Sacramento Green Living

Who knew Al Gore was funny?

Below is a video from 2006—just a couple months before "An Inconvenient Truth" was released—from TED.com (spend some time on the site, explore TED Talks). In it, the former vice president talks about things we can do individually and together to reduce our impact on the environment around us. And he starts with a bit of a stand-up comedy routine. What could be better?



Here are the 15 Things slides from the video:

1. Reduce emissions from your home energy use (better design, insulation, green electricity).
2. Reduce emissions from your car and other transportation (buy a hybrid, light rail, carpool, biking).
3. Buy the most energy-efficient appliances and other products. Be a green consumer.
4. Live a "carbon neutral" life. It's easier than you think. Reduce; then offset the rest.
5. To find out how, go to: www.climatecrisis.net. Use the Carbon Calculator.
6. Then make your BUSINESS Carbon Neutral. (It's not as hard as you think.)
7. Then, whether you work in Technology, Entertainment, Design--INTEGRATE climate solutions into all your innovations.
8. Invest sustainably—in companies and funds that are part of the solution.
9. Become a catalyst for change in your community. Teach others about the Climate Crisis.
10. Raise awareness by promoting "An Inconvenient Truth" in your community.
11. Send someone to Nashville who can learn how to give my slide show in your community.
12. Become politically active—Speak up! Contact your elected officials! Make our Democracy work!
13. Urge the US to join the rest of the world community in capping and trading carbon emissions.
14. Help with the mass persuasion campaign when it is launched this Spring.
15. Let's call it the "Climate Crisis"; It really is a "Planetary Emergency".

Labels: Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, business, carbon capping, cars, global warming, green homes, links, sustainability, TED.com

Good news: The Sacramento area is getting another green tech company with photovoltaic (pv) manufacturer OptiSolar of Hayward. The county has announced $20 million in incentives for the manufacturer to move into the McClellan Park complex in North Highlands.

Better news: Unlike the city's sale of the Sheraton with half the proceeds from said sale going back to the buyer in the form of future subsidies, the county isn't spending any money out-of-pocket for to subsidize OptiSolar.

Best news: In addition to adding a great new green tech company to Sacramento's economic mix, 500 new jobs will be added to the area by 2011.

Labels: green technology, McClellan Park, North Highlands, OptiSolar, solar, technology

Ever wonder what driving a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle is like? This weekend you'll have a chance to take one for a test drive at the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) open house in West Sacramento.


The CaFCP will be giving tours of their West Sac operations—a global partnership of more than 30 car makers, energy providers, fuel-cell technology companies, and government agencies—and drivers can get behind the wheel for test drives.

For more information, visit the CaFCP's events page at http://cafcp.org/events.html

Labels: cars, events, fuel cells, technology, West Sacramento

Nine on F: The Greenest Homes in Sacramento.

It was late summer 2007 when I first heard about a big "green" residential project that was being built downtown in the Alkali Flats neighborhood. I was a bit cautious at first because so many businesses had begun jumping on the "green" bandwagon and were touting any energy efficient, environmentally friendly features they could attach to their product or service.

In November I finally took some time to preview 9 on F Citywalk. What struck me when I walked through the traditional units that fronted F Street was two things: First, I didn't feel like I was walking through a "green" home. The countertops weren't made of recycled beer bottles and there wasn't anything touting blue jean insulation. Second, this was beautiful design—like something out of Dwell Magazine. Better than I'd seen in Sacramento on a smaller scale project like this one.


Sure, other projects lately have been touting their green features. Regis Homes, developer of the SoCap Lofts at the southern end of Downtown, had incorporated solar—but this seemed to me to be a bit of an afterthought.

