All Blog Posts (83)

The East Bay produces a cornucopia of tree fruits that we love to eat, such as apples, figs, and plums. But what about our beloved avocado (Persea americana)?

Hearing reports of avocado trees growing quietly among us, I followed clues in search of these elusive trees and found them living almost unnoticed all over the East Bay, from Fremont to Antioch. Some are majestic, towering…

Front Desk/Receptionist - Full-Time in Hayward, CA

Employer: Electronic Waste Management/Acquisitions Office in Hayward, CA.  E-Waste & Office Furniture Recycling Company

Salary: DOE



Duties - General Administrative work including:

Customer service - greets clients, customers and office guests

Answers phones using multi-line system

Prepares quotes, invoices, work orders, driver logs/manifests…

One Japanese man created a small machine that turns plastic into oil - small steps can change the future! Plastic to Oil - Our World 2.0

Toyota Environmental Report 2012 covers all aspects of the their vehicle lifecycles - research and development, manufacturing, logistics and sales. Relationships with suppliers and dealerships, as well as how we support environmental stewardship and education initiatives.

Check out the 2012 At-A-Glance Toyota Environmental Report 2012

A friend of mine recently had some renovation done for her one-story house, including replacing the flooring.

The energy-conscious contractor sealed the perimeter of the concrete slab to cut off any air from infiltrating... Read more http://greenremodelforum.com/grf/?p=2296

Often I have read or heard environmentalist or energy conscious individuals saying to dry their clothes naturally with the sun because it saves energy. This is indeed true.

In fact, the sun’s benefit goes much beyond saving energy. The ultraviolet radiation from the sun kills germs very effectively and removes odor. No wonder people talk about the “fresh” smell of sun dried clothes.

Researchers have found that clothes carry more germs today than before, in part due to the…

Last week I attended the PCBC Exhibition in San Francisco. This year there are more exhibitors and attendees than last year, which is good. Many products have been shown before, but two caught my eyes as particularly useful to help conserve water.

The first product was the Rainbird subsurface drip irrigation system for lawns and other landscaping purposes. They’ve been around for a few years but I just paid more attention to it this year. It’s a small tube with small holes and…

Distributed renewable generation systems such as solar electric and solar hot water systems are great ways to get clean energy. The price of these systems, in particular solar electric systems, has come down in prices so much in recent years that homeowners may want to consider installing them.

While the energy generated is clean, the manufacturing process and disposal of renewable systems, however, still have environmental implications.…

The Solar Event, sponsored by the City of San Ramon and Sustainable San Ramon had a very good turnout at the San Ramon Community Center on June 5, 2012. The presentation of the event, targeted for the homeowner audience, focused on current information about costs of solar electric (also called solar photovoltaic or solar PV for short) system installations and financing options. It was intended to help homeowners decide if this is the time to get onto the freight...Read more…

Hello  Happy 4th of July, I just went to the Pleasant Hill parade and want to know if and how I could get the community garden or Sustainable Contra Costa to be in a float for next year's parade.

Debby

by Tom Philpott

May 31, 2012

Mother Jones

In November, California voters will decide on a ballot initiative that would require labeling of all foods containing ingredients from genetically modified crops. The initiative made it to the ballot after almost 1 million Californians signed a petition in favor of it—nearly double the 504,760 signatures needed under the state's proposition rules. The campaign that organized the push to get the measure on the ballot focused on…

A blog post by Glenn Forslin

This is like rehab, getting off of the power grid, but its not a 12-step to recovery – it’s only a 10-step toward power independence.

1. Determine your historical energy use from your past electric bills. Pay attention to the difference between summer and winter power usage.
2. Determine your roof area available for photovoltaic panels. the panels mounted on your roof or ground contain the photovoltaic (PV) cells which convert sunlight into…

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, June 4, 2012 - photo courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62242291@N04/6206521698/…

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, May 30, 2012

During a week spent ensconced in the depths of the concept of degrowth at the Degrowth in the Americas conference, it was encouraging to find that population issues were interwoven  into plenaries and workshops throughout the week.  The issue is often viewed as taboo and/or the elephant in the…

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, May 16, 2012…

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, May 15, 2012…

Reuse is the gold standard in green remodeling. It saves you money while applying sustainable practices.

Kitchen is the most used area in a home. They do get worn out after years of use. If your kitchen still functional, you may want to consider these 4 easy steps to give your kitchen a new look.

Paint cabinets with zero or low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint...

Read more,…

By Suzanne York, HowMany.org, May 14, 2012

People and the Planet a report by…

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has gained worldwide popularity in recent years. Many products are available on the market. Prices have come down. There are still federal and state incentives for solar PV installations.

Solar PV systems offer great money and energy savings opportunities. Nevertheless, solar PV systems are still big-ticket items. The good news is that there are many different ways to pay for the energy generated by solar PV systems at your…