El Dorado County Local News: Sustainability


All Local Sustainability News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: California has a goal of 6 million heat pumps cooling and heating buildings by 2030.
6 Million New Heat Pumps: Essential to California's Climate Future

Heat pumps, an energy-efficient way to both heat and cool homes, are a necessary element of California's climate goal of net zero carbon emissions. Here's what they are, how they work, and how to get one.

Image caption: Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage

Long-duration energy storage is essential if renewables are to become the basis for a future, carbon-neutral power grid. Here's how California is leading the race to store energy from solar, wind, and other clean sources for use whenever it's needed.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Dairy products are California’s top agricultural commodity, but the industry is often criticized for its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Sustenance

California is a leading producer of agricultural crops. So it’s not surprising to find cutting-edge ideas taking root here.

Image caption: Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

Image caption: RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

Image caption: Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained

Residential wells are drying up in the state’s main agricultural region at the same time that agricultural businesses consume almost 90 percent of the water there.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain Democrat...

02/05/2025
Read on to lean more about the new Solar Lease Project, launched across facilities in the Rescue Union School District.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/30/2025
The number of monarch butterflies overwintering in California are at a near-record low, and the wiping out of the Topanga butterfly habitat by the LA fires has made matters worse. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/23/2025
The president’s order has no immediate effect on offshore wind leases already authorized, including two large areas off California’s coast. But it sends a current of uncertainty through the fledgling renewable energy industry, which relies on federal and state support.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/22/2025
It would be impossible to overstate the complexity of water supply management in California.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/14/2025
In a striking setback to reduce California’s air pollution but a win for trucking companies, state regulators have walked away from their ambitious plan to phase out diesel trucks less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/30/2024
Image for display with article titled ‘It’s a Once in a Lifetime Kind of Change’: Sustainability Office Brings Major Energy Upgrades and More Electric Vehicle Chargers to Tahoe

Sustainability in South Lake Tahoe had a major win with the three-cart system in 2024, helping to further prevent food waste in the community. But Sara Letton, sustainability coordinator for the city of South Lake Tahoe, said that 2024 was primarily a year of planning for her. In the new year, the city will be upgrading several major facilities to make them more energy efficient, as well as installing more electric vehicle chargers, bringing the city closer to its sustainability goals.

California Local Pin Marker From South Tahoe Now...

12/29/2024
Use this short guide to dispose of your Christmas tree in South Lake Tahoe through January 9.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/18/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decree that by 2035 all new cars sold in California must be powered by batteries or other zero-emission systems has received a double dose of legal and political support.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/11/2024
The Biden administration is awarding Inflation Reduction Act money to help clean the air before President-elect Trump takes over.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/04/2024
Image for display with article titled Tree Mortality Surveys Are Out: What They Mean for Lake Tahoe

Each year aerial observers for the USDA Forest Service ride in small fixed-wing aircraft 1,000 feet above California forests. Their focus isn't on the views or the horizon, but rather downward. Their trained eyes are looking for the yellow or red-brown of dried or discolored foliage. It's their job to observe, survey and report conifer and hardwood mortality, defoliation, and other damage.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/03/2024
Image for display with article titled ‘This Project Is 20 Years in the Making’: Meeks Meadow Restoration Has Begun

Máyala Wáta, also called Meeks Meadow, is proceeding with lodgepole pine removal through a grant from the California Tahoe Conservancy. The conifer thinning will take place over 200 acres of the area, which will help restore the area's water levels and culturally significant plants to the Washoe tribe.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

11/20/2024
Image for display with article titled Tahoe Fund Issues Call for 2025 Projects

The Tahoe Fund is opening its annual call for projects. The nonprofit is seeking projects for its 2025 portfolio that will increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, improve lake clarity and health, encourage sustainable recreation, provide innovative solutions to transportation challenges, and create more stewards of Lake Tahoe. 

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain Democrat...

11/20/2024
The El Dorado Water Agency recently brought together local water and utility managers and other stakeholders to collaborate in efforts to protect the watershed. Read on for more information.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

11/13/2024
Image for display with article titled Sierra Nevada May Hold Key to Meet California’s Ambitious 30×30 Goal

California's 30 X 30 goal was a topic at the Sierra Nevada Alliance Conservation Conference held at Lake Tahoe Community College, Nov. 7-8. In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom committed the state to conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030, and the key to meeting the ambitious goal could be right here in the Sierra Nevada.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

11/13/2024
Trump’s promise to “end” the offshore wind industry could threaten CA’s renewable energy goals, potentially cutting off federal funding.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

11/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Azul Latin Kitchen to Host Fundraiser for Bread & Broth

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Tuesday, November 12, Azul Latin Kitchen in Heavenly Village will host a taco buffet fundraiser from 5 to 8:30 p.m. to benefit Bread & Broth. A taco/nacho bar with tortillas, chips, salsa, guacamole, beans, rice, a variety of meat/vegetarian options, and various toppings will beavailable. The cost of the event is $20 for adults and $10 for kids, not including drinks.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

10/31/2024
Image for display with article titled Biannual Conservation Conference Returns to Tahoe, Focuses on Partnership

The Sierra Nevada Alliance is hosting its biannual conservation conference Nov. 7-8 at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. They've titled this year's theme as Strengthening Conservation Impact Through Partnership.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/31/2024
Sixty years ago, I was a reporter for the Klamath Falls (Oregon) Herald and News and with my family lived in a small house on the Link River, which flows out of Upper Klamath Lake, draining a large portion of the Cascade mountain range.

Folsom Times logo From Folsom Times...

10/30/2024
Image for display with article titled SacRT, Community Leaders Welcome $77M Grant for Zero-Emission Future

Leadership and key staff from the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) officially celebrated the acceptance of nearly $77 million in federal grant funding Wednesday morning during a special event attended by state officials, and dignitaries from Sacramento County. The gathering, held at McClellan Business Park, marked the beginning of SacRT’s ambitious push toward a zero-emission future and the creation of the region’s first hydrogen fuel infrastructure.