Environment

Green Bins for Organic Waste Coming to a Home Near You — Yours

December 1, 2022 by Source

Public Service Announcement

Green waste bins are being prepared to be rolled out to homes across the city of San Diego as the Department of Environmental services starts up their green waste program. All organic and food waste products will no longer be slated for the grey trash bins, but they now will be placed in the green bins with yard clippings.

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December 2022 Events From the Ocean Beach Green Center

December 1, 2022 by Source

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

*** Every Saturday at 10:30 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting — December 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st.

*** December Recommended by San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention

*** December 7th Wednesday 7 am – 8 am Air pollution, Climate and Health
*** December 7th Wednesday 6:30 pm – 8 pm Clean Energy Supply Forum
*** December 7th Wednesday 5 pm – 8 pm Join Business For Good
*** December 7th Wednesday 6 pm – 8 pm Ugly Sweater Mixer

*** December 8th Thursday 7:30 pm Voices of Our City Choir
*** December 8th Thursday 5 pm – 9 pm Joy Ride & Festivities

December 10th Saturday 9 am – 11 am Storm Drain Stenciling Day!

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Styrofoam Products to Be Banned in San Diego

November 16, 2022 by Source

by Elizabeth Ireland / Times of San Diego / Nov. 15, 2022

Styrofoam products are on their way out in San Diego following the city council vote on Tuesday, Nov. 15 approving an ordinance banning all single-use polystyrene foam food containers, utensils, coolers and pool toys effective next year.

According to a staff presentation at Tuesday’s meeting, while Styrofoam products are accepted in the city’s blue recycling bins, it is difficult to find a market willing to recycle them, and they often are sent to the landfill — if they don’t break up into tiny pieces and get into the region’s environment first.

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Surfrider Says ‘Support the San Diego Single Use Plastics Ordinance’

October 26, 2022 by Source

From San Diego Surfrider:

The foam ban is back! This Thursday, October 27, at 1pm, the San Diego Environment Committee will consider reintroducing the Single Use Plastic Reduction Ordinance before the full City Council for a vote.

The ordinance, which prohibits throwaway foam foodware citywide, was originally approved by the City Council back in January 2019. However, the City agreed to stay the ordinance and conduct an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to avoid a costly, plastics industry-funded lawsuit.

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California First in Nation to Ban Plastic Produce Bags

October 14, 2022 by Source

By Olivia Rosane / Nation of Change / Oct. 13, 2022

Much of the movement to reduce ocean plastic pollution has focused on the single-use plastic bags used to cart purchases away from the supermarket.

But there’s another type of plastic bag that is ubiquitous in grocery stores across the country: the handleless plastic bags typically on offer by the produce or meat sections for shoppers to tear off and use to separate their apples or cold cuts from the rest of their haul.

In California grocery stores, however, these other plastic bags will soon be a thing of the past. The state became the first in the nation to ban them in grocery stores

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San Diego Surfrider Co-Hosts Environmental Justice Bike and Van Tour at the US / Mexico Border — Sat., Oct.15

October 14, 2022 by Frank Gormlie

Interested and concerned residents in San Diego County can learn about the public health crisis at the border during the community bike and van tour co-hosted by the Surfrider Foundation and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR), starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.

This tour, which starts and ends at the entrance to Border Field State Park (1250 Monument Road) is the last in a month-long series of education and stewardship events that are part of the 13th annual Tijuana River Action Month, organized by the Tijuana River Action Network.

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UC San Diego Geophysicist: ‘Sports Arena Is Going to Be All Underwater in 10 or 20 Years’

October 13, 2022 by Staff

Helen Fricker is a geophysicist at UC San Diego who studies ice sheets such as the ones in Greenland and Antarctica. Back in August, she stated:

“The amount by which the ice is being added to the ocean is increasing. And we know that from satellite monitoring as well. What we are seeing is we’re actually tracking the high end of the worst case scenario of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) projections.”

Residents of San Diego will see the effects of rising sea levels in their lifetimes, as coastal flooding becomes more frequent and longer in duration, she said. Fricker pointed out that some low-lying areas will soon be underwater, specifically the area around San Diego’s Sports Arena, known as the Midway District.

