Sacramento 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.

Folsom Telegraph logo From Folsom Telegraph...

10/31/2024
Image for display with article titled Folsom Launches Home Solar, Battery Permitting Portal

The city of Folsom is launching a new "instant solar permitting portal" to streamline permits for residential solar and battery storage, authorities announced last week.

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/30/2024
Low counts of spawning salmon could mean another year without fishing. Experts say the outlook still has time to turn around.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/24/2024
Growers support a federal and state proposal for operating California’s massive systems that send river water south. But it could harm more salmon and other endangered fish.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/23/2024
Most of us operate on the calendar year — the 12 months that begin on January 1 and end on December 31.

Folsom Times logo From Folsom Times...

10/21/2024
Image for display with article titled SMUD’s 11th Annual Electricity Fair Draws Hundreds to Historic Folsom

The pesky winds that swept through the area let up just in time for visitors to enjoy a perfect day beneath sunny skies at the 11th annual Electricity Fair Saturday morning and early afternoon at the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park in Historic Folsom.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/21/2024
Capturing and storing carbon underground is a big part of California’s efforts to tackle climate change but community members and environmentalists say it prolongs the life of fossil fuels.

California Local Pin Marker From The Sacramento Bee...

10/08/2024
How to apply rebate as part of the recent $80 million state program to electrify homes.

Carmichael Times logo From Carmichael Times...

10/01/2024
Image for display with article titled Grants to Protect Water Quality Available

The Sacramento County Department of Water Resources is pleased to offer grants to support school or community projects that protect or improve local creeks and rivers within the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.

California Local Pin Marker From Rio Linda Messenger...

09/17/2024
Schools and community groups are invited to apply for grants from the Sacramento County Department of Water Resources to fund projects improving water and environmental quality of local creeks and rivers.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

09/08/2024
The California state goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters has advanced, with conserved lands reaching 25% and coastal waters 16%.

Sacramento News and Review logo From Sacramento News and Review...

08/28/2024
Image for display with article titled Solving Sacramento Hosts Listening Sessions With Local Arts Groups

During a Sacramento performing arts listening session on Aug. 20, members of local theater and dance groups gathered at the CLARA auditorium to discuss the state of audience engagement, ticket sales, costs of doing business and how these groups might benefit from working collaboratively and directly with local newsrooms to expand their reach.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

08/22/2024
Dozens of young people held a demonstration on August 17 in downtown Sacramento to protest the banking industry's contribution to the escalating effects of climate change.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

08/01/2024
Legislators and Gov. Newsom are working behind the scenes to draft energy legislation before the end-of-the-month deadline.

California Local Pin Marker From The Sacramento Bee...

07/31/2024
The City of Elk Grove is launching two programs to encourage electric bike and scooter usage and ownership.

Sacramento News and Review logo From Sacramento News and Review...

07/23/2024
Image for display with article titled Sacramento’s First Passive House Sets the Standard for Green Building

In East Sacramento, on a narrow avenue of small, single-story homes, a transformation is underway. An 82-year-old bungalow is becoming the new kid on the block: the first Passive House in the Sacramento region.

Sacramento News and Review logo From Sacramento News and Review...

07/15/2024
Image for display with article titled CleanStart’s Thomas Hall and Christina Granados on the Importance of Community Outreach in Clean-Tech Development

As Sacramento looks to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy, in part thanks to an influx of state funding set to benefit growing sectors, Valley Vision asked residents how they would like this development to look.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/15/2024
Public chargers must be built at an unprecedented pace to meet the target in less than 7 years, and then doubled to 2 million in 2035. The high cost — $120,000 or more for one fast charger— is just one obstacle.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/10/2024
Harnessing clean energy is a venture of unprecedented scope in California, bringing big changes to Humboldt and the Central Coast, and requiring 26 ports along the coast.
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