All items from Imagination Coast News

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The growing concern over hydraulic fracturing, the technology that has led to an oil and gas boom in many parts of the country, has caught the attention of California lawmakers as companies seek to expand production in the San ...

Carmel River Watershed Conservancy revives drug take-back program.

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Thu, 03/21/2013

Members of the Santa Cruz Warriors were stationed throughout the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center to speak with children and raise funds for the center. For $25, a child and parent could interact with basketball players while learning about the Monterey Bay.

Monterey County water officials have released a draft study that would set the ... outlines how growers and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency would ...

... is it addresses both net-zero energy and net-zero waste,” says Susan Clizbe, ... backed by the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, in Gonzales.

City works out financing for conference center remodel; small hotels push back.

Public Citizen 03.21.13

LED lighting at the Santa Cruz, California Wastewater Treatment Facility has reduced ... As part of a citywide Climate Action Program to reduce energy ...

Sustainable Plant

The litigation, by the CBD and Sierra Club, contends that the bureau leased more than 2500 acres in Monterey and Fresno counties to oil companies without ...

By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY Fort Ord Reuse Authority counsel Jerry Bowden is stepping away from the job he says has become too political. The FORA board Friday ...

A new study predicts that the Monterey Shale oil formation underlying much of the southern Central Valley will fuel substantial economic growth in California for years to come -- assuming continued use of the controversial but effective technique known ...

Traces of Fukushima radiation help scientists track Pacific bluefin migration.

Orbuch's students present their research at the Santa Cruz County Science Fair ... and serves on the Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment and the ...

Meet Pinnacles, America's newest national park. And if you're lucky enough to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's right in your back yard.
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../pinnacles-national-park_n_28684...

Haussler is a distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering in the Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute ...

MarketWatch

SANTA CRUZ — The annual Math, Engineering and Science Achievement preliminary ... and Soledad convened at the Jack Baskin School of Engineering to compete ...

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Fri, 03/08/2013

For the fourth year in a row, Granite Construction earned a spot on a list of the world's most ethical companies as rated by Ethisphere, a global think tank promoting best practices.

Of Pinnacles National Park wonders and Watering Trough natural beauty.
www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/.../soledad-frontier/

MPC students build robots – and business experience – with new nonprofit.

Major solar farm proposed for southeast county ag land.

San Juan Bautista, Calif.-based Earthbound Farm is honored for two frozen organic products, its dark sweet cherries and its kale. The grower-shipper's fresh ...

by Earthbound Farm SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, Calif. – Prevention.com just published its “ 100 Cleanest Packaged Foods Awards 2013” list and organic pioneer ...

Santa Cruz Surfing Museum goes solar thanks to donation

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22711549/santa-cruz-surfing-museum-goes-solar-thanks-d...

By Callum Beals

Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted:   03/03/2013 09:13:38 PM PST

SANTA CRUZ -- The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum has gone solar thanks to a $10,000 solar panel donation from Sandbar Solar & Electric.

According to the city of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department, the new panels on the museum's west roof will help save up to 80 percent on the museum's annual electric bill.

The museum nearly closed in 2009 due to budget cuts and pressure to trim operating costs throughout the city. But thanks to donations from organizations such as the Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Society and companies such as Sandbar, the museum is on solid footing, according to a press release from the Parks and Recreation Department.

Carol Scurich, recreation superintendent with the Parks and Recreation Department, said the museum's finances were in a bad way in 2009.

"It seemed to me that it was really close to closing, but thank goodness for the Santa Cruz Surfing Club Preservation Society," Scurich said. "They really stepped up, donating over $20,000 each year."

Sandbar continued the tradition of donating to the museum, as it finished installation of solar panels in February.

Scott Laskey, Sandbar's owner, said he first became concerned for the museum when he heard about its potential closure in 2009. About six months ago, he approached the preservation society and asked what Sandbar could do to help.

He found his answer with the donation of solar panels to the museum, solarizing the lighthouse.

"With all the budget cuts, there's always pressure to lower operating costs." Laskey said. "I thought, 'If we can donate, we can help them stay open.'"

Sandbar donated a photovoltaic system. Photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into energy by absorbing the energy from the sun and then converting that light energy into electric energy. The panels are mounted to the roof and directly tied into the lighthouse's pre-existing electrical grid, in turn reducing the museum's monthly power bill.

Due to the museum's cliffside location, water- and rust-resistant equipment was required to combat the corrosive nature of ocean air.

For Laskey, solarizing the museum and lighthouse also holds symbolic value.

"It's the symbol for the city of Santa Cruz," Laskey said. "It's an identity for the city, both culturally and physically. I think that solarizing the lighthouse fits right into the culture of sustainability in Santa Cruz."

Recreation Superintendent Scurich echoed Laskey's sentiment on the symbolic nature of the lighthouse.

"That's our icon, our logo, to keep these doors open and the history of surfing in Santa Cruz accessible is really important for the city," Scurich said.

Local farmers also depend on this water to irrigate their crops. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) is opposed to fracking in this area, ...

Natural Resources Defense Council