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Decaying Florida Nuke Plant Has Extension to Operate Cut by NRC

October 10, 2022 by Michael Steinberg

Nuclear Shutdown News October 2022

By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

At this writing in early October, much of Florida is still devastated by Hurricane Ian. Little reporting mentions the role of global warming in this disaster. Less refers to the threat of the state’s nuclear power plants.

The Turkey Point’s two reactors started up in the early 1970s, making them a half century old now. Located in the greater Miami area, they represent another catastrophic threat to Floridians. Nuclear reactors are designed to run only 40 years. But as many US nuke plants approach or surpass that age, their owners have been applying to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend their operating lives for 20 years or more.

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‘The Lights Stayed On’ During Hurricane Ian in Florida’s Only Solar-Powered Town

October 3, 2022 by Source

Streets Designed for Flooding; Houses Built for Storms

By Rachel Ramirez/ CNN/ Oct. 2, 2022

Only 12 miles northeast of Fort Myers, yet seemingly light years away, Babcock Ranch calls itself “America’s first solar-powered town.” Its nearby solar array — made up of 700,000 individual panels — generates more electricity than the 2,000-home neighborhood uses, in a state where most electricity is generated by burning natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel.

The streets in this meticulously planned neighborhood were designed to flood so houses don’t.

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70+ Groups in ReWild Coalition Call on City Council to Fund Mission Bay Wetlands Restoration

September 30, 2022 by Source

Over 70 environmental and conservation groups in the ReWild Coalition called upon the San Diego City Council to fund Mission Bay wetlands restoration in next year’s budget. The groups rallied on Sept. 20 outside City Hall to request that the City Council earmark $250,000.

At the rally, Andrew Meyer, director of conservation at San Diego Audubon Society stated:

“After almost 30 years of inaction on the master plan, the City must show leadership, vision, and decisive action to restore the lungs of the bay, reconnecting us and protecting our communities from the climate crisis. It’s time to ReWild Mission Bay.”

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Surfrider to Hold Paddle Around OB Pier for the 30th Year – Sunday, Oct.2

September 29, 2022 by Source

Surfrider Summons Ocean Lovers to Paddle Around Ocean Beach Pier for the 30th Year

Event offers a mass display of solidarity for the protection of our coastline.

Ocean lovers and beach enthusiasts from throughout San Diego County can make a statement – wet or dry – in support of clean water at Surfrider Foundation San Diego County’s 30th annual Paddle for Clean Water, starting at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Ocean Beach Pier.

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New Polyurethane Material Biodegrades in Ocean Water

September 26, 2022 by Source

This Could Be a Sea Change for Plastic Pollution

By Mario Aguilera / UC San Diego Today / September 22, 2022

Plastics, now ubiquitous in the modern world, have become a rising threat to human and environmental health. Around the planet, evidence of plastic pollution stretches from grocery bags in the deep sea to microplastics in our food supplies and even in our blood.

Seeking solutions to counteract the rise in plastic trash, scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed new biodegradable materials that are designed to replace conventionally used plastic.

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San Diego Vets Call to Cancel Miramar Air Show – Will Protest on Carroll Canyon Overpass – Thurs., Sept.22

September 22, 2022 by Source

The San Diego Veterans For Peace, along with 16 other local environmental, social, and religious groups, will be again demonstrating at the Carroll Canyon Road overpass to the I-15, this Thursday, Sept 22nd between 4 and 6 PM, asking that the upcoming Miramar Air Show be cancelled, as an unnecessarily dangerous and environmental disaster. (Come inside for more.)

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‘Pollinators in the Garden’ – Special Workshop at OB Community Garden – Sat., Sept.24

September 21, 2022 by Source

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Our too little, too late climate action means triage more than prevention

September 8, 2022 by Source

By David Helvarg / Los Angeles Times / Sept. 6, 2022

Two years ago the sky above my San Francisco Bay Area home was a dark pumpkin orange from wildfire smoke. The air smelled of wood fire, and gray ash covered my car. Today the bay’s waters are dark brown from a harmful algal bloom and the air smells of decay and dead fish. Both incidents, like the heat dome California’s been suffering under since last week,

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Source of Sewage Spill that Closed OB’s Dog Beach Identified

September 7, 2022 by Frank Gormlie

Dog Beach in OB was closed for three days earlier this month due to a sewer spill that occurred up the San Diego River.

