Sustainability Image

Tahoe Truckee Region Sustainability Articles



Sierra Sun logo LOCAL NEWS
Truckee Fire District to accept proposals for 2024–26 Curbside Green Waste Services

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Truckee Fire Protection District (Truckee Fire) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 9, 2024, for the 2024-2026 Curbside Green Waste Services. Truckee Fire is seeking qualified and interested contractors and/or organizations to provide green waste …

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Vail Resorts says it’s ahead of schedule for zero net emissions by 2030

Vail Resorts says as a company, the product it's selling is the environment, a fact that undergirds its approach to business.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
South Tahoe food waste program open Tuesday – Saturday

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., – The South Tahoe Refuse program has been underway for just under a week at the new buyback station. STR's residential customers can now drop off food waste scraps for free Tuesday – Saturday from 9 …

Sierra Sun logo LOCAL NEWS
Climate Profile: David Carter of Deep Planet

Welcome to the Climate Profile, a feature brought to you by the North Tahoe chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ which explores the stories of local citizens and how climate change has affected their lives.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
First dive survey of Lake Tahoe’s lakebed finds high amounts of plastic, other litter

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Plastic litter is a growing problem around the world, and new research shows that the bottom of Lake Tahoe is no exception. In one of the first studies to utilize scuba divers to collect litter from …

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
South Tahoe Refuse to more garbage bin sizes, animal resistant bins

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., – South Tahoe Refuse announced, in preparation of the 2024 Summer transition to the 3-cart program for California customers, additional sizes have been added and residents may now choose a 35-gallon animal-resistant garbage cart as well …

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: Ocean waves may be good for more than surfing. They may play a role in reducing California's greenhouse gas emissions.
California Looks to Ocean Waves For New Clean Energy Source

Only a few small demonstration projects off the West Coast have harnessed the power of waves and tides. Costs are high and hurdles are challenging.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
The significant environmental impact of Tahoe’s scarce wetlands

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Research shows that one acre of healthy Sierra Nevada wetlands can capture as much carbon from the air as one acre of a tropical rainforest.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Debate on Tahoe forest health best practices continue on cusp of timber mill opening

Over the last century, scientists, environmentalists, the U.S. Forest Service, the government, ecologists, firefighters, and Indigenous people have all had different opinions about best logging and forest management practices. Whether that's to help mitigate fire risk, create construction materials, or …

Image caption: Even as the state has set ambitious clean energy goals, California is once again slashing incentives for rooftop solar power.
California Slashes Rooftop Solar Incentives—Again

The utilities commission reduced payments to apartments, schools and businesses selling solar power to the grid despite a barrage of criticism. Commissioners say it reverses unfair subsidies.

Image caption: A definitive federal report says California’s economy suffers more than almost all states from the effects of climate change.
California Among Top 5 Worst Climate Change States, Report Says

California ranks among the top states suffering economic damage from climate-related disasters. The report describes food shortages, floods, droughts, wildfires, pollution, disease—all linked to climate change.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
The wrong kind of blooms: Climate change, invasive clams are fueling algae growth on Lake Tahoe

While out enjoying an afternoon on one of Lake Tahoe's sandy beaches over the past few years, you might have noticed large mats of decomposing algae washing up or floating nearby. The lake's famed blue waters are facing another threat …

Sierra Sun logo LOCAL NEWS
Unveiling of Donner Lake Sculpture: Trash to Treasure

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Thanks to artists Yustina Salnikova and Joel Dean from Building 180, an all-inclusive art production and consulting agency that specializes in creating intricate art installations from start to finish, trash literally became...

Image caption: California is considering an end to a program that gives tax credits for cow poop–based biofuels.
Climate Credits for Cow Manure: Program May End Soon

California grants climate credits for fuel made from cow manure, but there’s a paradox: The state’s program encourages collection of methane yet promotes natural gas.

Image caption: There is a wind-turbine arms race underway in China, which already manufactures windmills whose blades sweep an area the size of 10 football fields per spin.
Wind Turbine Developments off Central Coast on ‘Fast Track’

Ocean wind farms are essential to electrify California’s grid with 100% clean energy. But they’re a giant, costly experiment—no one knows how hundreds of towering turbines will transform the remote North Coast.

Image caption: Conservation director Bryan Largay helps the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County choose its priorities.
A Conversation with California Conservationist Bryan Largay

The conservation director of Land Trust of Santa Cruz talks about the highlights of his work, and some of the issues he sees in maintaining California’s parks.

Sierra Sun logo LOCAL NEWS
Climate Profile: Mike Varela, Mighty Mike Plumbing deliver efficient water heating to the Truckee area

If you want to reduce your energy bills while improving your home's climate footprint, you might already be thinking of converting your conventional water heater to a more efficient heat pump water heater. But whom...

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Inaugural Lake Tahoe Electric Transportation Summit brings together agency leaders to talk solutions

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.— The inaugural Lake Tahoe Electric Transportation Summit was held at Lake Tahoe Community College on Friday, Sept. 29, bringing together community members, business owners, and agency leaders to discuss the importance...

Sierra Sun logo LOCAL NEWS
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation awards over $500k to support private landowners in the battle against wildfires

Forest Futures, a Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation initiative, announced the implementation of the Truckee North Tahoe Forest Management Program.

Featured

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
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
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
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Dairy products are California’s top agricultural commodity, but the industry is often criticized for its impact on the environment.
Sustainable Sustenance
Greener ways to feed the world’s growing population
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
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
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
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
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
Installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030 is essential if California is to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions.