After an unusually warm October, the new chill in the air has all of us at Sustainable
Contra Costa thinking about pumpkin pie, mulled cider and all things fall. Whether
you’re a fiend for sweet potatoes and marshmallows or crave mashed potatoes with l
The holidays are a great time to reconnect with friends and family members, and to eat a lot of really good food. Conversations may range from friendly piecrust discussions to exciting political discourse. One subject that seems likely to come up o
Did you know roughly half of US Farmland will be changing ownership due to retirement of a whole generation of farmers over the next two decades?
First Generation Farmers (501c3 non-profit) runs a three-year program that offers land access, provides i
Public Input Needed
The misuse of prescription medication has become a serious public health issue in Contra Costa County and across the nation. We need your input to help identify the best methods of disposing unused, expired or unwanted, and left
Read more…The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (District) is a regional government agency, committed to achieving clean air to protect the public's health and the environment. The District accomplishes this goal through regulation of industrial facilit
Read more…Insecticides (which kill insects) and herbicides (which kill weeds), often grouped together collectively as “pesticides,” are used worldwide to the tune of 5 billion pounds per year. These poisons infiltrate our water, soil, air, and food, thereby af
Last month we witnessed the devastating impacts of fire that was fueled by years of drought and a recent welcomed (but dangerous) rainy season. It seems counter-intuitive that we’d see an increased fire danger after a rainy 2016-2017, but there’s a
Read more…There are so many reasons to harvest rainwater. The obvious one is that water is more precious than ever, especially in California during drought, and rain is a freebie! The trick is to learn how to harness and store rain so you can use it as needed.
Read more…Contra Costa County and the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority are seeking committed residents to help shape sustainability policies and make recommendations on funding wetland restoration projects around the Bay.
First, Contra Costa County's n
Have you heard of the Plastic Free July challenge? It is a global challenge aiming to reduce society’s demand for disposable plastics by encouraging people to decline single-use plastics such as plastic grocery bags, straws, and packaging. Accordin
Many toiletries contain tiny beads of plastic less than a millimeter thick called microbeads. These function as cleansers and exfoliates, and companies use then in countless products, even toothpaste. Unfortunately, these microbeads go down the drain
Read more…Adorning your home with holiday themed decor is a fun way for many to celebrate the holiday season. Though there are plenty of beautiful decorations in stores all around us, consider recreating something old or worn into a personalized piece for your
Read more…Did you pledge to grow food, save water, conserve energy, reduce your waste, or build community during the month of May? June has arrived, and the 2015 Community Resilience Challenge has come to a successful close. Our passionate and dedicated team i
Read more…Nail polish remover, paint, kerosene, window cleaner… Sometimes we buy cleaners and other chemicals, use them a couple of times, and then retire them to the back of a bathroom cabinet or that dusty shelf in the garage. So what do you do with that st
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Sustainable Contra Costa has teamed up with Central San to teach elementary and high school students about local water issues and protecting the local watershed. Through the Water Wizards program, we take elementary school kids on an interactive adve
The Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill’s Rain Harvesting Project envisions rain catchment systems at every home and public space to promote water conservation in our arid climate. To date, fifty 55 gallon rain barrels have been installed at 14 private home
Read more…It’s that time of year again when we tend to overindulge in holiday eating. And just as we worry about “clogging our arteries” with fatty foods, we should think twice about clogging our plumbing with kitchen grease.
Even after composting bones, skin,
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