April 2009

Foam ban expands
The city of Monterey has joined the growing list of jurisdictions that have banned polystyrene take-out containers. The ordinance will go into effect in late August. As we go to press, the City of Watsonville was working to follow suit. This effort, however, is encountering opposition from the American Chemistry Council and the Plastics Food Packaging Group who have written letters to Watsonville against the ban. Other local jurisdictions which have already banned Styrofoam are Capitola, Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, Scotts Valley, and the County of Santa Cruz.

On the edge
A Pinnacles condor is in intensive care in the Los Angeles Zoo after suffering from lead poisoning and also having been shot. Condor #286 was approaching maturity and starting to make courtship displays before the incident which is seen as a major setback to the plan of establishing breeding pairs in the wild.

Spy on eagles
Caltrans has set up an “eagle-cam” near Redding focused on a Bald Eagle nest, hopefully containing chicks by the time you read this. To take a peek visit turtlebay.org.

Wind, water, and sun best
A Stanford University researcher has conducted the first quantitative, scientific evaluation of various energy sources and has determined that wind, water, and sun are the best ways to improve energy security, mitigate global warming, and reduce deaths caused by air pollution. Mark Z. Jacobson recommends against nuclear, coal, and both corn and cellulosic ethanol. For details read his article online.

Reducing waste
The City of Toronto, Canada has banned the sale of bottled water on city premises such as golf courses by 2011. Other waste reduction measures enacted by their City Council include a 5¢ charge on plastic bags from grocery and retail stores starting in June and a ban on biodegradable and compostable plastic bags. Cities across Canada are planning restrictions on bottled water.

Top lop must stop
Film star Ashley Judd has teamed up with the Sierra Club to fight mountaintop removal coal mining. Judd, who grew up in Kentucky, said, “Our mountains are our heritage and our legacy to future generations. But big coal companies are using explosives to literally blow the tops off the mountains, extract the coal and destroy Appalachia.”

Coordinating change
How will changes in stream temperatures affect fish populations? What will sea level rise do to endangered species? To address and coordinate the answers to these and other questions, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has established a new National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center to better understand the effects of climate change on fish and wildlife and to help agencies adapt management strategies. To learn more visit http://nccw.usgs.gov.

Dumping coal
Governors are changing their minds about coal. New coal power plants planned for South Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin have been opposed by officials. States, businesses and local officials are increasingly focusing on newer, cleaner, more efficient technologies that can help both our economy and our climate.

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