Sacramento County Sustainability Digest

As oppressive heat continues to blanket much of the U.S., it’s especially crucial to take precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones—furry friends included.

Raising Shasta Dam to increase its capacity would provide 634,000 more acre-feet of water per year, legislators say. But that assumes there will always be enough precipitation, and the move risks flooding sacred Native American lands and harming local habitats.

More than four in ten Californians reported being personally affected by an extreme weather event in the last two years, a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found.

In the magazine Nature, a team of scientists reports that they have detected changes in ocean color that cannot be explained by natural, year-to-year variability alone. These color shifts have occurred over 56 percent of the world’s oceans.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors didn’t postpone a carbon neutrality goal after dozens of climate activists pushed back against proposed changes. In a 3-1 vote, with Supervisor Sue Frost abstaining, the board requested revisions including adding a requirement to measure progress on reducing emissions every five years.

Indigenous leaders and environmental groups gathered at California’s Capitol July 5 to rally for better access to clean water. Advocates support a trio of bills that would revamp the state’s approach to water rights given before 1914, often referred to as senior water rights.

Cyclists in Sacramento may have noticed some changes to bike lanes along 19th and 21st streets. That’s likely thanks to Sacramento’s Central City Mobility Project, which recently began construction on additional protected bike lanes.

California lawmakers passed the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, permanently protecting the iconic and imperiled species.

Lake Tahoe saw a huge surge in visitors at the beginning of the pandemic. The North Tahoe Community Alliance, which serves as the region’s chamber of commerce, looks to address the resulting problems, such as overcrowding, garbage and traffic.

The Salt & Straw ice cream chain is part of the upcycling movement, creating high-quality products from leftover food with flavors like Cacao Pulp & Chocolate Stracciatella Gelato, made from leftover cacao pulp from chocolate production.

America’s honeybee hives staggered through the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies. But using costly measures, beekeepers kept afloat.

Most people who move because of climate change in the United States don't go far, and they end up in homes that are less threatened by the effects of global warming, according to new research.

As hot days become more extreme and common, California education researchers are urging that school districts be required to develop heat plans to keep students safe, just as they have policies for severe storms and active shooters.

More than a year after controversial state legislation mandating organic waste recycling went into effect, Republic Services is now set to begin fining households in Citrus Heights that are found to have significant contamination in waste carts.

Rachel Machi Wagoner heads the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, better known as CalRecycle, so of course her focus is the environment—and it’s something she has been passionate about since age 22.

Earth has pushed into “the danger zone,” not just for the natural world but also for the well-being of people living on it, according to a new study by the international scientist group Earth Commission.

Hope. That’s what Josh Fryday, who oversees the California Volunteers state office, envisions its $6.9 million grant made to the city of Sacramento will provide to 600 local youth from underserved communities through employment opportunities and career pathways in sustainable sectors.

Goats eat a wide variety of vegetation and graze in steep, rocky terrain, which is why they’re an eco-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides or weed-whacking machines. But new state labor regulations are making it more expensive to provide goat-grazing services.

UC Davis researchers found that lab-grown meat is likely to leave a larger carbon footprint than retail beef, raising questions of the benefits of cultured meat production.

The U.S. government has approved a proposed multibillion-dollar transmission line that would send wind-generated electricity from rural New Mexico to big cities in the West.

California legislative committees in the Assembly and Senate blocked two big climate bills. One would have made the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets more ambitious. Another would have allowed people to sue oil companies over health problems if they meet certain criteria.

From charred husks to so-called ”zombie trees,” Northern California’s high elevations need healing now.

Area jurisdictions move forward with biomass facilities to put to better use excess green waste. In exchange, we get heat and electricity.

The Galt City Council recently considered ways to remedy the issue of litter left behind on the Galt Market grounds following events there. Vendors and the city waste official were asked for their feedback.

Fort Bragg is embarking on an innovative pilot project to desalt ocean water for the Mendocino Coast community using carbon-free wave action to power an energy-intensive process that in other cases generates climate changing greenhouse gases.

As the industry invests $40 billion in new US electric car plants, the rapid transformation raises labor and supply chain issues. Automaker Ford says, “we’re all in.”

Lake Mead, a key water source for California and six other states, is close to drying up. Water policy expert Felicia Marcus says dramatic action is needed on conservation, recycling and efficiency.

Despite rhetoric from politicians and media talking heads that California is a “green leader,” the reality is much different as regulators continue to approve thousands of oil well drilling permits.

Trucking companies say the deadlines for converting big rigs, delivery trucks and other heavy vehicles are unachievable and will cause “chaos and dysfunction.” The move is designed to clean communities' air, especially near ports, warehouses and freeways.

And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

From brainy write-ups to passionate pleas for reform, here are selected excerpts from CalMatters' Earth Day op-ed contest.

The C.K. McClatchy High School Eco Club has been fighting the environmental crisis in their own community by picking up trash around the school and informing students about the harmful effects of climate change. Members also are teaming up with the Sacramento Tree Foundation to plant as many trees as possible.