San Benito 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 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.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

01/29/2025
Image for display with article titled County Installs Solar Panel Array at San Martin Animal Center

The goats at the Santa Clara County Animal Services Center in San Martin have a new source of shade: an array of solar panels that generate power for the 37,000-square-foot shelter.

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.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

01/09/2025
Image for display with article titled Wildfarmers Receives Grant to Support Blue Oak Woodland Habitat Stewardship

Wildfarmers is a nonprofit dedicated to connecting and strengthening wildlife, wilderness and human communities, through the enhancement of native habitat, aquifers, and forest lands; specifically pertaining to the ancient Blue Oak forests of California and the 2500 species they house.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

12/31/2024
Image for display with article titled Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Event Returns to Hollister and San Juan Bautista

The Scouts of Troop 436, Troop 2436, Troop 428, and Troop 2428 will once again be offering their beloved Christmas Tree Recycling service this January.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

12/23/2024
Learn about the bill introduced by Rep. Jimmy Panetta which would initiate the process to designate the communities neighboring the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as a National Heritage Area, and what that would entail.

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.

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.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

11/11/2024
Image for display with article titled CDFW Seeks Public Comment Related to Western Burrowing Owl

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking data and public comments on a petition to list the western burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act.

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.

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.

Benito Link logo From Benito Link...

10/21/2024
Image for display with article titled San Benito County Water District Works to Meet Region’s Needs Amid Drought

As the region’s overall water supply and demand for municipal and industrial uses are almost on par at current usage levels, the San Benito County Water District is working on expanding resources to account for immediate future demands.

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.