9 on F developer Jeremy Drucker really started the project with a green end in mind, which is why the nine three-story units are all have LEED for Homes certifications and are rated LEED Silver or Gold—a notable achievement for a Sacramento project being completed in what anyone would say is a challenging real estate market. Drucker, a bay area resident, has gone a step further than most developers and has reached out to the community. I know his goal is to sell a product, but he's managed to build a tremendous amount of media attention and awareness for what I hope will continue to be a mainstream move to green by promoting the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), SMUD's SolarSmart program, and even connecting with the City of Sacramento at a time when Mayor Heather Fargo and other key officials have been pushing to make Sacramento the greenest city in the nation.

I appreciate Jeremy Drucker's efforts. I also appreciate the great design his project has brought to Alkali Flats and the entire Downtown area. The homes at 9 on F join beautiful design, infill development, and earth-friendly features, which include: dual-zone geothermal heating and cooling, solar, tankless hot water heaters (no "tankless job" puns, I promise), environmentally friendly wood products, FSC-certified responsibly managed wood flooring, and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) interior paints.

For more information about 9 on F or to purchase one of the nine beautiful, traditionally-inspired or urban loft-styled units, visit ForSaleinDowntown.com.

Labels: 9 on F, Alkali Flats, developments, Downtown Sacramento, green homes, green lofts, Jeremy Drucker, real estate, solar

Sacramento once again thinks globally and acts locally at the 2008 Earth Day celebration, being held this year at Southside Park at 8th & W downtown. The event is being held on Sunday, April 20th, from 11am to 6pm and will be the focus of weeks of "green" events before and after (including World Earth Day on Tuesday the 22nd).


Leading up to the event are several walking tours emphasizing green and not-so-green elements of our Sacramento neighborhoods. For more information, visit the Sacramento Earth Day website at http://www.sacramentoearthday.net/ or the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) website at http://www.ecosacramento.net/

And get involved!

Labels: Downtown Sacramento, Earth Day, ECOS, events, Southside Park

Take dozens of great artists and thousands of artlovers, add local craftspeople and musicians, and mix with an environmentally conscious, earth-friendly theme and you get Green Second Saturday 2008.

April's Second Saturday event combine the best of Earth Day "green" awareness and Second Saturday's awesome artitude to make for what we expect to be one kick-butt event.

As usual, you can expect tons of great art and music, lots of energy, and great food and drink throughout Midtown. You can also expect a phenomenal PARK YOUR ART event at McMartin Realty: the Smith Gallery will be featuring talented local artists, the outdoor art/craft show brings art fans and artists together, and hip local music are for-sure. But this time you can also expect a ton of sustainable fun with music from the Richard March Band, cool alternative energy vehicles from SMUD, a fundraiser for ECOS, and an extra late event that goes from 6-11pm with outdoor entertainment.

Don't miss this FREE, phenomenal, family-friendly event!

Labels: art, ECOS, events, McMartin Realty, Midtown, music, Second Saturday

Second Saturday in March is going to be a preview for our big Green Second Saturday event on April 12th... And, to get the ball rolling early, we'll be hosting a bake sale at McMartin Realty for the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) as part of our FREE outdoor event, Park Your Art which runs 6-9pm at 21st & K in Midtown.

In addition to the small ECOS fundraiser, we'll be showcasing the award-winning artwork of Sacramento artist Steve Memering, who will be debuting his latest work capturing the beauty of the American River. We'll also be featuring amazing artwork from the Smith Gallery, an acoustic performance by the lovely and talented SAMMIE-winning Larisa Bryski and the equally talented Willy Seltzer, and McMartin Realty's popular outdoor arts and crafts show where you can get up close enough to buy the works of more than a dozen local artists and craftspeople.

The event is FREE to attend and is open to art-lovers of all ages. If you'd like an opportunity to display your arts/crafts outdoors for FREE, you can download an application here.


Post-event update:

Wow, what a huge success—we had more than a thousand people in attendance and helped to raise funds for ECOS! I hope everybody comes back for the big event on April 12th: Green Second Saturday.

Labels: art, ECOS, events, McMartin Realty, Midtown, Second Saturday