Notice: Sustainable San Rafael is currently re-evaluating how we organize to address policy issues. While this is going on, the "News" and "Resources" areas of our website are not being updated. We hope to re-launch the site with exciting new content by summer of '09. Until then, please check our Home and Events pages for our current activities. (January 2009)
 

Lifestyle Change Goes Mainstream? - It has long been an article of faith in the sustainability movement that somehow, someday, we in the west will have to make some big-time changes in our consumption of "stuff" or we're all doomed. And for just as long, 99% of the public has viewed this argument only as proof that environmentalists are out of touch with reality (and no fun at all!). On Sunday March 8, the idea of sweeping lifestyle change was finally aired seriously in the mainstream: Tom Friedman of the New York Times - - probably the most influential, solidly mainstream voice in journalism - - wrote a profound column arguing that the current economic crisis may be less a "recession" than a case of the bill finally coming due for our unsustainable lifestyle. If you didn't see it, you can read it here. This may be a breakthrough moment.

GreenSage.Com is a great one-stop resource for information about green building practices, materials and people. It goes beyond this, though, to provide a clearing house of recent news on a broad range of sustainability issues. You can subscribe to their monthly e-mail digest that links to their very well-done E-zine.

Flex Your Power doesn't fit in any one of the categories below, it covers them all! This is a great resource for anything dealing with energy use in California from public policy to Green Building to energy-saving tips for consumers. We're all paying for it through the Public Goods set-aside in all our electric bills, so we might as well use it. Perhaps the best part of their site is their twice-monthly e-newswire, whch pulls together lots of breaking news stories about energy efficiency with very well-organized follow-up links. You can read it on their site or subscribe to get it by e-mail.

Waste Reduction/Recycling

Diversion of supposedly "recycled" e-waste to third world countries is finally getting some attention. Here is a great recent story on the subject from Salon (220kb .pdf). It details what's likely to really happen to your old computer and how the U.S. is far behind Europe and Japan in attacking this problem. In addition, here's a sidebar to that story (35kb .doc) that tells you how to make sure your old computer actually winds up in a responsible recycling program. (It's a down-loadable Word file to preserve all the good links it contains.)

Green Building

Build it Green is a non-profit dedicated to transforming the building industry by providing resources, training and support in green design and construction practices. Their site includes lots of fact sheets and databases on materials and methods. They also regularly schedule Green Building workshops for both builders and homeowners. Check their website for the current schedule.

Greenbuilders of Marin specializes in green construction and remodeling. Lots of info on green building practices and materials.

Green Fusion Design Center is a store in San Anselmo that specializes in green building materials and home furnishing. They're also a good resource for connecting with local green-oriented designers and construction companies.

SSU Environmental Technology Center (ETC) A great resource at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park that works with the community to conduct research and demonstrations of green building and energy technologies.

Sun Power & Geothermal A certified San Rafael green company that is an area leader in designing and installing solar electric systems on new and existing construction. Lots of information on costs, how net metering works, rebates and tax credits, etc.

Northern California Solar Energy Association is a volunteer organization founded back in 1976 with the goal of making solar a primary energy source in the 21st century (that's now!) Lots of information both for advocates and for people who are interested in installing solar.

Good reading on green building

LEED Gold Office Buildings a great story from the April 16, 2006 New York Times on two large new office towers that were built to LEED Gold standards. (338 kb .pdf)
"Green Building Gaining More Converts" from the Marin IJ, May 4, 2005
"It's So Easy Building Green" from Tom Paine.com April 26, 2005
"Blueprint for Disaster?" from On Earth, the Magazine of the NRDC

Community Choice Aggregation

CCA is the process whereby a city or county in California can replace the traditional utility company as the bulk purchaser of electricity for the homes and businesses within its boundaries. It offers a number of potential economic benefits, including the ability to move more rapidly toward greater use of renewable sources. Marin County is currently studying the possibility of forming a CCA entity. Click here to go to the county's CCA webpages, where you can read the feasibility studies that have been presented to the County Supervisors.

Here's a great three-page summary (2mb .pdf) of the opportunity for Marin and the choices we face as we move ahead. It's from Local Power , the site of Paul Fenn, one of the original advocates for CCA. Their site has lots of resources on CCA and other paths to energy independence for Bay Area communities.

San Francisco is in the lead in actually implementing a CCA plan. This page of the SF Public Utilities Commission site contains the city's actual draft plan in PDF form.

Opinion from the SF Guardian on the CCA program in San Francisco. Passionately pro-CCA, but interesting reading even if you aren't (yet?).

FAQs on Community Choice Power. Includes lots more CCA links.
PG&E Fights Back. That's funny. They say they're neutral on CCA.
Aggregation Works! an editorial.

Oakland is also studying CCA and was part of a California Energy Commission demonstration project. This link takes you to the feasibility studies that were done for Oakland.

The California Local Government Commission has a pilot project to help local governments understand CCA and the process for doing analyses, feasibility studies, etc. Not as exciting as the green activist sites, but valuable if you want to understand the nuts and bolts of the process as a member of a county or city board would see it.

Marin Clean Alternative Energy Now (Marin CAN!) is a project of Sustainable Fairfax. Since 1999 they've been working on community solutions for cleaner energy, including CCA.

Women's Energy Matters approaches energy efficiency from a woman's point of view. Their site includes a good information page and links on Community Choice.

Other Sustainability sites

Union of Concerned Scientists has news, reports and lots of practical tips on a wide range of sustainability issues.

Bioneers is a hub of practical solutions for restoring the Earth and its people. The center of their work is their 16th annual conference, to be held October 20-22, 2006 at the Marin Center. There will be dozens of speakers on subjects that cover the widest possible definition of sustainability, with regional conferences tied-in from all over North America by satellite.