This Summer: Skip the Traffic and Help the Environment by Riding Your Bike
It was a warm, cloudless summer afternoon and I was sitting in my gridlocked parent’s car on highway 89 north on our way into Tahoe City for dinner. At 10 years old, my patience for being stuck in a car on such a beautiful day had run out and I stared jealously at people walking and biking on the bike path unimpeded toward our shared destination.
Tiger’s Nest and Wise Coyotes: A Look at Bhutan and the Sierra Nevada
In early June, I had the awe-inspiring experience of visiting Bhutan, a small rural Vajrayana Buddhist country located in the Himalaya between Tibet, Nepal and India. Bhutan is the only country in the world that uses Gross National Happiness (GNH) instead of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to measure its progress.
Ideas to Inspire Sustainable Summer Travel
The word “travel” makes us dream, be it a weekend getaway or an escape half a world away. You can make sustainable travel a part of that dream, even in this transportation and consumption-heavy industry.
Gardening in the Sierra: Water Wise and Fire Safe
I inherited my love and knowledge of plants from my dad, a retired landscape architect. I grew up tagging along with him to many job sites in the Sacramento region, and it instilled in me an appreciation of beautiful plants and landscaping.
Reimagining Trash: Beyond the Domain of the Unwanted
I’ve been up close and personal with trash a lot lately. A few weeks ago I found myself neurotically purging my apartment of trash and unwanted items; in the process of doing so I mistakenly left my iPhone on top of one of the trash-filled boxes I would later throw away.
I Want to Ride My Bicycle
Do you ever feel like you’re spending the nicest parts of the day confined in your car? I live in one of the most spectacular places I can imagine yet I often only experience my surroundings from the 97 cubic foot interior of my Subaru.
Unaccounted for Water and the Value of Leak Detection
While water is always a hot topic in both California and Nevada, most of us aren’t typically thinking about where our water comes from, let alone how it reaches our taps. When we are thirsty, we just walk to the sink or refrigerator and fill up a glass. We expect there to be water available when we turn on the faucet.
To Go Real or Faux: A Christmas Tree Story
It’s the age-old question debated each year by friends and family who celebrate Christmas – do you put up a real or fake Christmas tree? The debate is often framed around which choice is more environmentally conscious, and I find myself solidly in the real-deal corner. Here’s why.
Growing Sustainability in Your Own Backyard
I typically write about high level energy policy, climate policy, or leadership in sustainability. Today though, I would like to focus on a local action that we can all take to be more sustainable.
SBC Recognized as a Beacon of Sustainability in the Sierra
Earlier this year, SBC was recognized as a leader in sustainability by the Institute for Local Government and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative via the designation of SBC as a “Beacon Program Champion” for our work in guiding energy and climate planning initiatives in the Sierra Nevada.