Tag: "california"
Water Becoming California’s Gold
For those in the East Bay, a lush green lawn for lounging may become a thing of the past. Photo Credit Michele Nikoloff It was the talk of my Wednesday morning Pilates class. "I'm letting my lawn die, but saving the plants. Plants are harder to replace." "We only lived in our house six months [...]
Post on Jul 11, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
A fishy odyssey through the delta
Talk about a wild ride. Every year, millions of fish make a strange and harrowing detour through the Skinner Fish Facility, part of the State Water Project's facilities in the Delta. In my last post, I wrote about my visit to the Banks Pumping Plant, whose giant pumps slurp water from the Delta to help [...]
Post on Jul 07, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Reporter's Notes: Wildlife CSI
I knew I was in trouble when I saw the jars. Big jars, filled with tinted liquid, with weird things suspended in them. Things that definitely used to be alive, and that I would not have wanted to see when they WERE alive. "One of my favorites is this one here," says my host, Senior [...]
Post on Jun 27, 2008 by David Gorn
A Village Takes on Global Warming
Each big storm with a high tide and an onshore wind takes a big bite out of Sarichef.Photo By Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition In an email this week from John Woodward, an Alaska builder and Home Energy author, he wrote, "I put together a working/management group to manage the relocation of the community of [...]
Post on Jun 16, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Where Water Runs Uphill
Harvey O. Banks Pumping PlantI'm standing in the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant, part of the State Water Project (SWP), looking at a set of huge pumps that slurp water from the Delta and hoist it 244 feet to the mouth of the California Aqueduct. The sensation is a little akin to the how I [...]
Post on Jun 05, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Saving Energy in a Hurry
Yeah Alaska! Yeah Brazil! Yeah California? The people of Juneau saved electricity in a hurry– when electricity went to 55 cents per kilowatt-hourIn Juneau, Alaska, an avalanche on April 16th downed transmission lines and cut off the city from it's cheap source of hydroelectric power; electricity prices jumped by 500%. Alan Meier-a scientist at Lawrence [...]
Post on Jun 02, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Producer's Notes - Biofuels: Beyond Ethanol
A sample of switchgrass at Sandia National LaboratoriesIt doesn't need to be said that there's a heated debate about how to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions with actions that lessen our society's carbon footprint. Biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel are one option. They're touted as being carbon neutral because the CO2 they emit comes from crops [...]
Post on Apr 08, 2008 by Sheraz Sadiq
Sticking up for the little guy: the California freshwater shrimp
This year the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) will celebrate its 35th anniversary. Under the ESA over 1,350 species are listed in the United States as threatened or endangered, including over 300 in California. This includes a number of "celebrities" of the conservation world such as the humpback whale and California condor, but also dozens [...]
Post on Apr 07, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Plug-in Hybrids Get a Boost
Today's San Francisco Chronicle reports on the California Air Resources Board's decision to require automakers to produce more low-emissions cars such as plug-in hybrids and on the plug-ins that GM, Toyota and Ford are now testing. If you're curious about how plug-in hybrids actually achieve 100 miles per gallon, watch Plug-in Hybrid Cars, the story [...]
Post on Mar 28, 2008 by Gabriela Quirós
Stamping out the Apple Moth
A tiny moth, new to California, is at the center of a controversy pitting state officials against Bay Area residents and politicians. The Light Brown Apple Moth is seen as a threat to California crops. Now the State Department of Food and Agriculture is planning to spray a synthetic hormone over Bay Area neighborhoods this [...]
Post on Mar 06, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
Your Photos on QUEST: and the winner is…
Congratulations to Flickr community member Erin Malone (erin_designr) of San Francisco, CA! Windy Grass – by Erin MaloneErin will be collaborating with KQED staff on our 2 minute Your Photos on QUEST segment for broadcast and web distribution. Her stunning set of Alviso Slough pinhole images wowed our KQED QUEST editorial staff. Her winning submission [...]
Post on Mar 04, 2008 by Craig Rosa
Reporter's notes: Sewage Happens
photo courtesy of the San Francisco Public Utilities CommissionWe’d had "aging infrastructure" on our story lists for some time when we first heard about the sewage spills in Mill Valley. When news came in that not just one, but two sewage spills had poured five million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Richardson Bay, we [...]
Post on Feb 21, 2008 by Amy Standen
Live! from the Green Carpet
January and February are exciting months for movie buffs like me. And no, I'm not referring to Golden Globes, Oscar nominations, or Screen Actors Guild awards. I'm talking about two wonderful "green" film festivals, both right here in our own watershed: the recent Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, and the San [...]
Post on Feb 04, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Who Controls Your Thermostat? Part 2
No, this is not Big Brother. Credit: Jim GunshinanThe answer to the question, Who controls your thermostat?, which I raised in an earlier post, is now clearly answered. You control your thermostat! The California Energy Commission (CEC) was to require, as part of the 2008 Title 24 building standards, that all new homes be outfitted [...]
Post on Jan 25, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Super Laser
It's one of the most expensive high-tech projects the United States has ever attempted, and some say it will never work. QUEST visits the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, where scientists will soon aim the world's largest laser at a target the size of a pencil eraser. The goal? Nuclear fusion — and, they say, [...]
Post on Jan 10, 2008 by Amy Standen
The Great Migration: Cal Academy moves 20 million specimens across town
At 5pm on Sunday January 6, 2008, California Academy of Sciences closed its temporary location in order to start the move back to Golden Gate Park. On September 27, 2008 the Academy will open to the public once again in its new home in the Park. Many curious museum-goers have asked, why the long gap [...]
Post on Jan 09, 2008 by Cat
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