology development, solar energy storage integration and increased electric vehicle infrastructure and deployment, Smart City San Diego is delivering results.  The collaborative is made up of City of San Diego, GE, UC San Diego, CleanTECH San Diego and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).  It formed to leverage each entity’s strengths to create and implement initiatives to improve the region’s energy independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assert San Diego as a clean energy leader.

January 27, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) –California Rare Fruit Growers have partnered with the Paul and Helen Thompson Endowment Committee to offer free bare-root fruit trees for schools, nonprofit organizations, and community gardens. Varieties available include apples, peaches, pears, persimmons, and pluots.

January 21, 2012 (La Mesa) -- Next week, the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) and the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) Boards will hear action items on the development of community gardens on school district properties, including Helix Charter High School in La Mesa as well as schools in San Carlos and San Diego.

San Diego Roots, an organization which supports community gardens, is encouraging the public to attend meetings January 26 for the GUHSD and January 24 for the SDSUSD to show support for the gardens, which would benefit community residents as well as students.

Pilot Program Will Offer Solar Options for All Customers

January 18, 2012 – San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval of its new solar proposal called “connected…..to the sun.”  The proposal complements rooftop solar and includes two different pilot programs that would give all SDG&E customers options to buy solar power even if they do not own a home, cannot afford a solar investment, or do not have the ability to put photovoltaic panels on their roof. 

Customers could choose to buy all or some of their energy from solar projects located in SDG&E’s service territory or negotiate directly with a local solar provider.   

“Wind farms are the main cause. The issuing of license to kill will accelerate the decline toward extinction.”—Save the Eagles International

 An East County Magazine Special Report

By Miriam Raftery

January 6, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County’s 48 pairs of nesting golden eagles and even rarer bald eagles could be in peril if proposed industrial-scale wind farms are built.  In a press release issued today,  Save the Eagles International (STEI) issued a dire warning, providing detailed documentation proving  that golden eagles and their nests are disappearing rapidly near wind farms across the U.S.

The group also blasted the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for changing its mission from protecting wildlife to “catering to the interests of an industry” that is a “ruinous one to boot.”  

Local business leaders praise decision to expand renewable energy

Opponents hope Supervisors, court will protect scenic, cultural and wildlife resources

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2011 (McCain Valley) – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed approval December 20 forTule Wind Project on federal lands in McCain Valley in East County. The federal lands portion approved by the Department of the Interior constitute the bulk of the project, capable of generating up to 186 megawatts (MW) of the project’s total 200 MW capacity. 

The project will need additional approvals from the County of San Diego, California Public Utilities Commission, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and California State Lands Commission.  The County will hold hearings on a major use permit in the first quarter of 2012.  Planning Commissioners and ultimately, the Board of Supervisors are expected to vote on the issue.

December 21, 2011 (Rancho San Diego) – As water becomes an increasingly precious resource in California, more public water agencies and businesses are hiring experts to help customers find ways to better conserve water. To meet this growing demand, Cuyamaca College has been awarded a $535,000 state grant to lead a partnership of seven California community colleges that will provide more training for jobs in the water and wastewater field.

(Cuyamaca College water/wastewater technology students tour the Point Loma treatment plant and see a sample of sludge from plant supervisor K.C. Shankles.)