Yolo 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 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%.

West Sacramento News Ledger logo From West Sacramento News Ledger...

09/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Yolo County Office of Education Launches School Resiliency and Sustainability Project

It is the first County Office of Education in the U.S. to move forward with the operation of its own independent microgrid.

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 Daily Democrat...

08/17/2024
Recology Davis and Meals on Wheels Yolo County are collaborating on a five month pilot project to reduce waste in packaging and promote recycling.

California Local Pin Marker From Daily Democrat...

08/14/2024
Learn more about how the Yolo County landfill works hard to divert as much refuse and trash into recycling and other secondary use programs.

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 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 Daily Democrat...

07/11/2024
Hedgerow Farms in Yolo County specializes in cultivating native plants for seeds to be used in land restoration.

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.

The Dirt logo From The Dirt...

07/03/2024
Image for display with article titled Charge Your Electric Vehicle for Free in Davis With New Solar-Powered Station

The City of Davis has installed a free, solar mobile electric vehicle charger—the first of it's kind in the region, according to City officials.

West Sacramento News Ledger logo From West Sacramento News Ledger...

06/25/2024
Image for display with article titled Trail Extension Fights Compounding Carbon

Congresswoman Doris Matsui, Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, Yolo County and West Sacramento officials announced that the city will receive a $1.9-million grant through the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Carbon Reduction Program.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/17/2024
Legal rights to use water — particularly those obtained prior to 1914 — lie at the heart of California’s perpetual wrangling over the allocation of increasingly limited water supplies.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/13/2024
Tens of thousands of California homeowners, especially those who live in areas at risk of wildfires, have lost their insurance or have to pay more to keep coverage. One after another, major companies have pulled out of the state, many citing the cost of claims.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/12/2024
Aiming to store more water and protect the public, legislators are negotiating with the governor to restore $50 million to help repair 42 aging dams throughout the state.

California Local Pin Marker From Davis Enterprise...

06/07/2024
The Yolo County Department of Community Service announced a third round of climate action community workshops and the release of the draft 2030 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/07/2024
The two-day CalMatters Ideas Festival wrapped on June 6 with more than a dozen events examining critical policy issues impacting the lives of millions of Californians.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/30/2024
These community projects can give renters and low-income homeowners a chance to go solar, but the PUC’s action is unlikely to give them the option.

West Sacramento News Ledger logo From West Sacramento News Ledger...

05/29/2024
Image for display with article titled Yolo County Seeks Community Partners for Home Energy Efficiency Programs

These initiatives align with Yolo County’s goal, established by the Board of Supervisors in 2020, to achieve a carbon-negative footprint by 2030.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/27/2024
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, flew more 6,000 miles to Rome this month to deliver a brief speech on climate change at a Vatican-sponsored conference.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/23/2024
It’s been almost a half-century since I first heard the term “peripheral canal” uttered by William Gianelli, who was then-Gov. Ronald Reagan’s top water official. The project, in one form or another, had already been kicking around for decades.
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