It turns out there was a sewage spill into the river from a storm water drain coming from Mission Hills. It not only caused an unusually strong stench but is likely the reason water in the area turned a milky color.

A public works spokesperson told CBS 8 the sewage seep “was caused by roots in the line causing 10,800 gallons of sewage to spill,” of which 4,000 gallons were recovered. But still Dog Beach had to be closed due to high bacterial counts. But it wasn’t the city that discovered the spill.

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September 2022 Events From the Ocean Beach Green Center

September 1, 2022 by Source

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

* Through September 7th “The Buses Are Coming.”

* September 7th Wednesday: Know Your Rights: Law Enforcement Encounters.

* September 8th Thursday 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Earth For All: A Survival Guide for Humanity

* September 10th Saturday 10 am – 11:30 am Raising Backyard Chickens Workshop

* September 10th Saturday 9 am – 12 pm Famosa Slough Work Party Event by Friends of Famosa Slough; 4285 W Point Loma Blvd,

* September 10th and 11th 10 am – 5 pm Home Energy and Electric Vehicle Show

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Keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Open Is a Dangerous Waste of Effort and Money

August 17, 2022 by Source

By Michael Hiltzik / Los Angeles Times / Aug. 16, 2022

The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant lies on the coast near San Luis Obispo within 20 miles of four active earthquake faults.

The faults were apparently unknown to the plant’s owner, Pacific Gas & Electric, which certified during the construction period that no such faults existed within that distance. Unit 2 was built in accordance with flawed blueprints.

There have been efforts to close the plant for years, gaining intensity as PG&E’s atrocious safety record came to light.

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Part 2 of Ocean Beach’s Coastal Access – A Power Point Presentation

August 12, 2022 by Source

Here is Part 2 of Kevin Hasting’s “Coastal Access in Ocean Beach – 2022 Update.” (Part 1 here.)

Kevin is the vice-chair of the OB Planning Board and made the this power point presentation at the board’s most recent meeting.

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PETA Files Complaint Against SeaWorld for Keeping Incompatible Animals Together, Following Death of 21-Year Old Orca

August 9, 2022 by Source

By Times of San Diego Editor / August8, 2022

PETA has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, calling on the agency to investigate SeaWorld San Diego after an incident that apparently took place Friday.

The animal activist group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is accusing the park of federal Animal Welfare Act violations over housing incompatible animals together. The filing came about, the organization said, after a park-goer sent in video of a clash among orcas Friday morning at the attraction.

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Here Is the Background to SeaWorld’s Orca ‘Nakai’ Who Just Died of Infection

August 9, 2022 by Source

Here is the report on Nakai By Cara Wilson-Granat

Prisoner #7: Nakai

Sweet-natured Nakai was born on September 1, 2001. His claim to fame is that he was the very first orca to be conceived through artificial insemination.

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Miramar Air Show Fuels the Climate Crisis – Boycott It!

August 9, 2022 by Source

By Gary Butterfield

As the visible effects of climate change resound throughout the earth, it becomes increasingly important that all of us do our part to responsibly reduce our carbon footprints. This is especially true in San Diego, since our oceans and our coasts are at high risk of damage by climate change.

San Diegans are asked to modify our behaviors to lessen our carbon usage; we must demand the same commitment from our institutions. Many local municipalities are revealing actions to help implement a meaningful Climate Action Plan to secure a Zero Carbon Future for their citizens. So far none of these plans address the military’s contribution to the climate crisis!

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August 2022 Events From the Ocean Beach Green Center

August 1, 2022 by Source

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Every Saturday 10:30 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting 20th and 27th.

August 18 Thurs. 5 pm PICNIC and Learn About “Door of Hope”; The Ocean Beach Historical Society invites you to bring a PICNIC to this FREE Special Event and Learn About “Door of Hope”, Thurs. Aug, 18, 2022 at 5 pm, at Collier Park West (At Greene St. & Soto St., San Diego, CA 92107) Bring your own picnic Food & gear.

