Category: Environment

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* Young at Art Beautify Corner at Cable and Newport
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* Deadline for OB Historical Society Annual Photo Exhibit and Contest Extended to May 19th (was May 13th)
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* Fire Rings Saved But Watch What You Burn
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* OB’s Sacred Heart Parish School Family Festival- May 15
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* Rummage Sale to Pay for OB Elementary’s 4th Grade Sea Camp
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* OB Planning Board to Discuss Sunset Cliffs Traffic at Project Review Meeting on May 19th
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* Planning Board Fills Vacant Seat in District 3
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* Peace Movement to Hold “Die-In” Against the Drones Made by General Atomics May 19th
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* City opens bidding for OB Pier Café concession
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* OB Beach Ball – CANCELED until 2011
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* School Board Candidate Forum at Liberty Station – May 20th
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* Coffee Party to Stage Tour of San Diego’s Mega-Banks – May 21st
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* OB Friends of Library Book Sale – June 19th

In front of a fire pit near the waters of Mission Bay, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced at a press conference today (5/10/10) that the City’s 185 beach fire rings have been saved … at least for now. Due to a hefty donation of $90,000 from the San Diego Foundation, and smaller amounts from other sources, the fire rings’ are safe from removal until June 2011.

As I drove down Newport Avenue with a nearly empty gas tank, I considered my options. I usually buy my gas from the station at the corner of Newport and Sunset Cliffs, as ARCO is usually the cheapest big name brand around. I held my breath – what should I do? ARCO is owned by British Petroleum (BP). BP is responsible for this huge oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico – “the volcano of oil” spewing forth possibly as much as 200,000 gallons of crude every day.

What’s the answer? SeaWorld may know.

A SeaWorld rescue squad was called out to OB this morning (May 5) to capture a baby sea lion that had wandered onto Abbott Street during the early hours of the morning.

As a police officer tried to steer it back towards the ocean, it crawled underneath his car. A SeaWorld net captured the pup.

Locals cheered. Local media was all over the story. It was the big tip of the day.

As always, local photographer Jim Grant was also all over it. These are his pics.

by David Helvarg

Less than six months ago environmentalists were celebrating President Obama’s commitment to our public seas as they went to work in support of his proposed National Ocean Policy.

Of course that was before the president endorsed offshore-oil drilling.

His call for expanded fossil-fuel development on the Outer Continental Shelf at the end of March came less than a month before the catastrophic explosion of a deepwater oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico leased to BP. That April 20 Deepwater Horizon disaster left 11 oil workers missing and presumed dead and 17 injured, then burned for two days before sinking in almost mile-deep water, setting off what turns out to be something like a 200,000-gallon-a-day oil leak that’s quickly covered a large part of the gulf and is affecting the Louisiana coastline.

Nearly a dozen residents who support keeping OB’s fire rings showed up at the Town Council’s regular meeting, Wednesday night, April 28th, and about half of them spoke up at the Masonic Temple meet before the very attentive Council on maintaining the community’s icons.

And even though the Town Council did not take a vote during the meeting, those members of the Council who spoke on the issue gave strong indications the Council would vote during their next meeting in support of the fire rings. About two years, the Council had passed a similar proposal in support of the pits.

by Graham Land / Greenfudge.org / April 22, 2010

Bolivia has been hosting an international summit, named the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, in the city of Cochabamba. The talks began on the 19th and finish today.

From a report by the Environmental News Service:

More than 20,000 indigenous, environmental and civil society delegates from 129 countries were in attendance as President Morales welcomed them to the conference at a soccer stadium in the village of Tiquipaya on the outskirts of the city of Cochabamba.

The tone in Bolivia is decidedly political, with an emphasis on nature, poor and indigenous peoples and ‘climate justice’.

Editor: This is great news. A non-profit in La Jolla has stepped up to sponsor that community’s seven fire pits. Hopefully, a local non-profit in OB could assist our neighborhood in sponsoring our eight fire pits. The issue for OB will be heard at the OB Town Council on April 28th.

By Dave Schwab / La Jolla Light / April 20, 2010

The La Jolla Community Foundation is willing to pay for beach fire pits in La Jolla if other donors and community foundations are willing to follow suit in their communities.

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* Rumor: Locals Plan to Celebrate Herb Holiday on 4/20

* French Students Stuck in San Diego Due to Iceland Volcano Find OB Their “Favorite” Place Because of “the funny people there”

* Truesdail Posthumously-Produced- CD Release Party at Portugalia April 29th

* OB Town Council Plans Community Clean-Up on April 24th

* Fund-Raising Cross-Country Rollerbladers to Reach OB on April 24th – Barring Snow and Rain

* Rally for “No More Cuts In Education” on Saturday, May 8th

by George / GrokSurf’s San Diego

“How your water rates subsidize golf courses” is the headline in a recent Voice of San Diego article by Rob Davis that will probably stir up some indignation around town. The article says that “475 businesses, homeowners associations, golf courses and public agencies” get a 78% discount on reclaimed water which is subsidized by regular water users.

The article cites Michael Shames, executive director of UCAN, who suggests that discounted prices for reclaimed water users may be illegal, and that “City Councilwoman Donna Frye called it “out-of-whack” and promised to hold a public hearing on it.”

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We’ve all seen it over these last months: water rushing down gutters and streets, partially filling intersections, workers on our avenues, blocked roadways to our houses in paradise.

Why does the City have to waste so much water as it replaces our pipes – especially during this drought? This is a question many of us have asked.

Jim Noble was asking the questions last Thursday while he took these shots. Again a picture or 9 are worth thousands of words.

By Mike Lee /Union-Tribune / April 18, 2010

The goal: The owners of Architects wanted to showcase their passion for energy-efficient design when they moved offices in Ocean Beach last year. Their previous projects had included designing an eco-friendly building for the OB People’s Organic Foods Market a decade ago.

“When we had the opportunity to do our own office, we figured we better practice what we preach,” said Randy Hanna, a principal with the eight-member company.

The process: Hanna and his colleagues bought a 5,000-square-foot auto repair shop at Bacon and Santa Monica streets, intending to redo it as a green showpiece.