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 Times logo From Folsom Times...

05/01/2025
Image for display with article titled Area High School Students to Compete in SMUD’s Solar Regatta

High school and college students from across California are set to launch their solar-powered creations into competition waters this weekend as the 12th annual California Solar Regatta returns to Rancho Seco Recreational Area.

Carmichael Times logo From Carmichael Times...

04/15/2025
Image for display with article titled Clean Sweep for Neighborhoods

Aided by a $1,300 grant from Sacramento County Water Resources, the Carmichael Creek Neighborhood Association will spring clean public spaces in more than three square miles in Carmichael on Saturday, April 26.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/09/2025
California Democrats are backing a legislative proposal that would allow gig workers to form unions. Expect big pushback from companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash.

Folsom Times logo From Folsom Times...

04/02/2025
Image for display with article titled SMUD Grant to Energize Folsom Historic District Shuttle Service

Award supports weekend shuttle that enhances visitor access, eases parking strain in Historic District.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

03/28/2025
The California Air Resources Board is going to spend $100 million to track greenhouse gas emissions with satellites.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

03/19/2025
Read on to learn more about the Oak Park Fix-it Cafe, a monthly repair workshop held at the Community Shop Class, a nonprofit workshop in Oak Park.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

03/11/2025
A new conservancy will oversee work to improve vegetation, water quality and natural habitat in the Salton Sea. Will nearly half a billion dollars in projects be enough?

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

02/28/2025
State and federal water managers have announced significant increases to water allocations across California thanks to early February storms and healthy reservoir levels.

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

02/27/2025
Image for display with article titled The Sacramento and American Rivers Face Impacts as the Trump White House Rescinds Rules Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act

The Trump administration’s assault on the nation’s environmental laws continues at an unprecedented pace, with its latest target being the landmark National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.

On Feb. 19, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) eliminated all of the rules that implement NEPA in an effort to “unleash” oil and gas drilling at the same time that the world is heating up from fossil-fuel driven climate change.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/24/2025
The governor vowed to clear the way for more groundwater recharge. Has it worked? “We’re still tinkering around with small numbers,” one expert says.

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

02/12/2025
Image for display with article titled In the Wake of Washington Turmoil, U.C. Davis Hopes to See Federal Funding Continued for Delta Smelt Captive Breeding Program

The disinformation about the Delta Smelt spread by President Donald Trump and his Big Ag allies has deluged social media, as well as mainstream and alternative media, in recent weeks.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

02/03/2025
For the past three years, more than 200,000 western monarch butterflies spent their winters along the California coast — huddling together in tall tree groves, finding respite from the wind from November to February.

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.

Carmichael Times logo From Carmichael Times...

01/14/2025
Image for display with article titled Sacramento Perch Returned to Namesake City, County

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has returned California’s only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, to its namesake city and county, recently stocking 3,000 mostly juvenile fish into a pond at Granite Regional Park to create a unique urban fishing opportunity.

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.

California Local Pin Marker From Elk Grove News Net...

01/13/2025
The City of Elk Grove and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District announced a grant of $11 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to be used to add local EV charging stations. Read on to learn more,

California Local Pin Marker From Elk Grove News Net...

12/20/2024
Learn more about the massive Harvest Water Project which is under construction to process and deliver billions of gallons of reclaimed sewage for agricultural use and to recharge southern Sacramento County groundwater.