August 18th Thursday 4:30pm – 7:30pm Summer Social! a reading by Daniele Horton – Earth’s Climate Heroes.

August 20th Saturday 11 am – 1pm San Diego Fixit Clinic in Lemon Grove E

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San Diegan Launches App to Provide Mapping Tool for Plastic Pollution on Beaches

July 15, 2022 by Source

By Ashley Mackin-Solomon / La Jolla Light / July 14, 2022

After a childhood in La Jolla and an education at La Jolla High School that left him with an appreciation for the ocean, self-proclaimed “ocean guy” Carl Nettleton has spent most of his adult life working to protect it.

Most recently, his company OpenOceans Global launched an app July 10 that enables users to report accumulations of plastic debris on beaches and get that information to organizations that are working to address the problem.

Users of OpenOceans’ online map and survey (openoceans.org/trash-survey) can mark the location of a plastic-fouled beach,

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OB Dog Beach Had the Most Trash Removed During Surfrider’s ‘Morning After’ Clean-Up

July 8, 2022 by Source

Ocean Beach’s Dog Beach was the top site of trash removal during this year’s Surfrider “Morning After” clean-up — compared to all other sites in the annual ritual on July. 735 pounds were removed from OB Dog Beach.

The second site with the most trash was Fiesta Island with 450 pounds. The OB Pier clean-up found 143 pounds.

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Why Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Would Be So Proud of the Destruction His Supreme Court Has Wrought

July 7, 2022 by Source

Anne Gorsuch’s brief, troubled tenure as EPA administrator had to have influenced the outlook of her then impressionable 16-year-old son.

By David Helvarg / Common Dreams / July 7, 2022

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court, in its latest rollback of precedent and law voted 6-3 to strip the EPA of its ability—under the Clean Air—to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants during a global heat wave and expanding climate emergency. While Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch,

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You’re Not Allowed to Have the Best Sunscreens in the World

July 6, 2022 by Source

Newer, better UV-blocking agents have been in use in other countries for years. Why can’t we have them here?

By Amanda Mull / The Atlantic / July 2022

At 36, I am just old enough to remember when sunscreen wasn’t a big deal. My mom, despite being among the palest people alive, does not remember bringing it on our earliest vacations, or hearing any mention of sun protection by our pediatrician. …

The preponderance of babies in rashguards and bucket hats that you now see at the beach shows how much has changed, and how quickly.

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California Passes Nation’s Toughest Plastic Reduction Bill

July 6, 2022 by Source

By Joseph Winters / Grist- Reader Supported News / July 5, 2022

California lawmakers declared a momentous victory against plastic pollution on Thursday when Governor Gavin Newsom approved a far-reaching bill to reduce plastic production, signing it into law just hours before a looming deadline.

The Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act, widely considered the “strongest” plastic reduction policy in the nation, requires a 25 percent reduction of single-use plastic packaging and foodware — both by weight and by the number of items — within the next 10 years. The bill zoomed through the California Legislature this week, passing the state Assembly by 66 to 1 on Wednesday evening before clearing the Senate without opposition on Thursday morning.

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July 2022 Events From the Ocean Beach Green Center

July 5, 2022 by Source

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Every Saturday 10:30 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th,

Pride Events this month

June 17th – September 7th “The Buses Are Coming.”

July 6th Wednesday 6:30 pm -8 pm Stop TEPCO

July 8th Friday 7:30 pm – 10 pm Movie Night with DxE San Diego

July 9th Saturday 10 am- 12 pm Open Garden Day at Ocean Beach Community Garden

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Surfrider and Partners Host ‘Morning After Mess’ Cleanups at OB Pier and OB Dog Park – Plus Other Sites – Tuesday, July 5

July 1, 2022 by Source

Surfrider volunteers will be hosting its “Morning After Mess” Beach Cleanup at the Ocean Beach Pier on Tuesday, July 5. Another partner group will host the clean-up at OB’s Dog Park. The clean-ups will be from 8 to 11 am.

They’re part of a series Surfrider and its partners are hosting throughout the county, which are held each year to help tackle the mess. These cleanups are open to the public; registration is live at Surfrider San Diego’s website.

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